IKEA Australia, has selected Mindshare Australia as its agency of record following a local media agency review and competitive tender process. Mindshare Australia will work with the IKEA team as its media agency partner to purchase media, develop strategic partnerships and deliver high impact consumer campaigns.

The appointment is made following a global media review that preceded a thorough, local media agency review process including three other agencies. The result of the process will see Mindshare Australia take on the remit of Match Media who has been a valued partner of IKEA Australia for 13 years.

The work will focus on delivering media activity to amplify the objectives of the IKEA business in Australia and further build brand connection and engagement. Mindshare Australia will also work very closely with the agency partners for IKEA to deliver integrated communications plans for the organisation.

Kristin Bengtsson, national marketing manager for IKEA Australia, said, “We would like to extend a huge thank you to Match Media for their outstanding collaboration and high performance over the last 13 years. At IKEA our culture and values are paramount and ‘togetherness’ is one which has encapsulated the tone of our relationship. We would like to wish our friends at Match Media every success as they become Blue 449 in January 2017.

“After careful deliberation we have concluded that Mindshare will be the agency we will progress to the contract stage. Mindshare won us over with their people and their passion for our brand. Their response demonstrated great insight and understanding of our business and the remit required moving forward.”

John Preston, CEO of Match Media said, “Saying goodbye to a foundation client is always hard. It has been a fantastic partnership between IKEA and Match as we have grown together over 13 years. While we are incredibly sad that the relationship is unable to continue, in the last six months working on notice, our relationship has been as strong as ever and we wish the IKEA team all the best with their new partner – they are very lucky.”

Katie Rigg-Smith, CEO of Mindshare Australia said, “We are absolutely thrilled Mindshare Australia has the opportunity to work with IKEA going forward.  We have been so inspired by the desire of IKEA to innovate and challenge category norms both in their own business and in how they communicate this through media.  We are really excited to get started.”