IKEA jokes about political scandal in Portugal in new advertising campaign

IKEA, the flat-pack furniture giant, has been the target of complaints and praise over a new advertising campaign that makes fun of a political scandal in Portugal.

New posters have appeared advertising an IKEA bookcase with the slogan “Good for storing books. Or 75,800 euros”.

The announcement refers to a recent political scandal that led to the Portuguese prime minister’s resignation and the money that his former chief of staff hid in a bookcase.

The money was discovered during searches at the prime minister’s official residence as part of “Operation Influencer” in November last year. Prime Minister António Costa was detained by the police and then resigned, in what turned out to be a bizarre mistake. Early elections will be held next month.
Posters for IKEA’s advertising campaign can already be found all over the country.

Some of the reactions on social media have been from people who find the ads funny, while others criticize IKEA for making “political” statements with the campaign.

It’s not the first time that the Swedish brand has taken the plunge into politically-themed advertising in Portugal.

The previous posters mentioned inflation and “geringonça” – a critical term to describe the coalition government led by António Costa in 2015.

In a statement, IKEA said that “it has been part of the Portuguese people’s daily lives for 20 years and we like to develop campaigns that reflect their real lives. Their routines, their conversations, their discussions, more or less heated, and the very humor with which they often approach the most serious topics,” the statement said.

However, IKEA also denied having “any intention” of contributing “to the partisan debate and to the country’s current pre-election context”.