IKEA Saudi Arabia’s Self Care Cushion Calls on Women Not to Sleep on Breast Cancer Symptoms

Leo Burnett Saudi Arabia’s latest campaign for IKEA is designed to raise awareness of the importance of early detection of breast cancer by inserting IKEA’s popular ‘Kransborre’ cushion with a lifelike lump. 

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death in Saudi Arabia, yet Saudi women are only reminded do their check-ups once per year during annual breast cancer awareness campaigns.  

To remind people of the importance of self-examination all year long in an impactful yet culturally respectful way, Leo Burnett Saudi Arabia decided to use IKEA’s ‘Kransborre’ cushion as an ongoing awareness tool and a visual prompt to positively change behaviour. Etched with the words, ‘Don’t  Sleep On It – Early detection saves lives’, the cushion’s regular tags were replaced with tags explaining how to check for lumps. 

Mohammed Sehly, creative director at Leo Burnett Saudi Arabia says: “Talking about breast cancer is a delicate subject, we needed to create an effective reminder for women to do their self examinations all year long and not only in one month every year.” 

These Kransborre limited-edition cushions were distributed during Breast Cancer Awareness month and will now live in people’s homes year-round.

Mohammed Bahmishan, chief creative officer at Leo Burnett Saudi Arabia, says: “We wanted to grab women’s attention and make an impactful statement. Cushions are part of our furniture, so why not use them as a call-to-action that reminds women that it's your time to look after yourself. Waiting is always a risk when early detection can save lives.”