IKEA Hong Kong has launched “Make Space for What You Love,” a new integrated campaign encouraging Hong Kong people to make room for what makes them happy, despite the city’s notoriously tight living conditions. The first campaign created under IKEA Hong Kong’s new partnership with TBWA\Hong Kong, following a competitive pitch, celebrates the brand’s deep connection to Hong Kong life, showcasing its understanding of Hong Kongers’ evolving needs and everyday realities.
It’s an understanding that counts for more in a category increasingly defined by aggressive price wars amid growing competition from the mainland, and one IKEA is using to reframe the narrative with this new campaign. Rather than competing on cost alone, the brand speaks directly to the lived reality of Hong Kong homes and the Hong Kong spirit. With IKEA’s storage and organisation solutions, Hong Kongers can make the most of every famously squeezed square foot – even the tiniest flat can fit everything that matters.
“IKEA has long been part of the story of Hong Kong homes, but this campaign marks a new chapter”, said Julia Shen, Marketing Manager. “TBWA\Hong Kong brought a level of cultural intelligence that helped us shape a communication platform celebrating how Hong Kongers live. This campaign speaks to what matters most to our customers: the freedom to make their homes deeply personal, to fill them with the things they love – no matter how small the space.”
“Make Space For What You Love” brings Hong Kong culture to life through four distinct narratives, each paired with an iconic IKEA storage and organisation solution: TROFAST (“Fits Hong Kong People’s Cleverness”) celebrates the resourcefulness and ingenuity that defines Hong Kong people, PAX (“Fits Hong Kong People’s Annual Leave”) speaks to the escape and personal space every Hong Konger deserves, SKUBB (“Fits Hong Kong People’s Hidden Contrasting Side”) embraces the complexity and diversity of Hong Kong personalities and BILLY (“Fits Hong Kong People’s Little “Monsterpieces”) honors the passions, hobbies, and little joys that make life meaningful.
The campaign tells these four stories via a 20-second TVC that captures the emotional heart of the message through striking visuals blending IKEA’s wit with authentic Hong Kong insights. These same visuals appear across the city’s most iconic locations, from Island Beverley to major transport hubs including MTR 12-sheet displays and a media takeover at Mei Foo Station, as well as across buses throughout Hong Kong – alongside integrated social and digital experiences.
“Storage is the most emotional product in the home, yet the category has never treated it that way,” said William Chow, Creative Partner at TBWA\Hong Kong. “Everyone sells capacity, because capacity is easy to measure. But nobody keeps things because they have space, they keep things because they can’t let go. That emotional attachment is what elevated a product campaign into a brand one. We stopped selling what IKEA fits inside a cabinet and started showing what IKEA holds for seven million people.”
