How IKEA Sold Mattresses by Sliding into Your DMs

Grabbing attention in today’s world is hard. You can’t just put up a billboard saying “15% off on mattresses” and expect people to care. But IKEA Canada just showed us how to break through the noise with a campaign that was clever, funny, and perfectly executed.

The Setup: A Midnight Text from IKEA

A few days ago, IKEA Canada did something unexpected—they sent out a classic midnight text:
“U UP?”

Naturally, people were confused. The replies were priceless:

• “Is this the real IKEA?”

• “No way, this can’t be IKEA!”

• “Umm… who’s this?”

And just as people were trying to make sense of it, IKEA replied with the most brilliant comeback:
“If you’re awake right now, you probably have a bad mattress. Time to get a new one!”

It turned out to be a campaign promoting 15% off on mattresses. And they didn’t stop there—they even put up a billboard with the same cheeky messaging and a clever landing page: IKEA.com/u-up.

Why This Worked

1. It Felt Personal

   • In a world of generic ads, a midnight text is personal, unexpected, and engaging. It felt more like a conversation than a campaign.

2. Perfectly Timed Insight

   • Think about it: If someone is awake at midnight, there’s a good chance their mattress isn’t comfortable. IKEA nailed the insight and used it to deliver a punchline that made people laugh while also planting the idea of buying a new mattress.

3. Free Virality

   • People were sharing screenshots, talking about the unexpected text, and even joking about IKEA sliding into DMs. The campaign went viral organically because it was funny, relatable, and completely out of the box.

4. The Power of Contextual Marketing

   • This wasn’t just a discount ad. It was contextual marketing at its best. They reached people exactly when the pain point (a bad mattress) was the most relevant—in the middle of the night.

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