The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2025
IKEA slid into insomniacs' DMs with 'u up?' and sold mattresses
Rethink used the late-night booty-call text 'u up?' to reach sleepless Canadians, offering a mattress discount on the spot and lifting mattress sales 36%.
IKEA Canada · Rethink Toronto
the move
IKEA's mattress category was dominated by specialists like Sleep Country and Casper, and IKEA had a real sales deficit.
Rethink flipped the cultural shorthand of the late-night 'u up?' booty-call text. It slid into the DMs of Canadians who were awake late at night and offered them a mattress discount on the spot.
The brand reinforced the idea with out-of-home boards shown after 11pm near apartment blocks and on Snapchat, hitting people in the exact moment a better bed was on their mind.
The stunt turned a cheeky phrase into a sales driver and repositioned IKEA as a credible sleep brand.
why it works
- It reached people at the very moment the product was most relevant — wide awake on a bad mattress.
- The DM used a familiar cultural code, so it felt like a message from a friend, not an ad.
- The offer was instant, so the impulse converted immediately.
- Rivals replying to the stunt kept spreading the conversation for free.
what transfers
Timing matters more than targeting. Find the precise moment your product solves a felt problem, and show up in the register that moment already lives in.
what came after
The campaign generated 4.5 million earned impressions and coverage from AdAge, Strategy and Contagious, earning an LBB Immortal Award. It drove a 17% year-over-year increase in online visitation, a 2.2% lift in awareness, and a 36% year-over-year increase in mattress sales. It also won two Gold Lions at Cannes and an Advertising award in the One Show.
references
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