Careers Done Different at IKEA With its Roblox Store Campaign

Mother and IKEA's inhouse creative team worked on the supporting campaign as it showcases how its employee's careers evolve in a unique way.

By Creative Salon

25 June 2024

The trend of retailers turning to video gaming platform Roblox continues apace as IKEA becomes the latest to open a virtual store featuring a series of games inspired by real-life jobs that showcases it workers’ career progression.

Through ‘The Co-Worker’ game, players will engage and connect with the brand by developing their careers within IKEA. Its launch included a campaign to find 10 paid players that drew over 178,000 applications.

The virtual store features a range of departments for players to explore, including the Swedish Market and Bistro, real-life product ranges, and merchandising, while reflecting a physical store’s micro geography.

Ahead of launch, 10 paid players were chosen to work as co-workers in the virtual store. Their jobs will see them welcome virtual customers in the entrance lobby and help throughout the store — all while being paid.

Promoting the game, 'The Careers Done Different' campaign has been created by a cross-functional in-house team consisting of marketing, communications, human resources and store design. The in-house team has partnered with creative agency Mother and The Gang, to build the gaming environment and bring the campaign to life.

Kemi Anthony, marketing communications manager at IKEA UK commented: “Our aim is to attract our next generation of co-workers - we know that consumers love the IKEA brand, and we want to create a campaign that inspires that same love for our employer brand”.

“At IKEA there are so many ways to build your own career path, so we wanted to bring that to life in an interactive format. There is no better way to understand something than to experience it. IKEA on Roblox helps us give that experience to many more people than a traditional recruitment campaign would.

“We’re also bringing the IKEA world to Roblox for the first time, providing another way for people to interact with the brand and experience our famous customer service and in-store experience.”

The 10 paid players have been recruited via an application and interview process over the past few weeks. They will be paid to work a number of ‘shifts’, each being a mini-game within the environment based on a different job role at IKEA.

During the extended play, users can digitally navigate a career journey at IKEA - with lateral moves between sales and food or changing roles to broaden their experience - which mirrors the physical world. In parallel, the broader Roblox community, gamers and IKEA fans will also be able to experience the virtual store and ‘working’ at IKEA.

Nick Hallbery, executive creative director at Mother, added, “There are millions of hours of play in IKEA on Roblox. It is as close to an IKEA store as you can get on an immersive platform, thanks to an incredible partnership drawn from across IKEA and The Gang, we’ve built something we hope is engaging, entertaining, and enjoyable for many.”