Ikea’s new ad doubles as a pregnancy test if you pee on it
Ah, Ikea. There’s nowhere we’d rather go for cheap furniture and meatballs with lingonberry sauce. And now that’s not all the home goods store is offering. The latest Ikea ad promises to let you know if you’ve got a bun in the oven.
The new Ikea pregnancy test ad is a magazine page advertising a crib. Women can allegedly pee on a strip at the bottom of the page to reveal whether or not they;re pregnant. If the test results are positive, the ad will display a 50 percent off coupon for the Sundvik crib.
"Peeing on this ad may change your life," text at the top of the page reads.
According to Adweek, Swedish advertising firm Akestam Holst designed the ad with help from Mercene Labs, and it is currently featured in the Swedish women’s magazine Amelia.
How does it work? The same way as any other pregnancy test, apparently.
“The pregnancy test strip was used as a starting point, which relies on antibodies that bind to the pregnancy hormone hCG, resulting in a color change," Akestam Holst told Adweek.
Thankfully, no Ikea cashiers will be subjected to handling urine-soaked ads. Ikea Sweden spokesperson Magnus Jakobsson told CNBC that, to receive the discount, pregnant customers simply have to join Ikea’s rewards program.
Ikea’s new ad is a pregnancy test you pee on. Really. https://t.co/NOT5BVKWvS pic.twitter.com/IImtDiEKbh
— Co.Design (@FastCoDesign) January 10, 2018
While the ad is undoubtedly creative, Twitter users were divided about whether it was weird or wonderful.
Genius idea from Ikea – Ad doubles as a pregnancy test. If you’re pregnant, peeing on the ad reveals a special discounted price on cots. pic.twitter.com/kWuJfOwpIX
— Andrew Bloch (@AndrewBloch) January 10, 2018
This is pretty innovative marketing https://t.co/E7CGhP11vp
— Omar Camacho Johnson (@ThreeFourNine) January 10, 2018
IKEA just started running an ad for a crib in a women's magazine in Sweden and it doubles as a pregnancy test. Good news, if you're not pregnant, IKEA will sell you all the parts to make a baby. Bad news, it will take way longer than 9 months… pic.twitter.com/lHB8ydZyWW
— Johnny Marks (@DJJohnnyMarks) January 10, 2018
Hahahaha Ikea has a free pregnancy test ad. If it's positive, the peed-on ad turns into a coupon. I mean….🤷🤣😁😂😂😂
— Kay Mar (@Kay13Mar) January 10, 2018
Wtf? 1st- Those poor cashiers!
2nd- How many people are buying a crib when they are not expecting? #Ikea https://t.co/gBgV05tl0k— Hayley Elliott (@Downtown716) January 10, 2018
https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/951028705492701184
But one user criticized the ad for leaving out future parents who weren’t pregnant.
Horrified, @IKEAUSA – anyone who’s becoming a parent by adopting, fertility methods, surrogacy, etc but can’t get pregnant doesn’t matter? Thoughtless, offensive, heartless and sick. #infertility #parents #ikea https://t.co/FsHwKYV8HJ
— Your Name Here. (@randster) January 10, 2018
A 50 percent discount on a crib is a great deal for parents-to-be. Along with Ikea’s awesome parental leave program for working parents, it’s clear this company cares about families. And beyond promoting a product, this Ikea ad ranks with flushable and environmentally friendly pregnancy tests as one of the more innovative ways to find out you’re expecting.
We’re undecided about if we’d put this ad to its intended use. But we have to admit this is definitely a unique idea that customers will be talking about for years to come.
