Al-Futtaim IKEA Helps Couples Who Disagree Over Furniture with 'Couch Counselling'

Studies show that furniture shopping remains one of the leading causes of relationship tensions. Al-Futtaim IKEA, the leading Swedish home furnishings retailer in the UAE, took an innovative approach to help couples overcome this challenge and avoid disagreements in the process. With this limited-period activation, 'Couch Counselling', Al-Futtaim IKEA brought on professional relationship counsellors and therapists with whom couples could reserve consultation sessions. They could discuss any relationship issues - including decision-making around furniture. 

With the 'Couch Counselling' activation, Al-Futtaim IKEA offered a stress-free shopping experience for couples. Not only does the Swedish retailer want to create a better everyday life, but also wanted to help couples make their home beautiful, cosy, and, most importantly, in sync with each other’s taste.

The activation film highlights typical issues couples face when shopping for furniture. One couple argues over whether the room they are buying a couch for is a game room or a study, and another complaint about not agreeing on a coffee table in 25 years. To help avoid such tensions, for a limited-period, couples visiting Al-Futtaim IKEA Festival Plaza could easily book a counselling session by scanning the QR code placed on selected furniture items in the store. This directed them to a microsite, where they could book a counselling session with professional relationship therapists and were free to discuss any relationship issues.

The store featured posters inspired by real-life couple problems to make shoppers feel understood and normalise the challenges they may face while shopping for furniture. All posters had a call-to-action that directed customers to a microsite.

Commenting on the campaign, Carla Klumpenaar, general manager - marketing, communication, HF and retail design at Al-Futtaim IKEA in UAE, Qatar, Egypt and Oman, said, “At Al-Futtaim IKEA, we understand the importance of creating a home that truly reflects the personality, needs and dreams of the people living in it. We are always determined to help the many people create a better everyday life. Through this fun activation which went live for one day, we gave our customer’s value-added services to support their shopping experience.’’

The campaign has been put together in collaboration with IMPACT BBDO Dubai and Impact Porter Novelli.