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Category
Active Engagement / Call to Action
Annual ID
OS25_SM041M
Background
Canadians think they need to spend a lot to get a comfortable mattress, which is why the average budget for a new mattress is over $1,000. This belief creates a challenge for IKEA, whose mattresses are priced at a fraction of that cost. Instead of seeing them as a great deal, many people question the quality – believing they’re too affordable to be comfortable.
To combat this, we set out to make it easier for many Canadians to try and experience an IKEA mattress proving to them they’re not just well priced – they’re high quality.
With many Canadians not considering IKEA’s mattress range, we set out to reach these people when they needed us most–in the middle of the night, lying awake with a bad mattress that cost them a fortune.
To combat this, we set out to make it easier for many Canadians to try and experience an IKEA mattress proving to them they’re not just well priced – they’re high quality.
With many Canadians not considering IKEA’s mattress range, we set out to reach these people when they needed us most–in the middle of the night, lying awake with a bad mattress that cost them a fortune.
Creative Idea
On Valentine’s Day, IKEA slid into Canadians’ DMs with a classic late-night “u up?” message to surprise them with a dreamy deal on IKEA mattresses. Between the hours of 11pm and 5am, those who responded were given a discount on an IKEA mattress, with select users even surprised and delighted with a free mattress.
The cheeky social stunt on Instagram reached sleepless Canadians in the middle of the night, unexpectedly capturing the attention of those who were playful enough to respond with a limited-time 15% offer on mattresses and sleep comfort products. We used strategically placed OOH–in proximity to IKEA’s downtown Toronto store– that was viewable to sleepless condo-dwellers who were still awake when the billboard was live between 10pm-12am.
The cheeky social stunt on Instagram reached sleepless Canadians in the middle of the night, unexpectedly capturing the attention of those who were playful enough to respond with a limited-time 15% offer on mattresses and sleep comfort products. We used strategically placed OOH–in proximity to IKEA’s downtown Toronto store– that was viewable to sleepless condo-dwellers who were still awake when the billboard was live between 10pm-12am.
Insights & Strategy
With many Canadians not considering IKEA’s mattress range, we set out to reach these people when they needed us most–in the middle of the night, lying awake with a bad mattress that cost them a fortune.
We tackled our low-quality perception head-on by getting our mattresses directly into the hands of consumers, proving to the many Canadians that IKEA delivers on both quality and affordability.
We tackled our low-quality perception head-on by getting our mattresses directly into the hands of consumers, proving to the many Canadians that IKEA delivers on both quality and affordability.
Execution
By leveraging IKEA’s distinctive humour and playfulness, we transformed a seemingly typical sales promotion into a cheeky and ownable dialogue that emphasized the humanity of our brand. By leaning into non-traditional tactics (i.e. sliding into our audience’s DMs), we pulled off an unexpected, novel campaign that was simple in execution, yet highly impactful, memorable and attention-grabbing.
Our idea went live on Instagram on Valentine’s Day (Friday, February 14), leaning into the romantic and flirty nature of the stereotypical late-night text. Using our trademark IKEA tone, we replied to those who were playful enough to respond with a limited-time 15% offer on mattresses and sleep comfort products.
The stunt was supported through contextual OOH, in close proximity to an IKEA location, and was viewable to sleepless condo dwellers who were still awake while the billboard was live between 10pm-12am.
Our idea went live on Instagram on Valentine’s Day (Friday, February 14), leaning into the romantic and flirty nature of the stereotypical late-night text. Using our trademark IKEA tone, we replied to those who were playful enough to respond with a limited-time 15% offer on mattresses and sleep comfort products.
The stunt was supported through contextual OOH, in close proximity to an IKEA location, and was viewable to sleepless condo dwellers who were still awake while the billboard was live between 10pm-12am.
Results
At the time of submission, it is too early to provide sales results.But so far, IKEA has sent over ~500 DMs to Canadians, with over ~2,500 interactions as of February 21, 2025.
The campaign has been shared online globally thousands of times, garnering millions of views and impressions, and has been and featured in both marketing and mainstream publications around the world.
Beyond positive consumer engagement on social, we’ve seen a landslide of reactions from some of our biggest category competitors, including Canada’s leading mattress retailer, and even some non-competitor brands like Durex.
The online reaction has solidified how impactful and unique our approach was, establishing IKEA as the innovative force behind playful, late-night marketing, and cemented IKEA as the quarterback in the conversation about mattresses and sleep solutions.
The campaign has been shared online globally thousands of times, garnering millions of views and impressions, and has been and featured in both marketing and mainstream publications around the world.
Beyond positive consumer engagement on social, we’ve seen a landslide of reactions from some of our biggest category competitors, including Canada’s leading mattress retailer, and even some non-competitor brands like Durex.
The online reaction has solidified how impactful and unique our approach was, establishing IKEA as the innovative force behind playful, late-night marketing, and cemented IKEA as the quarterback in the conversation about mattresses and sleep solutions.
2025 Awards
Total Points: 3
Merit
Credits
Agency
Rethink / Toronto
Media Agency
Carat / Toronto
Client
Jonelle Ricketts
Jacqueline Wark
Samantha Loosley
Agamemnon Spiridoulias
Ruby Rasaei
Darcy Greaves
Alicia Carroll
Client / Brand
Ikea
Art Director
Rachel LeBlanc
Ryan Cookish
Associate Creative Director
Rachel LeBlanc
Ryan Cookish
Chief Creative Officer
Mike Dubrick
Chief Strategy Officer
Sean McDonald
Copywriter
Julie Day-Lebel
Creative Director
Karine Doucet
Global Chief Creative Officer
Aaron Starkman
Group Creative Director
Robbie Percy
Caroline Friesen
Producer
Terri Winter
Strategist
Emma Bayfield
Account Director
Tori Zenko
Account Supervisor
Rachel Rava
Queenie See
Group Account Director
Kiara Wilson
Head of PR
Meredith Burns
PR Account Director
Kristel Dupont
PR Coordinator
Christina Avril-Dieudonne
PR manager
Kaitlyn Vian
PR Specialist
Claire Tam
Public Relations Account Director
Chenda McKissick
Public Relations Specialist
Tara Lush-Benson
Studio Manager
Todd Bennett
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