IKEA Pee Ad: Retailer’s Controversy Ad Acts As A Pregnancy Test

Standard pregnancy tests are so 2017 — this year it’s all about weeing on magazine ads to find out if you have a bun in the oven. IKEA’s magazine ad in Sweden is causing a splash thanks to its revolutionary built-in pregnancy test, which expectant mothers can claim for a discount on cribs. The colourful ad idea came from Swedish agency Åkestam Holst, which has held the IKEA account since 2013.

The ad, which is running in Amelia magazine, a women’s publication in Sweden, uses a similar technology to your standard pregnancy test, but rather than yes or no symbols showing up, the page will give you a coupon for discounted cribs if you’re pregnant.

“In order to make the interactive functions of this ad work in reality, we had to make several technical advancements,” Åkestam Holst said in a statement. “The pregnancy test strip was used as a starting point, which relies on antibodies that bind to the pregnancy hormone hCG, resulting in a colour change. For scaling up of this technique and adopting it to the physical format of a printed ad, Mercene Labs has used their experience in development of surface active materials for microfluidics and medical diagnostics.”

After the deed is done, expecting mothers will then need to take the pee-soaked paper to their local IKEA to redeem it.