New York, October 27, 2011- IKEA, named Advertiser of the Year at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, today announced the appointment of McCann as the global agency of record for IKEA.com following a competitive review. This appointment marks the second global IKEA assignment for McCann this year. In August, IKEA named McCann as global agency of record for the iconic IKEA catalog, with a remit to enhance the catalog with technology and storytelling. Prior to these assignments, IKEA had never appointed a global agency of record for any aspect of their marketing communications.
McCann will be responsible for rethinking and redesigning the IKEA.com site and user experience on a global scale, and will work closely with IKEA’s in-house digital team based at IKEA offices in Helsingborg and Älmhult, Sweden.
“McCann understands our business and our culture,” said Lena Simonsson Berge, Head of Global Communications for IKEA. “This fact, combined with their digital and storytelling capabilities, makes them the perfect choice for this critical assignment.”
McCann has made a significant investment in digital in recent months, adding developers, technologists, UX and IA specialists, designers, social strategists and digital project managers alongside critical hires such as Vice Chairman and Executive Creative Director Andreas Dahlqvist, Global Chief Innovation Officer Matt Freeman, Executive Creative Director Natalie Lam, EVP of Innovation Tim Harris and Mark Fallows, who leads the Creative Technology Group. This appointment marks a new chapter in McCann’s transformation story, with digital now firmly at the core of its offering.
Linus Karlsson, Chief Creative Officer of McCann NY and London said, “IKEA is one of the world’s best brands with a shopping experience that is unmatched. A trip to the IKEA store is an adventure and it is a step into the story of IKEA. That kind of experience needs to exist wherever the consumer encounters the brand. We have been working to infuse the catalogue with new ways to engage with the IKEA story. We will now bring that same experience to the one’s online and mobile life.”
About McCann New York
McCann Erickson New York is the flagship and largest office of McCann Erickson, the world’s largest advertising agency network, with operations in more than 120 countries and a client roster that includes preeminent global marketers and many of the world’s most famous brands. The agency is a unit of McCann Worldgroup, a leading global marketing solutions network, comprised of a collaborative roster of best-in-class agencies that emphasize creativity, innovation, and performance.
About McCann Worldgroup
McCann Worldgroup delivers marketing solutions that transform brands and grow businesses. The company is comprised of a collaborative roster of best-in-class agencies that emphasize creativity, innovation, and performance, including McCann Erickson (the world’s largest advertising agency network); MRM (digital marketing/relationship management); Momentum (event marketing/promotion); McCann Healthcare (professional/dtc communications); WGEXP (global production); UM (media management); Weber Shandwick (public relations) and FutureBrand (consulting/design).
