Ikea hires Dentsu’s Carat for US media, moving away from Wavemaker

Ikea is changing its U.S. media agency for the first time in more than six years. The home goods retailer confirmed that Dentsu’s Carat will handle its media business in the U.S. as of Sept. 1. Ikea formerly worked with Wavemaker, part of WPP’s GroupM. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs An Ikea U.S. spokeswoman said in a statement that the company had “evaluated” its needs and would be transitioning to Carat at the end of its fiscal year, which ends on Aug. 31. She did not say if Ikea had conducted a formal review of its media business and if Wavemaker participated. “We look forward to working with the new team as we continue our transformation and growth in the U.S. market,” read the statement, which also included Ikea’s appreciation for the contributions from the Wavemaker team. A representative from Dentsu did not return a requests for comment. A Wavemaker spokeswoman noted that GroupM agencies continue to work with Ikea across Europe and Asia Pacific including Germany, France, Australia, and India. Dentsu currently handles media for Ikea in other global markets including Canada, China, South Korea, U.K., Ireland, Sweden, Spain, Finland, Denmark, Slovakia and Hungary. The news comes less than a year after Ikea hired McCann, led by the agency’s Madrid office, for its global branding as the retailer seeks to consolidate its messaging, which spans 30 markets and hundreds of stores. In February, it released the first campaign out of the new relationship, “Do Try This At Home.” It was Ikea’s first global branding effort, according to a spokeswoman, and adopted home-first messaging that positions homes as centers for creativity. It included taglines such as “Do try ignoring the recipe at home,” and “Do try mischief at home.” In fiscal 2023, Ikea reported total retail sales of 47.6 billion euros, a 7% rise year over year. Ikea is the latest in a series of Carat U.S. media business wins that include Kraft Heinz and Papa Johns. Also read: Wavemaker global CEO adds new GroupM president role Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs

Ikea hires Dentsu’s Carat for US media, moving away from Wavemaker

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