Ikea used the scandal of the Portuguese Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff for a marketing campaign.
During Operation Influencer, which was covered here, the Portuguese authorities found 75.800 euros hidden in a bookshelf and a few other places, inside the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff’s office, in Lisbon.
This week, Ikea Portugal chose to use the situation to build a marketing campaign that echoed throughout the entire country. The advertisement is for a bookshelf and says, in bold large letters: “Good for storing books. Or 75.800 euros.”
According to the statement of the Portuguese branch of the Swedish multinational company, this is a marketing move with a sense of humor that reflects real life.
Due to the fact that Portugal is a bit more than one month away from the next legislative election, which is happening as a result of the resignation of the Prime Minister because of Operation Influencer, some have criticized the campaign.
The company, however, told CNN Portugal that it did not mean to contribute to the political debate in this pre-electoral context. On the contrary, it simply wished to alleviate the tension of the current political paradigm with some humor.
In fact, if one takes a look at the website of Ikea Portugal, one can find other marketing campaigns with political references.
