Imagine this story: a little baby macaque, rejected by his mother, finds comfort in an IKEA stuffed animal. Why not make it viral?
Without a doubt, it was a gold mine in terms of content: a natural and genuine story that became a global phenomenon, at a time when audiences are increasingly looking for real and authentic content.
Punch is a six-month-old Japanese macaque at the Ichikawa Zoo in China. He was abandoned by his mother almost immediately after birth and faced multiple difficulties in integrating with his troop. The solution was not scientific, but something much simpler: DJUNGELSKOG, IKEA’s stuffed orange orangutan.
With long arms and a size similar to that of an adult macaca, he became Punch’s substitute family.
IKEA Spain took advantage of history and reused Punch’s image in a piece with a catalog. Videos showing him clinging to the stuffed animal, curling up to sleep next to him, quickly went viral on social media and the zoo experienced a spike in visitor traffic.
IKEA jumped on an opportunity with an emotional connection – and the algorithm did the rest.
Tomilli