PIGEON and IKEA Canada Continue Partnership with Humber College

PIGEON and IKEA Canada proudly announce their continued partnership with Humber College's Advertising Art Direction and Copywriting post-graduate certificate programs for a second year in a row with Humber College’s Faculty of Media & Creative Arts. This year’s objective? A competition brief with the mission to promote equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Earlier this year, on March 8th, Humber College's Art Direction and Copywriting students gathered at Humber College’s Lakeshore Campus with PIGEON and IKEA Canada’s marketing team to kick off the creative journey. The mission: to craft compelling campaign concepts aimed at inspiring even more IKEA co-workers to join and engage with Rainbow Connections, an IKEA Canada co-worker Resource Group.

Last year, IKEA Canada was once again recognised on the Forbes list of Canada’s Best Employers for Diversity. This prestigious designation is awarded to companies leading the way in the areas of age, gender equality, ethnicity, disability, 2SLGBTQ+, and general diversity. This collaboration with PIGEON and Humber highlights the significance of CRGs as part of IKEA Canada's efforts to create an inclusive culture where everyone can be themselves and contribute to making IKEA a great place to work. The Rainbow Connections CRG is dedicated in providing a space for 2SLGBTQ+ co-workers and their allies at IKEA Canada to meet and support each other.

"We were thrilled to partner with PIGEON and Humber College on this meaningful initiative," remarked Jonelle Ricketts, head of marketing at IKEA Canada. "At IKEA, our vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people. It was an amazing opportunity to inspire the next generation of creatives and help bring our vision to life in a tangible way, driving meaningful action through their ideas."

The competition, spearheaded by Humber’s Building F initiative, garnered a plethora of innovative ideas. Finalists were chosen to present their concepts to a panel of esteemed judges, including Jonelle Ricketts, head of marketing at IKEA Canada; John Williams, ED&I leader at IKEA Canada, Carlo Franco, marketing performance leader at IKEA Canada, Elyse Boulet, CEO and managing partner at PIGEON; Jean-François Béliveau, 360 creative director at PIGEON; Rebecca Lyttle, senior strategist at PIGEON.

Elyse Boulet of PIGEON expressed her enthusiasm for the collaboration, stating, "Witnessing the students' creativity first hand was truly inspiring. It reaffirmed the power of fresh perspectives in driving impactful campaigns that create emotional connections."

Carlo Franco from IKEA echoed Boulet’s sentiments, emphasising the students' deep understanding of the brand. "The breadth of ideas presented was impressive, showcasing the students' ability to connect with IKEA Canada's commitment to diversity and inclusion in the workplace."

Janice Fung, program coordinator and professor of advertising art direction at Humber College, underscored the invaluable experience gained through real client briefs. "PIGEON and IKEA have provided our students with an unparalleled opportunity to bridge the gap between education and industry reality,” Janice remarked. “It was a proud Professor moment for Janice and me, seeing the judges’ faces light up as the three finalist groups presented their concepts to industry leaders in marketing and advertising,” says program coordinator and professor of advertising copywriting, Mary Secord.

After careful deliberation, Olivia Birnie, copywriter, and Jhenny Castillo, art director, were awarded the grand cash prize, earning praise for their innovative approach and strategic insights. “We had to tap into a lot of things that resonate with us to build that emotional connection we sought to portray with the internal campaign we pitched. We also realised through the process of creating a campaign that is aimed at building support networks within IKEA, how incredibly important our own support networks were to us, which made this that much more special getting to contribute to,” says Jhenny. “I really enjoyed the experience, it was challenging and made me think outside the box, and it’s really helped me grow as a copywriter having to research and dig for insights to action for a real brief” – states Olivia.

Olivia and Jhenny conceptualised a heartfelt, warm, and strategic campaign that leveraged the insight they discovered: popular IKEA soft toys, BLAHAJ and DJUNGELSKOG, are beloved by the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Positioned around the idea 'Stuffed with support', because we are all “made with the same stuffing”, the campaign idea pairs clever plays on words with adorable images of IKEA soft toys that speak to solidarity, kindness, and safe and respectful work environments.

“The campaign went above and beyond the parameters laid out in the brief, not only addressing each strategic objective listed, but bringing an element of pride to the IKEA Canada CRGs that we could see working for the other groups,” states John Williams.

The collaboration between PIGEON, IKEA Canada, and Humber students demonstrates the businesses’ continued commitment to fostering innovation, inclusivity, and excellence in advertising for the next generation.