IKEA has rolled out a new brand platform to bring its communications across the region together under one consistent, human narrative – setting the pace for a year‑long conversation that connects consumers with moments that truly matter.
Under the banner ‘Here to Be Part of Your Story’ the new brand campaign has been rolled out across the region across IKEA’s social channels, website, and on in-store screens in the UAE, Oman, and Qatar.
The campaign aims to link IKEA’s Scandinavian design, affordability, and sustainability in ways that feel relevant and useful at home.
“‘Here to Be Part of Your Story’ truly reflects our forward-looking vision at IKEA, driven by a desire to deepen our connection with our customers and celebrate the unique role we play in helping customers create homes that truly speak like them,” said Carla Klumpenaar, General Manager – Marketing, Communications & Interior Design, IKEA UAE, Qatar, Egypt and Oman.
The idea is to position IKEA as a dependable fixture in homes of the region, providing support in people’s fast‑paced lives.
“Our research, mainly stemming from our own audience segmentation and YouGov consumer behaviour and attitudes surveys, revealed that 80 per cent of people surveyed believe their home reflects their identity,” said Klumpenaar. “Further insights confirmed the same message: customers want relevance in local cultural moments and solutions that are flexible, affordable, and simple to implement.”
She explained that while some may seek furniture that makes a grand statement, the vast majority desire pieces that create space for who they are.
This understanding perfectly aligns with IKEA’s belief that a home should be cut-to-fit their consumers’ lives and resonate with their real-life rhythms. “It’s about enabling people to define their spaces themselves, celebrating the roles they play within their homes,” said Klumpenaar.
A year-long conversation
‘Here to Be Part of Your Story’ is designed to be a year-long conversation, not just a moment. The campaign will connect with people during meaningful moments in the year including Ramadan, National Day, Mother’s Day, and other significant milestones across the region.
Klumpenaar said the rollout centers on the main film, supported by shorter platform-ready cuts that keep the storytelling natural and engaging across Instagram and in-store experiences.
“You’ll see us in many places, engaging with our audiences through collaborations with influencers and artists, immersive in-store experiences that truly invite people in, and community events that encourage connection,” explained Klumpenaar.
“While the heart of our story stays the same, how we tell it adapts to fit each market and moment. Some moments will feel big and public, while others will be more personal,” she said.
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Human-led creative strategy
Every phase is about keeping the brand relevant, human, and truly part of the everyday, all while showing how IKEA can bring value, sustainability, and adaptability into homes.
“The campaign’s objective is to build an emotional connection and reinforce IKEA’s position as a brand that is personally meaningful,” said Bhaskar Bateja, Head of Strategy, Memac Ogilvy, UAE. “So, instead of showing the functional superiority of IKEA products, we shifted the entire narrative to people.”
Building on the insight that people play multiple roles everyone plays at home – parent, chef, referee, host, and midnight snacker – became the cornerstone of the campaign’s creative strategy.
“Home isn’t one thing. You’re not one person in it. You’re a dozen versions of yourself depending on the day, the hour, and the need,” said Bateja.
Instead of asking people to notice IKEA, the brand chose to tell consumers that it is noticing them. With the creative springboard of showcasing how the brand holds space for the different roles consumers play at home, the campaign positions IKEA as the quiet enabler of those moments, not the hero of them.
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Meeting consumers at every touchpoint
The new brand platform engages with audiences through online and offline interactions through collaborations with influencers and artists, immersive in-store experiences that truly invite people in, and community events that encourage connection.
“While the heart of our story stays the same, how we tell it adapts to fit each market and moment,” said Klumpenaar. “Some moments will feel big and public, while others will be more personal.”
A huge focus of this is tactile in-store experiences that allow consumers to let their individualistic home furnishing ideas become reality.
“In‑store engagement allows customers to see, experience, and be inspired directly from our colleagues, turning storytelling into both memorable moments and practical solutions they can take home,” said Klumpenaar.
The first iteration of this is IKEA’s ‘Globally Local’ initiative, which brings together talented artists from the UAE, Qatar, Oman, and Egypt to reimagine iconic IKEA products through their own cultural lens, combining IKEA’s Scandinavian design and functionality with the rich heritage, craftsmanship, and storytelling traditions of their home countries.
“Our goal wasn’t to localise a global brand. It was to make a global brand locally rooted, showcasing how IKEA does not just adapt to the region, but genuinely belongs to it,” said Bana Shennak, Associate Strategy Director, Memac Ogilvy, PR & Influence, MENA.
In addition to the in-store displays, participating artists will lead workshops where IKEA Family members, customers and visitors can experience their crafts firsthand – taking their audiences through their practice and personal stories before guiding a hands-on session to co-create a simple, customised IKEA piece to take home. The initiative also invites customers to participate in ‘Your Local Story’, a competition designed to celebrate community voices.
To join, customers are encouraged to:
1. Visit the IKEA store at Yas Mall, Abu Dhabi
2. Snap a picture of their favourite #IKEAGloballyLocal piece
3. Share what it means to them on Instagram by tagging @IKEAUAE (posts or stories, and public profiles only) and using #IKEA_YourLocalStory and #IKEAGloballyLocal
IKEA will curate the most heartfelt and creative submissions and award five winners, each receiving one of the designs at the end of the contest period, allowing participants to bring a piece of this local celebration into their homes.
Whether it’s a cherished memory, a cultural connection, or simply a spark of inspiration, each story will contribute to a collective social artwork, showcasing the community’s shared creativity and passion for design.
The same physical experiences were amplified through the campaign’s video assets – which casted an actual family to allow for each moment to feel honest, not acted.
“We brought the idea to life by building around 20 sets that showed just how naturally IKEA fits into every kind of home and every kind of story,” said Moemen Metwally, Creative Director, Memac Ogilvy, UAE.
Therefore, the campaign bridges Swedish design with GCC heritage by co-creating with local artists and communities, going beyond just telling audiences that IKEA understand their needs, to genuinely engage with them.
“This also represents a continuous evolution of our retail experience, designed to provide value and establish a stronger sense of community,” said Klumpenaar. “By offering in-store experiences, we are enriching every customer touchpoint and ensuring that our physical stores remain hubs for connection, creativity, and practical living.
“Every touchpoint reinforced that objective, along with the fact that IKEA understands cultural relevance, affordability and quality in equal measures,” added Shennak.
Measuring long-term success
To monitor the impact of the new brand campaign, IKEA will track reach, engagement, brand consideration, and affinity, along with footfall, dwell time, and event participation.
In terms of soft metrics, the brand will measure customer perceptions of value and sustainability to ensure the platform delivers on what matters most.
“Early signals are encouraging, with strong participation in in‑store experiences and positive sentiment towards stories grounded in local culture, such as what we have been doing with Globally Local,” said Klumpenaar.
