Ikea to Promote ‘Mamma Mia!’

June 15, 2008  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on June 2008 Swedish home furnishings retail giant Ikea will market this summer’s movie release from Universal Pictures, “Mamma Mia!”, which features the songs of Swedish pop band ABBA, according to a report in Advertising Age. ABBA took the world by storm back in the ’70s with tunes such as “Waterloo” and “S.O.S.” The movie is based on the hit stage musical of the same name.

Ikea has 35 U.S. stores in 19 states, and its 50 million U.S. shoppers spend an average of at least two hours in the store, and drive, on average, at least half an hour to get there, Bill Agee, marketing manager of Ikea’s U.S. operations, told Advertising Age.

“We’re always looking to add entertainment value to the Ikea experience,” he said, “because to visit Ikea is often a long drive, so we need to keep the store experience vital, especially since they have to drive by competitors on the way to Ikea. ... Given the Swedish heritage of the film, it made sense.”

Ikea locations will feature in-store trailers promoting the film, and will host ABBA sing-alongs on four different weekends in June and July. In addition, almost 1,000 customers have applied to be part of a Rev. Moon-like mass wedding of 20 couples on July 17 at Ikea’s Burbank, Calif., location, in what the store calls its “Ikea ‘I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do’ Want to Get Married at the Mamma Mia! Wedding Event Couples Search.”