Mama Mio... the three-dimension inspiration campaign

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There is no question that Mio is second to IKEA when it comes to Sweden's furniture and home accessory stores. However, its smaller budget and dealer organisational structure make it difficult for the brand to try something "out of the box" on a large scale. In addition, while consumers and the marketing channels have changed, Mio couldn't abandon the classic television and daily morning newspapers that they had relied on as communication vehicles for years.

Instead, it needed to find a new way to get people talking about Mio again. Of the US$193.4m Mio generates in sales, 86% comes from customers who receive the Mio catalogue, which remains the most important tool they have.

Furniture consumers have usually made up their minds about what they want to buy even before stepping foot in a store and because buying furniture for the home is an extremely personal purchase, people discuss design and style with friends and family long before they spend a penny. Consumers actively communicate through digital channels such as social networks, e-mail and mobile phone applications, so Mio committed to a micro-budget in order to utilise these channels.

The strategy had to be specific and on the mark because there was no room financially for a massive push. They decided to give current and potential consumers, as well as interior design enthusiasts, more inspiration and opportunities to find the right furniture and accessories for their homes. Putting a tangible visual in front of consumers made it far more likely that they would visit the store, and from there the product was as good as sold.

The idea was to bring the catalogue to life with a mobile app that showed people what Mio furniture looked like in their homes from the comfort of their sofas. Not only did the app put the entire Mio catalogue on people's iPhones, but it featured a 3D augmented reality function that let people test-furnish their properties to see exactly how chosen pieces of furniture would look in various different rooms.

Results

This move was a refreshing approach to a familiar technique and increased engagement, improved the personal experience and expanded the potential for loyalty within the marketplace.

More than 60 000 people used the online banner catalogue and 3000 extra print catalogues were ordered online.

The App earned a place in the top 10 of the Best iPhone Apps in the Lifestyle category shortly after being launched.