Ikea has gone above and beyond attracting parents-to-be with it’s new ad that doubles as a pregnancy test.
Swedish agency Åkestam Holst came up with the unusual promotion that urges women to urinate on it. ‘Peeing on this ad may change your life,’ reads the ad, which showcases Ikea’s Sundvik crib.
The ad features technology similar to that of a pregnancy test — but with a twist. If a woman urinates on it while she is pregnant, it will reveal the company’s family discount for the crib.
For real? Ikea is urging women to urinate on it’s new ad. If they are pregnant, it will reveal the company’s family discount for a crib
According to Ad Week, the ad was created in collaboration with Mercene Labs, which had to make ‘several technical advancements’ in order for the coupon to work.
‘The pregnancy test strip was used as a starting point, which relies on antibodies that bind to the pregnancy hormone hCG, resulting in a color change,’ the agency explained.
‘For scaling up of this technique and adopting it to the physical format of a printed ad, Mercene Labs has used their experience in development of surface active materials for microfluidics and medical diagnostics.
‘Careful selection of materials, together with a controlled capillary flow have been crucial for the success of this project. Technical advancements made during the work with this campaign have the potential to improve medical diagnostics.’
Next level: ‘Peeing on this ad may change your life,’ reads the ad, which features technology similar to that of a pregnancy test
Technology: Women will know they are pregnant if Ikea’s family discount shows up in read
Too weird? Many people can’t get past the fact that women are actually being encouraged to urinate on the ad
No need: Dylan Speed noted that pregnant women are usually ‘pretty easy to spot’
Good point: Someone else joked that there are plenty of ads you’d love to pee on, but Ikea may be the only company encouraging you to do so
The ad is being featured in the Swedish women’s magazine Amelia, but it’s unclear how many people will be willing to try it out and bring the ad into the store when they’re finished.
Of course, the cost of buying multiple pregnancy tests can quickly add up, and some people may be happy just to have the free test.
The ad has already started to create some buzz on Twitter, but many people can’t get past the fact that women are actually being encouraged to urinate on the ad.
‘Has no one at Ikea seen a pregnant woman before? They’re pretty easy to spot without having them pee all over everything,’ Dylan Speed tweeted.
‘Sure, there are lots of ads you’d love to pee on. But in this case, Ikea actually wants you to do it,’ someone else added.