This Premium Kitchen Brand Comes from a Surprising Retailer

IKEA has launched a new integrated campaign aiming to redefine the nation's perceptions of its kitchen quality and design.

The campaign appears to be for a high end and pretentious kitchen retailer, called 'EUREKA SPIRITSIS', boasting a 25-year guarantee, quality workmanship, seamless functionality and deluxe style, with guidance from kitchen specialists. But there's one catch, 'EUREKA SPIRTISIS' is actually an anagram, which when unscrambled, reveals 'SURPRISE, IT'S IKEA'. The premium kitchen is actually an IKEA kitchen and was right under the viewer's nose the whole time.

The campaign was teased with in-market targeted communications from 4th January, with the wider campaign launching from today (11th January) across the UK. The fully integrated campaign will be live across VOD, TikTok content with creator and etiquette expert, William Hanson, press and editorial, Pinterest and Meta, Display, in-store and ikea.co.uk.

The AV begins in a dark and mysterious room where a woman in a beautiful dress begins playing the cello under a spotlight. A pompous and enigmatic man then walks into frame and the camera starts to follow him as his hand starts to gently glide over a luxurious kitchen counter. In a playfully pretentious style, the camera focuses on the man’s face as he proudly declares “we are EUREKA SPIRITSIS”. Around him, other parts of the luxe kitchen appear as if by magic, as the man waxes lyrical about the unique detailing of the kitchen, their highly trained kitchen specialists and confidently boasts about the 25 year guarantee. 

The AV closes with a wide shot as studio lights suddenly flash on, revealing the complete IKEA kitchen in all its glory. A 'EUREKA SPIRTISIS' title appears, then unscrambles to reveal 'SURPRISE, IT'S IKEA". The recognisable IKEA voiceover then closes the film by saying:

“So we lied about the name. But everything else is true.”

On TikTok, hero content has been created with the UK’s leading etiquette expert, William Hanson, to create a 30s hero film that explains the etiquette behind ‘how to use an IKEA kitchen’. There will also be three bespoke 10 second edits which focus on key proof points around quality, design and service.'

A media and influencer event was held last night at The Hackney, where guests were led to believe they were attending a launch event for a new, premium brand, EUREKA SPIRITSIS. At the event, which was centred around the same kitchen that features in the AV content, it was revealed by an IKEA spokesperson, Starr McClean, Commercial Business Partner, that the event was in fact held by IKEA. 

Kemi Anthony, marketing communication manager, at IKEA UK and Ireland, said, “Kitchens are at the heart of every home, and through this campaign we want to show that IKEA kitchens are stylish, practical and built to last by debunking some common misconceptions. With our playful ‘EUREKA SPIRITSIS’ misdirect, we want to give consumers a pleasant surprise and put IKEA kitchen’s design, quality and expertise front and centre of the conversation..”