THE CHALLENGE

While over 120,000 Australians experience homelessness, only 6% are visible on the streets. The majority—women and children—are hidden in cars, tents, or relying on friends’ couches. As the cost-of-living crisis deepens, IKEA, a brand built on improving life at home, asked: how do we help when home is what’s at stake?

THE STRATEGY

To keep the issue top of mind and spur action, we turned IKEA’s most iconic asset—the showroom—into an unexpected platform for advocacy. By disrupting the store experience, we made the invisible visible, prompting customers to confront the hidden homelessness crisis and take action.

THE EXECUTION

In partnership with Save the Children Australia, IKEA stores across the country featured ambient installations based on real stories: 

• A car filled with toys and blankets told of a mother fleeing domestic violence.
• A tent pitched inside the restaurant revealed a family trying to maintain normalcy amid instability.
• A dishevelled sofa and scattered belongings symbolised couch surfing. Each display invited donations and drove to an online hub for deeper engagement.

THE OUTCOME

• The campaign delivered over $250,000 of financial, product donations and in-kind support to Save the Children.
• Directly supporting 647 women and children fleeing a violent home Awarded a positive commendation from the NSW, WA, QLD and Australian Government.
• 80 unique pieces of media coverage (KPI 10)
• TV: Channel 7 exclusive with Morning Show syndication to all of Australia with a reach of 3.2m
• Press: 15 million reach across the News Corp network
• 274,000 visitors to the activation
• 82% engagement rate on the activation hub on the IKEA website (Previous campaigns avg. eng. 48%)
• 43% Trust +7% (FY24 goal 35.9%)
• 33% Positive Impact +6% (FY24 goal 25.7)