Ikea's recent Swedish campaign, taglined "Where Life Happens," is all about potraying life in the real world and real homes, without too much old-style advertising gloss. Recent ads by agency Akestam Holst have featured divorced parents, and an angsty teenaged daughter. Now, the retailer is bringing that more realistic approach to banner advertising, too.

As explained in this case study video, its "Perceptive Banner" ads acknowledge that, fairly often when you click on a mobile banner ad, it's not on purpose (Ikea cites research suggetsing that over 60% of clicks are accidental, and down to "fat thumb syndrome.") So, the Ikea-branded banners that pop up greet you with messages like "Really, are you sure?" and "Oh, did you tap by mistake. That Happens?" rather than taking you somewhere you didn't really want to go, and annoying you.

Linking this with the Ikea "Where life happens" messaging is a smart move that might just get consumers smiling about the brand. It's certainly an interesting approach to banners that begs the question -- why do most advertisers still bother?