2026 Winner

With “Sleep Talk Reviews,” Ikea set out to challenge a persistent
perception: that its mattresses sacrifice quality for affordability. Instead of
relying on overly polished testimonials, the campaign leaned into something
impossible to fake – what people say when they’re fully asleep. After a
national casting call, 10 participants were invited to spend two nights
sleeping in Ikea showroom bedrooms, with cameras and microphones
capturing more than 90 hours of footage. The most compelling moments
weren’t articulate endorsements, but fragmented, nonsensical sleep
talk that signalled genuine, uninterrupted rest. Those moments became
the creative, with night vision stills used in OOH and overlaid with
transcriptions styled as product reviews, while audio and video extended
the idea across channels. The campaign generated more than 24M
impressions, achieved a 90% audio completion rate, and lifted brand
metrics by 11% to 13% across desire, trust and affordability, while mattress
sales increased 2.9% YoY and penetration grew by 5%

Credits

Chief Creative Officer: Aaron Starkman, Mike Dubrick
Group Creative Director: Robbie Percy, Caroline Friesen
Group Creative Director - Copywriter: Geoff Baillie
Group Creative Director - Art Director: Zachary Bautista
Associate Creative Director - Copywriter: Justin Santelli, Jordan Darnborough
Associate Creative Director - Art Director: Nick Noh
Copywriter: Jordan Darnborough, Justin Santelli, Geoff Baillie
Art Director: Nick Noh, Zachary Bautista, Kennedy Choi
Chief Strategy Officer: Sean McDonald
Head of Strategy: Julian Morgan
Strategy Director: Emma Bayfield
Group Account Director: Kiara Wilson
Account Director: Tori Zenko
Account Supervisor: Rachel Rava, Queenie See
Account Manager: Bhumika Baweja
Copywriter: Julie Day-Lebel
Senior Broadcast Producer: Mark Pan
Broadcast Producer: Narissa Ward
Senior Integrated Producer: Jenna Fullerton
PR Account Director: Chenda McKissick
Public Relations Specialist: Claire Tam
Production House: Ajax Creative
Executive Producers: Jared Floyd, Connie Dercho
Line Producers: Jordan Masterson
Director: Martin Marko
DP: Nick Pallone
DIT: Alex Chin
VTR: Harley Watt
Script Supervisor: Stephanie Boyko
Sound Operator: Anthony Boire
Sound Assist: Kabir Agarwal
Set Dresser: Jacob Barnett
Production Assistant: Abdul Ahad Abassi
Pickup/Relief PA: Keefe Jassoy
Camera Operator: Liam Van der Ploeg
2nd AC Shoot: Khushi Nayak
BTS: Jake Sherman
Transfer: Rethink R&D
Colourist: Adam Kemp
Online Artist: Thais Viana Maranho
Producer: Shannon Ing
Editorial House: Rethink R&D
Editor: Leigh O’Neill
Audio House: Vapor
Creative Directors: Dustin Anstey
Producer: Kailee Nowosad
Engineer: Julian Rudd
Client:
Country Marketing Manager, Jonelle Ricketts
Country Marketing Communications Leader, Jacqueline Wark
Country Marketing Communications Specialist, Patrick Dennis
Marketing Performance Leader, Carlo Franco
Public Relations Leader, Alicia Caroll
Integrated Media Leader, Samantha Loosley
Integrated Media Manager, Agamemnon Spiridoulias
Loyalty Leader, Musab Memon
Customer Engagement and Loyalty Manager, De'ana Torresan
Local/In-Store Marketing Specialist, Sushmitha Malali Ramesh
In-Store Interior Design Manager, Christina Martinez
In-Store Interior Design Leader, Jaycel Herring
Media: Planning by Carat
Loyalty & CRM: Wunderman Thompson
Strategy Director: McKenzie McCart
Account Director: Maryam Asad
Account Supervisor: Sanya Bharti
Account Executive: Maria Kotob