IKEA: The Co-Worker – Case Study

Introduction

IKEA sought to stand out and attract new talent in the UK’s competitive labor market. With traditional recruitment methods struggling to engage a new generation, IKEA needed to turbocharge awareness of its employer brand, improve perceptions of a career at IKEA and drive applications for store roles during the critical May/June hiring period. To achieve this, IKEA collaborated with The Gang and Mother, a London-based creative agency, to develop an innovative recruitment strategy to engage the next generation of workers.

The Challenge

IKEA needed to do more than just tell prospective employees that it's a great place to work—they needed them to experience it. With digital natives spending significant time on gaming platforms, IKEA saw an opportunity to engage them right where they are. On Roblox.

Solution

We worked closely with DreamWorks to create a vibrant, interactive world that stayed true to the show's creative vision. Together, we opened up new possibilities for content creation on the Gabby’s Dollhouse YouTube channel. The resulting experience is a versatile RP (roleplaying) and tycoon hybrid that serves two key purposes:

Solution

To reach and engage the next generation of workers, IKEA launched "The Co-Worker" campaign on Roblox—an experience that brought IKEA to the next generation with a virtual store where players could experience real IKEA job roles in a gamified way.

The true-to-life virtual IKEA was created on Roblox, featuring an authentic layout, furniture showroom, Swedish food market, and virtual employees based on real-life people. Players engaged in seven unique job role mini-games, allowing them to level up, get promoted, and switch roles, mimicking the horizontal career progression at IKEA.
To generate buzz, IKEA offered real salaries to ten virtual co-workers, who could apply via TikTok duets and Instagram videos. The campaign was designed for engagement and attracting media attention, ensuring widespread PR coverage and organic reach.
This unconventional recruitment method was a first in the category, breaking traditional hiring norms and making employment at IKEA feel fresh, fun, and accessible.

Results

The Co-Worker campaign exceeded expectations, delivering a significant impact across all key objectives:

Turbocharge awareness of IKEA's employer brand
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178,000 applications for the paid virtual co-worker roles—more than Love Island or The X Factor.
6.7 million visitors explored IKEA on Roblox, experiencing an IKEA career firsthand.
2,000+ news articles and hundreds of influencer videos generated 16 billion earned media impressions.
Over 4x increase in careers website traffic, with engagement up 26%.

Drive applications for store roles in May/June
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IKEA saw a 50% increase in real-world job applications, making this its most successful recruitment campaign ever.

Change perceptions of the benefits of a career at IKEA
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A post-campaign survey (15,000 responses, 95% in our target demographic) revealed:
72% of players said the game improved their perception of working at IKEA.
70% agreed it’s possible to switch easily between departments.
85% agreed IKEA is a great place to work.

IKEA: The Co-Worker tapped into gaming culture and leveraging PR to amplify awareness, transforming a recruitment campaign into an engaging, interactive, and widely talked-about experience. The campaign demonstrated that a career at IKEA is anything but ordinary—and got a new generation excited to be part of it.