Ads by IKEA and other furniture retailers in Portugal allude to the money police found stashed in envelopes at a former official’s office
© X/@FFigueiredoCor
An ad campaign by IKEA in Portugal poking fun at the country’s recent corruption scandal has gone viral on social media this week.
IKEA released billboards in Lisbon promoting a bookcase with the following slogan: “Good for storing books. Or €75,800” in reference to the amount of cash found hidden in envelopes on a bookshelf during police raids at the office of Vitor Escaria, the ex-chief of staff to former Prime Minister Antonio Costa.
Costa subsequently fired Escaria and then resigned himself in November amid a corruption investigation.
In a statement quoted by local media, IKEA said that it likes to develop campaigns “that reflect their real lives” and that help relieve “the tension of a world with nerves increasingly on edge.”
Apart from causing a stir on social media, the campaign prompted several other major retailers to issue similar ads.
An ad by French multinational FNAC reads: “There are many bookshelves, but nothing compares to the (cultural) richness of ours.”
There are many bookshelves, but nothing compares to the (cultural) richness of ours. © @fnacportugal
Office supply giant Staples went for: “But does anyone keep that in their living room, IKEA?”
But does anyone keep that in their living room, IKEA? © @staples.portugal
Furniture and home decor retailer Gato Preto advertised a sofa with the caption: “At Gato Preto, there is a better hiding place.”
At Gato Preto, there is a better hiding place. © @gatopreto_pt
An ad by publishing house Penguin Livros reads: “All we need is €75,800.”
All we need is €75,800. © @penguinlivros
Furniture retailer Moviflor boasts that one of its wardrobes “fits much more than €75,800, but one can have it for a lot less.”
Fits much more than €75,800. © @moviflor
IKEA, meanwhile, stressed that it had no intention of “contributing in any way to the party debate or to the current pre-election context in the country.” Snap legislative elections will take place in Portugal on March 10.
The Swedish furniture giant says it plans to circulate more billboards of a similar nature in Portuguese cities over the next few weeks.
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