The company is running the mobile ad campaign within Pandora’s iPhone application. IKEA has relied on mobile advertising in the past to help drive in-store traffic.

“The IKEA campaign is adequate but not especially appealing in my opinion,” said Simon Buckingham, CEO of Appitalism, New York.

“There are no product images, the tag line about majoring in self-expression is a little cute and clever but is no inducement to click through,” he said.

“The checklist is a good feature as many people like to be organized.”

Mr. Buckingham is not affiliated with IKEA. He commented based on his expertise on the subject.

IKEA did not respond to press inquiries.

Mobile construction
The mobile banner ad reads “Major in self-expression.”

When consumers tap on the mobile ad they are redirected to a mobile landing page where they can get inspired by the latest back-to-school products and well as create a checklist to make shopping easier.

Through the mobile ads, consumers are also able to browse the products that IKEA has to offer and find the nearest location to view them in person.

Additionally, IKEA is adding social to the mix by incorporating Facebook and Twitter tabs that let the company engage with its consumers on a deeper level.

Past efforts
IKEA is no stranger to mobile.

In 2010, the retail giant took its catalog mobile with the launch of an augmented reality application for Apple’s iPhone.

Via the app, users were able to select a piece of furniture from the catalog and place it anywhere inside the room around them, changing its size to fit the perspective by using the phone’s camera (see story).

Earlier this year, IKEA piloted a mobile shopping app in several countries, including Canada, as a way to enhance the customer experience by enabling users to check stock availability, create shopping lists and access a store map (see story).

Most recently, IKEA placed mobile in the center of its IKEA Family program that lets employees who are using in-store tablets, sign-up new customers (see story).

“A specific promotion and offer would likely produce better results for IKEA than this generic call to action,” Mr. Buckingham said.