The good news is that IKEA is running an advertisement that just might change your life. The bad news is that it involves pee.
Of course, IKEA has long been majorly major — and by that we mean cheap. A kids’ Swedish meatballs meal? $2.49. Billy Bookcase? $59. Putting your relationship with your significant other through the ultimate test? Priceless!
But now, the ready-to-assemble furniture giant has stepped into new territory by inviting customers to urinate on their latest print ad campaign.
Thanks to a combination of new technology and advertising executives’ ingenuity, an IKEA ad running in a popular Swedish woman’s magazine is a fully functioning pregnancy test. Women can pee on indicated strip on the page and, if the test is positive, a discount on a crib will be revealed.
When I first heard of this ad, I had these thoughts:
1. Ew, no.
2. But seriously, do I have to bring a pee-soaked piece of paper to IKEA to get my special deal?
3. Will the crib and the deal wait however many months for superstitious Jewish moms, who may avoid pre-purchasing baby items in order to ward off the evil eye?
Fortunately, when it comes to #2, the answer is no — nobody has to walk around with a urine-soaked magazine page in their purse. To get the discount, all you have to do is join the IKEA Family loyalty program, according to the creative team behind the ad. Doing that is as simple as signing up online — no bodily fluids required.
The answer to #3 is a bit more complicated. The ad doesn’t seem to indicate an expiration date, but Jewish Swedish moms may have to save a copy of their “positive” ad to remind themselves — and their local IKEA — about the offer, in order to cash in once their bundle of joy is delivered. (Clearly, the ad agency didn’t have Sweden’s 18,000 Jews in mind when they designed it!)
For now, the ad is running only in Sweden. And you know what? I’m OK with that. After all, parents here in the U.S. can still take advantage of that free hour of childcare at IKEA’s Smaland (bonus: you can get an extra 30 minutes if you’re a IKEA Family member). And, don’t forget, anyone can partake in the delights of a $1 cinnamon bun, no matter what the status of their uterus — and even if they don’t have a uterus at all.
