IKEA likes to surprise! This time, the company once again combined design with technology and humor in a really skillful way. The Swedish chain surprised customers with the “Phone Sleep Collection” campaign, in which it offered… a miniature bed for smartphones! This unusual accessory is intended to help users reduce screen viewing in the evening, which – as we know – will ultimately translate into improved sleep quality.
The new IKEA gadget is a full-fledged piece of technology. Inside there is an NFC chip that communicates with the IKEA application on Android and iOS systems. After installing the app, just put your phone in bed to sleep and confirm that it is put to sleep. From this point on, the app starts measuring in the background how long the device stays in sleep mode: the user’s goal is to achieve seven hours of uninterrupted phone “sleep” per night.
After a week of such sessions, the user receives a voucher worth about 100 dirhams (about PLN 100) to be used in IKEA stores. The currency here is not accidental, because at the moment the accessory is only available in the United Arab Emirates. Interestingly, the bed does not have a charging function, which may be demotivating for many people. Because how can you not charge your smartphone at night…
The IKEA UAE campaign is a skillful combination of the world of technology, design and the digital wellbeing trend. Each bed is a miniature reproduction of classic IKEA furniture, with a set of wooden slats, a frame and a mini-mattress, requiring self-assembly. Exactly as it would be with a large bed bought in a chain store! The set includes a small headrest and “bedding” for the phone, and the whole thing is packed in an ecological recycled box.
Marketing with a mission – it makes sense!
The idea, prepared by the Memac Ogilvy agency, is an example of the so-called gamification of healthy habits. Users can treat breaking away from their smartphone as a challenge with a reward – 7 nights without doomscrolling and they can win a shopping voucher. However, there is a more serious idea at work in the background: screen addiction and the constant flow of dopamine causing sleep disorders. According to the chain, this initiative is intended to encourage digital detox and restore the balance between online and offline time.
Some commentators refer to the Phone Sleep Collection as a brilliant example of emotion-based marketing. Instead of promoting another electronic gadget, the brand touches on a real problem, while maintaining a slightly ironic form – because it is only a bed… but for a phone.
Will we see this action also in Poland?
As I mentioned: for now, both the accessory and the promotion are only available in the United Arab Emirates. However, this campaign has already made so much noise that I don’t think anyone would be particularly surprised if IKEA decided to offer this campaign also in other parts of the world. Pleasant and useful. For now, however, we can only observe and envy.
