IKEA Australia Celebrates 50 Years With Nostalgic 'Just the Start' Campaign

2025 marks 50 years of IKEA bringing Swedish design and high quality, affordable solutions to Australians, since opening its first store at St Leonards, Sydney, in 1975.

To celebrate this milestone, IKEA Australia has launched a 360-degree brand campaign ‘Just the Start’ -- reflecting on the impact it has had on Aussie homes over the last five decades, and acknowledging IKEA is ready to do so much more Down Under for the next 50 years.

IKEA Australia’s locally produced TVC, airing from Sunday May 18th, taps into a very Australian insight: we don’t do life’s pivotal moments alone. Whether it’s moving out, moving in, upsizing, downsizing, setting up the nursery, we call on our mates -- especially the ones with a ute -- to help us shift the sofa, reassemble the bed frame and hold the other end of the flatpack. The creative is an ode to that beautiful chaos, where friendship turns stress into stories. IKEA is proud to show up for Aussies at these moments, too.

The ‘Just the Start’ creative will activate across FTA TV, BVOD, SVOD, YouTube, cinema, paid social and outdoor.

Kirsten Hasler, head of marketing and Insights, IKEA Australia, said, “We had a rare opportunity to create a distinct local campaign which blended global brand consistency with local authenticity. Across the campaign, there is a clear sense of Australianness achieved by celebrating people, places and scenarios that Aussies can relate to. We placed iconic Australian cues throughout, including cars, flies, art deco housing, streetscapes, and busted thongs, which make the campaign unmistakably us. We surrounded the Australianness with our iconic global IKEA brand cues to make it equally unmistakably IKEA.”

Olly Taylor, chief strategy officer, Havas Host, said, “'Just the Start' doesn’t just celebrate the role IKEA plays in our lives -- it shines a light on the quintessential Aussie value of mates helping each other out. At a time when we’re craving connection more than ever, this campaign is an ode to those who show up, pitch in, and carry the heavy end of the load.”

Kirsty Hunter, Mindshare client partner, said the campaign reflected IKEA's work to build a strong and long-lasting connection with Australian consumers. "We were incredibly excited to collaborate with IKEA on their 50th anniversary campaign, an amazing achievement that speaks to Australia's now flat-pack-loving culture. We're proud to help IKEA celebrate its role in Australian homes and look forward to being part of what they have in store for the next 50.”

Leaning heavily into IKEA brand heroes, with some Aussie twists, is a constant throughout the campaign when it comes to earned media, and communicating to its 4,000 strongest advocates via co-worker communications.

The canvas of the famous ‘big blue box’ IKEA stores across the country are being utilised to drive visitation during IKEA Australia’s birthday weekend, Saturday May 31st – Sunday June 1st. The beloved Swedish hot dogs drop to just 50 cents during the weekend, and IKEA is offering an unprecedented 50% off one of its most famous products owned by 1 in 10 Aussies: the POÄNG armchair.

Already sparking a media and social media frenzy, on 13 May IKEA Australia released the world’s first-ever flat-packed FLIP FLÖPS, which yes, must be assembled yourself, as a hyper limited-edition item for customers to win. Each of IKEA Australia’s co-workers were the first in the country to receive a pair.

Patricia Routledge, head of communications, IKEA Australia, said, “We have been there for so many big moments in Australians’ lives, and we saw an opportunity to bring that magic to life in exciting ways for both IKEA co-workers and consumers.

“The simplicity of the flatpack FLIP FLÖPS -- fusing a key brand cue with one of our national icons, is a really special way for us to unleash that trademark IKEA ‘twinkle in the eye’ as we call it, and say thanks to Australians for welcoming us into their homes for the last five decades.”

Tabitha Fairbairn, managing director, Mango Communications, said, “It’s rare to receive a brief that enables you to go full Aussie with a global icon. We were tasked with bringing IKEA's 50th to life in an earned-led way that would drive mass attention -- and it was a joy for all of us.

“The idea: bringing together an iconic Aussie item with the IKEA ingenuity by creating flatpack FLIP FLÖPS. The detail and thought that went into every touch point -- from the intrinsically funny copy and line drawings in the manual, the box and packaging design, the tongue-in-cheek ‘simple three-step assembly process’ -- all of these bring the brand to life in a way that is naturally newsworthy. I’ll never say driving the earned strategy was easy, but there are certainly harder jobs out there.”

The ‘Just the Start’ campaign honours this milestone and reminds Australians that IKEA will continue to be there for every new chapter of their lives. For more campaign info, visit 50 years of IKEA in Australia.