Ikea is one of those companies whose products demand a lot of cardboard for packaging, but now it has found a great way to put that cardboard to good use, and strengthen connection with its users along the way.
The company, in collaboration with Wunderman, Kantar Consulting and Mini Mad Things, came up with an app that helps kids create their own toys out of those bulky cardboard boxes. What we find wonderful in this initiative is that it makes something that would go to waste into a tool that helps kids to express their imagination in a meaningful way, which is especially important in today’s world when kids are glued to their screens.
The idea which was presented at a panel in Cannes, and was developed in a period of just five weeks prior, started from the insight that cardboard boxes have long been a blank canvas for childrens’ imagination, and as one of the largest distributors of cardboard packaging Ikea wanted to help them take their ideas to the next level. Thus, the Ikea Toybox app was born.
Daniel Bonner, global chief creative officer at Wunderman, commented on the project: “This exploration and experiment made the sprint to Cannes Lions particularly exciting as we are now at a stage where we can share it with the world. Ikea truly understands the need and value of play in the home and we’re thrilled we were able to help them investigate new opportunities that promote more creative play amongst their consumers’ families. Ikea exists as a space for new ideas and we believe that the Ikea Toy Box project continues to fulfill that promise – opening up play to children of all ages.”
