How ‘The Giving Room’ Made IKEA Shoppers Donate
Access to medical care is not a privilege for everyone. That was the starting point of the collaboration between Al-Futtaim IKEA and Médecins Sans Frontières as they urged shoppers to consider donating to the charitable cause.
In this campaign, as Al-Futtaim IKEA shoppers looked around their local shop to find homeware essentials, they were met by entire rooms constructed to mimic hospitals. With beds, crutches, oxygen tanks and more, the surprise installation is enough to make anyone curious. Looking deeper into the room, passers by could see that this stunt had quite a lot of meaning behind it. Raising money for Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders meant providing people around the world with much needed medical equipment in areas of conflict and with little access to resources.
The campaign didn’t just stop there, posters mimicking IKEA’s logos and product design were altered and adapted, turning furniture into hybrid products that served as medical equipment. Alongside using the signature style of the brand, these posters also contain a QR code which links viewers to ‘The Giving Room’ online site, where with a few clicks, you can donate to support the NGO with its aim of providing care where it is needed.
Angelly Cabrera, interim partnerships manager at Médecins Sans Frontières and Firas Medrwos, executive creative director at DDB Dubai tell LBB’s Nisna Mahtani about creating the campaign, what the reactions have been like and where you can donate to make a difference.
LBB> When did the partnership between Doctors Without Borders and Al-Futtaim IKEA first transpire?
Angelly & Firas> Every year, thousands of people visit Al-Futtaim IKEA dreaming of beautiful homes. At the same time, millions of people living in troubled areas can only dream about a normal life. This contrast served as the inspiration for the collaboration between Doctors Without Borders and Al-Futtaim IKEA that started back in May 2021.
LBB> What did both brands want to achieve with this campaign? What was the goal?
Angelly & Firas> Our main objective is that when people shop in a typical place, they connect with the actions carried out by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and they are able to recognise the type of medical equipment, and furniture, required for hospital rooms in the places we operate. We believe it is crucial people understand how their support enables us to assist so many others around the world.
LBB> How did you go about designing the signage which accompanies this installation? Can you talk us through the process?
Angelly & Firas> We created pieces of communication that mimicked the brand’s design and style while providing information on our initiative. This was done to add an unexpected element for visitors to the installation.
LBB> What was the process of creating the copy and how did you land on the format of the words with a word in capitals, a short description and then a longer explanation underneath it? What was the most challenging aspect of it?
Angelly & Firas> When a fact is presented in a manner that’s surprising and hence, memorable, it makes a bigger impact. Therefore, we adopted Al-Futtaim IKEA’s tone of voice while discussing our campaign. The challenge was that by using a minimalistic style we had to convey some heart-breaking facts.
LBB> And how about the actual installation? Can you share some images and the process of putting that together?
Angelly & Firas> It took us the better part of a year to put the whole project together – from conceptualisation to execution. Everyone, whether it was the core creative team, the set designers, or the installation specialists, everyone worked in tandem to bring the project to life. The actual installation process itself took place over a couple of weeks.
LBB> How did you redesign the Al-Futtaim IKEA tags and what was important to include on them?
Angelly & Firas> We redesigned the Al-Futtaim IKEA tags, as the idea was to take forward the ‘surprise’ element in every piece of communication. We included all relevant details – the lack of a particular medical resource, an actual figure that one can contribute towards that particular piece of medical equipment, and of course, the QR code through which money can be donated. Each tag summed up the campaign messaging.
LBB> What has the reaction of people who view The Giving Room and what is their biggest takeaway?
Angelly & Firas> It was interesting to observe people’s reactions. As we know, visitors are in a different state of mind when they’re in an Al-Futtaim IKEA outlet. When they came across these realities of people living in disturbed areas, suffering from a severe lack of medical resources, you could see that it made them reflect upon their privilege of living in a safe environment, where fully equipped hospitals and clinics are just a short drive away.
LBB> For those who don’t know, can you tell us about Doctors Without Borders and their goal to provide free healthcare services?
Angelly & Firas> MSF was started more than 50 years ago by a small group of doctors who joined an international aid mission to help victims of Nigeria's civil war. Today, MSF is one of the world’s leading medical humanitarian organisations, delivering quality healthcare to millions of people each year in more than 70 countries around the world.
At its core, the purpose of our mission is to save lives, relieve suffering, and speak about the plight of people in distress – irrespective of race, religion, creed or political affiliation. When disaster strikes, our teams of doctors, nurses, logisticians, and other staff are often among the first on the scene—sometimes arriving in a matter of minutes.
Our financial independence enables us to freely evaluate medical needs, reach communities in need without restriction, and directly provide high quality medical care. To ensure our operational independence and flexibility to respond at a moment's notice to the most urgent crises, including those which are under-reported or neglected more than seven million individual donors and private institutions (private companies and foundations) provided 97.1 per cent of the funding. Our funding relies largely on individuals donating small amounts.
LBB> Where can people donate?
Angelly & Firas> You can donate through YallaGive by choosing The Giving Room | Make Life-Changing Choices project. Link here.
LBB> Would you like to share anything else about the campaign with us?
Angelly & Firas> When an initiative is conceived, there’s always a concern regarding its acceptance. So, it’s encouraging to see people embracing the initiative. Hopefully, there’ll be similar campaigns like this, working towards a world that’s safer and better for all.
