The Voice Behind The Flatpack: Belén Frau

You can say a lot about IKEA — the flatpack empire, the cultural touchstone, the meatballs, and the brand that once convinced the public to shed a tear for a discarded lamp. But keeping a 70-year-old organisation this large, this global and this endlessly scrutinised both relevant and likeable? That requires a steadier hand than most.

Which is where Belén Frau comes in. She didn’t start out thinking she’d run communications for the world’s biggest Ikea operator. Frau began in finance with Deloitte before joining IKEA where she began to learn about the retail operations, including the rhythms of stores, teams, and customers. Now, as global communication and positioning manager at Ingka Group, she’s the quiet architect of the brand’s voice.

Long before she was Ingka Group’s (Ikea Retail, as most of us know it) global communication and positioning manager, Frau was working the shop floor in Barakaldo in Spain, where she later became store manager. After that, she has held various positions. First as country retail manager in Spain, at a time when Spain’s economy was wobbling, then sinking. Later as country retail manager for Ikea Italy - learning the rhythms of retail the unfussy Ikea way and everything grounded in the everyday reality of “the many people.”

Most people think Ikea is just furniture or that iconic blue bag. Frau knows better. She spends her days translating homes, habits, and real people into campaigns that land everywhere from Milan to Madrid.

Reflecting on her career path, she says: "If you look at my CV, you probably wouldn’t guess I’d end up here - but there’s a connection. I studied Business and Economics and specialised in finance, but there was always something in me that loved communication and marketing. When I moved into global and started leading part of retail, the CEO came to me and said, ‘I want you in comms.’ I asked, ‘Why comms?’ and he told me he wanted a communications department that was close to the business and could really bring the brand together. I believe a lot in the power of communication… as a business leader, I have also leveraged a lot in the brand and in the communication. So it does make sense…”

But how does she balance the global vs. local? While the core values of affordability, sustainability, and functional design remain universal, the way people relate to their homes is deeply shaped by cultural context. How does Frau navigate these differences - adapting product ranges, store experiences, and marketing to resonate locally, while maintaining a cohesive global identity? “You have the possibility to impact the whole world… what works in one place doesn’t work in another… how can you be consistent and have one common message and at the same time be relevant here and here? So that is a complexity that I love,” she says.

“It’s about telling the stories that matter. It’s about engaging our co-workers, our consumers. It’s about working on things that really matter and that have a purpose.”

Life At Home

IKEA’s mission and purpose - “to create a better everyday life for the many” - sounds simple, but Frau insists that it is ambitious and deeply human.

The “many” includes people with limited means but big dreams, and understanding their lives informs everything IKEA does. “Everything starts by listening. Every year we run the biggest Life at Home report, which really listens to the consumers and that is what helps us then shape the experience in the store, online, whatever you ask me, our communication.” The Life at Home report uncovers both subtle and striking insights: over a third of people globally report not feeling enough joy at home; sleep is the top activity contributing to wellbeing; and a tidy space helps one in three people feel better.

For Frau, these findings are not just marketing fodder; they are business and purpose opportunities intertwined. Every campaign, every product, every communication is grounded in real-life insights. The Life at Home Report, now in its 11th year, gives voice to more than 38,000 people in 39 countries. “Imagine what we can do just by improving a little bit… how much enjoyment we can bring at home.”

Under Frau, IKEA has leaned into campaigns that are both playful and culturally aware. In 2024, the brand partnered with Paris Fashion Week and renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz. To promote IKEA+, the four-day cultural takeover - the 'Life at Home' exhibition - was located in the heart of Paris.

Then there was the April Fool’s prank about a two-kilometre-long “impossible to get lost in” store, and IKEA Portugal’s Star Wars-inspired 'LED SPÄNST' campaign - all merging storytelling, product philosophy, and emotion.

And who could forget the giant blue FRAKTA carrier bag that adorned the facade of the impending Oxford Street Ikea store which became a London tourist attraction in its own merit?

“The key is balance. We created an in-house agency for consistency and quality… but we also work with external partners to bring stimulation and local insight,” she adds. The opening of the Oxford Street store in London is a prime example of that philosophy. The store’s design and activations were co-created with locals. Pop-up stores and pre-opening “warm-up” parties ensured IKEA felt less like a foreign brand and more like part of the city’s rhythm.

“Cultural proximity beats physical presence. We said, yes, we’re going to come closer to you physically, but we also want to come close to you mentally and emotionally… All our room sets are co-created with Londoners… so they feel locally grounded.” Even small touches - like the blue bag on the construction fasciae, room sets reflecting local culture — mattered. They weren’t superficial; they were storytelling in action. Other city centres where the retailer opened its stores include Copenhagen, Paris, and Vienna. She explains that this is where IKEA is also meeting new audiences, especially younger, urban dwellers who may never have stepped into a traditional store. 

Purpose Isn’t A Trend

Purpose-driven marketing is everywhere, but Frau is wary of empty gestures. “It frustrates me a lot when… we use purpose without a real purpose… one action is not speaking the same language as words.”

She describes what she calls “purpose fatigue,” where brands shout about purpose but lack consistency or integrity. For her trust is the most important currency: “Trust… is like the new gold, because everything is very unstable, very polarised… I can really contribute to… build trust… telling the stories that matter… working on things that really matter and that have a purpose.”

Trust, transparency, and consistency are not optional. They are the foundations of every campaign, every collaboration, every message for IKEA, she explains.

Agencies & Partnerships

Purpose, trust, consistency — they’re not just some abstract ideals for Frau but the backbone of how she leads. So when it comes to choosing and working with agencies, she expects the same discipline.

Managing communications for IKEA’s global operations is a balancing act. Frau has built an internal agency to maintain quality and consistency, but external partners remain critical. “I have created within comms an internal agency that aims to create super qualitative creative work, also to create efficiencies doing them in house and also speak to market,” she says. The internal team serves marketing, digital, and other departments, ensuring one coherent brand voice across channels. For major cultural moments, IKEA often blends the two: internal strategy and creative thinking paired with local or specialist agencies who bring relevance and edge.

Clarity and simplicity are, however, non-negotiable, she says. “Simplicity is a key one… I don’t like sugar-coating… IKEA is all about simplicity and smart solutions, and we should take that also to our creative work.” Briefs must be concise, strategy coherent, and ideas actionable — a principle she applies to internal and external teams alike. Frau’s approach with agencies - curiosity, commercial rigour, and alignment with IKEA’s purpose - underpins every collaboration, whether in-house or external.

In the UK, the creative advertising account, where five agencies including McCann, VML, Adam & Eve/TBWA, VCCP, AMV BBDO are competing for the business. The incumbent was Mother.

For her, successful communications is about helping the brand deliver what really matters to the many. Her mantra being that the brands shaping the future aren’t just reacting to change. They’re showing up. They’re listening. And they’re moving forward, with purpose and proximity. 

At the heart of it, Frau’s perspective is both grounded and global. Married with three children and a lifelong love of home furnishing, she brings personal insight to professional decisions, shaping IKEA campaigns that resonate locally while staying true to the brand’s global voice. For her, balancing cultures, markets, and consumer needs isn’t a burden — it’s the point. “It’s about listening, engaging, and making everyday life better for the many,” she says. In a noisy world, IKEA under Frau speaks with clarity, consistency, and care.