Big brands poke fun at EU country’s corruption scandal

Ads by IKEA and other furniture retailers in Portugal allude to the money police found stashed in envelopes at a former official’s office

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.”

Office supply giant Staples went for: “But does anyone keep that in their living room, IKEA?” 

Furniture and home decor retailer Gato Preto advertised a sofa with the caption: “At Gato Preto, there is a better hiding place.” 

An ad by publishing house Penguin Livros reads: “All we need is €75,800.” 

Furniture retailer Moviflor boasts that one of its wardrobes “fits much more than €75,800, but one can have it for a lot less.” 

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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