OPPORTUNITIES

It’s been decades since IKEA, a Scandinavian home furnishings retailer, cemented itself as a staple in Europe. It entered the U.S. market in 1985, and in 2013, the company realized that the U.S. market still presented tremendous growth opportunity. But to tap into that opportunity, IKEA needed to become more relevant to and connected with U.S. audiences.

IKEA hired APCO in 2013 as the U.S. Agency of Record for Corporate Communication and Public Affairs. For over a decade, we have worked together to help build and enhance its reputation, generate demand for its products and services, establish it as a responsible employer and gain market share.

SOLUTIONS

Over the past decade, we have worked with IKEA to help them be more open and communicative, in both good and troubling times, showcasing the company’s humanity and promoting its responsible actions.

From helping to launch vegetarian meatballs and store openings to addressing safety recalls and announcing a $2b investment in the U.S. From creating actionable sustainability programs or sharing how the company worked to keep the lights on for refugees, we have partnered with IKEA. Our access has engaged media, government officials, thought leaders (NGOs, academics, think tanks), co-workers, consumers and regulators in thoughtful discussions that are authentic to the company’s values and demonstrate how IKEA takes care of its co-workers and their communities and contributes to sustainability practices in the U.S. and worldwide.

IMPACT

Impact: Our work positively influenced IKEA’s reputation and propelled it onto lists such as FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For^®, Fortune’s 50 Best Places to Work For – Diversity & Inclusion, Great Place to Work Trust Index^©, Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, People Magazine’s 50 Companies that Care and Fast Company’s The World’s Most Innovative Companies.

By sharing its commitment to sustainability, equity and its communities and demonstrated leadership and partnership at the local and national levels, we have helped IKEA become a reference brand for sustainability in the U.S., helping increase the demand for the IKEA experience and pave the way for continued market expansion. Over the course of our decade-long partnership, IKEA’s U.S. market reach has grown by 44%.