IKEA: THE CLIMATE MATCH

Credits & Description:

Category: Corporate Responsibility

Advertiser: IKEA NORWAY

Product/Service: SUSTAINABILITY CAMPAIGN

Agency: TRIGGER OSLO

Agency: SAATCHI & SAATCHI

Managing Director And Account Director: Preben Carlsen (Trigger Oslo)

Advisor: Håkon Fretheim (Saatchi & Saatchi)

Producer: Rune Sandnes (Saatchi & Saatchi)

Creative: Eiliv Gunleiksrud (Saatchi & Saatchi)

Communication Manager: Frode Skage Ullebust (Ikea Norway)

Sustainability Responsible: Nina Schefte (Ikea Norway)

Project Leader: Yngvill Ofstad (Ikea Norway)

Project Leader: Ina Toften (WWF Norway)

Communication Advisor: Jon Bjartner (WWF Norway)

Advisor: Mariann Lodgaard (WWF Norway)

Media placement: Press Launch - TV2, Norwegian National News, Aftenposten, Norwegian National Newspaper And NTB, Nationalnews Agency - 7. March 2011

Media placement: Digital PR - Campaign Site, Integrated With Facebook - 7. March 2011

Media placement: Danish Press Launch - DR1, Danish TV, Sporten.dk, Sportsnews, Broad Coverage - 8. March 2011

Media placement: Digital PR - Sports Bloggers, Football Players, Environmental Organizations Etc. Encouraged To Participate - 9. March 2011

Media placement: Digital PR - Facebook-Activation Of Ambassadours, Use Of WWFs Channels - 10. March 2011

Media placement: Regional And Local PR - Local And Regional Media - 10. March 2011

Media placement: Consumer PR - National - Nytt På Nytt, The Biggest Talk Show In Norway And TV2 - 25. March 2011

Media placement: Instore Communication - The IKEA Store Used To Communicate The Climate Match - 7. March 2011

Media placement: Internal Communication - Co-Workers Was Informed On Internal Launch In The Dark And Internal Communication - 6. March 2011

Media placement: Consumer PR - Broad Media Coverage Of The Result Of The Climate Match - 27. March 2011



Summary of the Campaign

Earth Hour is the biggest climate campaign in the world. IKEA Norway has been the main partner of WWF Earth Hour since its introduction in 2009. Since then the climate engagement in Norway was waning. In 2011, Earth Hour happened at the same time as the most important football match in Norway in decades. Our challenge was to find a way to renew the interest for Earth Hour in Norway, in a context where the climate engagement was dropping and the football match was grabbing all the attention.



Instead of competing with the football match, we used it as an opportunity to reach out. We developed The Climate Match, and challenged people to turn off the light to beat the Danes in 2 matches at once.



We developed The Climate Match on Facebook, making it easy turn of the lights on Facebook, for Norway or Denmark, and invite friends to do the same.



We involved the 2 most important people in Norway when it comes to climate and football, Egil Olsen, national team coach, and Erik Solheim, Environment Minister, by challenging the Danes to turn off the light on Facebook. We got Morten Olsen, the Danish national team coach and the Danish Environment Minister to encourage the Danes.



1.9m Norwegians took part of a total population of 5m. 1/3 Norwegians says IKEA Norway takes responsibility for the climate - the same as the all-time best result in 2010. 1/5 Norwegians were aware of The Climate Match and IKEA’s contribution.



The Situation

Earth Hour is the biggest climate campaign in the world. Earth Hour is encouraging people to take a stand against climate changes by turning of the lights for an hour in one global, symbolic action against climate change.



IKEA Norway has been the main partner of WWF Earth Hour since its introduction in Norway in 2009 and contributed towards making Earth Hour in Norway a success.



Since 2009 the climate engagement in Norway was waning, especially after the financial crisis, the 'climate gate' in the United Nations and because of reduced coverage of the climate challenges in Norwegian media.



The Goal

We needed to renew the interest in Earth Hour, and make sure that at least 1.8m Norwegians turn off the light during Earth Hour (the all time high number of participants in Norway in 2010). We also wanted to motivate the IKEA co-workers and increase their pride in working at IKEA and strengthen the IKEA customer’s knowledge of IKEA and WWFs´s global co-operation in environmental projects at the same time as we increased sales of energy saving light bulbs.



The Strategy

In 2011, Earth Hour happened to be at the same time as one of the most important football match in Norway in decades. A half hour into the decisive European Championships qualifying match Norway vs Denmark, WWF needed to get people to turn off the light. Even though we knew that at least 1.5m Norwegians would be watching the football match on TV. Our challenge was to find a way to renew the interest for Earth Hour in Norway, in a context where the climate engagement was dropping and the football match was grabbing all the attention.



Instead of competing with the football match, we used the game as an opportunity to reach out. We developed The Climate Match, and challenged people to turn off the lights to beat the Danes in 2 matches at once. The same message was sent out in Denmark, with the opposite national support.



Execution

A campaign website was the platform for public engagement. The Climate Match on Facebook, made it easy turn of the lights on Facebook, for Norway or Denmark, and invite friends to do the same.



We involved the 2 most important people in Norway when it comes to climate and football, Egil 'Drillo' Olsen, Norway’s national team coach, and Erik Solheim, Environment Minister, by launching the Climate Match at a press launch, where they challenged the Danes to turn off the lights and watch the football match in the dark.



We got Morten Olsen, the Danish national team coach and the Danish Environment Minister to encourage the Danes. This resulted in national media coverage in Denmark, which we again used to create new attention in Norway.



The campaign site showed the position, right down to municipal level, and acted as a tool for national, regional and local PR stories.



Documented Results

The most important winner was Earth Hour and the environment. 1.9m Norwegians took part of a total population of 5m. Norway clearly won the climate match. The football match, on the other hand, didn’t go so well: 1-1.



IKEA also profited. Over 25,000 energy saving light bulbs were sold in 2 weeks. 1/3 Norwegians says IKEA Norway takes responsibility for the climate through action - the same as the all time best result in 2010. 1/5 Norwegians were aware of The Climate Match and IKEA’s contribution.



The Climate Match was also reported in over 200 media. 70% of IKEA employees turned off their lights, over 30% above the national average. 87% of employees knew that IKEA is WWF’s main partner. 83% are to a great/very great extent proud to work for IKEA due to the work within the environment; social responsibility saw an increase of 12% from 2010.