"Sometimes family is who we find along the way” Elissa Wardrop on Her Viral IKEA Punch the Monkey Campaign

Last Wednesday, a single photo of a plush orangutan went viral on IKEA’s social media. Punch the monkey has stolen the entire internet’s hearts with his sad story and cuddly orangutan toy. 

Behind that image was Elissa Wardrop, a member of IKEA’s specialised responsive marketing team, who turned a viral moment into a global brand win in under twenty minutes. From a 9-minute editing window to a heartwarming message about found family, Wardrop takes us behind the scenes of the viral Punch campaign and explains why social media success really "isn't that deep."

Sofia Aira: So, this campaign launched about a week ago. It was very spur-of-the-moment, wasn't it?

Elissa Wardrop: It was last Wednesday.

SA: I saw on your LinkedIn the video of the entire process happening in a 20-minute window. Can you go through the process from approval to being put out?

EW: Well, I think on Monday I realised it was starting to go viral, so I put it in our global social media group chat. I was like, "Hey guys, I'm seeing Baby Punch everywhere on my feed, I'll get onto it first thing tomorrow." I'm in a global team of responsive marketers. We jump on things like this - trends, pop culture, news, and we create content and send it out to all the markets.

Then on Tuesday, I actually went to the store and took a photo, but with another soft toy monkey in the range - the vervet monkey. I put the text on it, and then I had to send it to the Japan team, who sent it to the zoo for approval.

The zoo came back and said they liked it, but asked to change the monkey to the chimpanzee toy because it looks more like Punch. By the time I got that feedback, because of time differences, it was Wednesday. So I went back to the store, and I was like, "Okay, I need to get this done really quickly because it's going very viral."

I walked to the store, got the toy, and put it on the grass, which I was very thankful for because the snow had only just started melting in Sweden, and that was the one grass patch I could find outside the store. I took about 38 photos and decided I was happy with the last one. I Airdropped it to my laptop, edited it a bit, and sent it off to the global chat. From taking that last photo to sending it out, I think it was about nine minutes. I didn't spend much time on it. Honestly, it took longer to walk to the store to buy the toy than to create the actual image.

SA: That's such a quick turnaround. I think the image is beautiful, and the way the sun is hitting the toy is so cute. It's such a warming, happy image. So you guys have a whole team for reactive or responsive marketing?

EW: Yeah, it's a relatively new team. It formed when I joined at the end of 2024. There are only a few of us: a leader, two social media specialists (myself included), and a graphic designer. We are constantly on the lookout for anything trending online, in pop culture, or in the news, whether it's related to IKEA or not.

We try to insert ourselves where we can, where it makes sense. We don't want to force it, and we don't want to just do what everyone else is doing. I always say we want to "innovate, not imitate." We don't jump on every trend because we want to do it in the right way that makes sense for the brand. You may have seen the one I did last year for Severance, which went really viral.

SA: I think I saw that one!

EW: MrBeast commented on it, and the Severance production designer actually pulled it up at his keynote in front of 10,000 people. So I'm like, "Okay, well, this is going well for our team!"

SA: That's awesome. I was going to ask if it was hard to get approval for this idea, but if you’re in a responsive team, it seems like it might have been a straightforward "yes."

EW: They know that this is our job. However, this one did take longer than usual because we had to go through the Japan team and the zoo. The Japan team really want to keep that good relationship with the zoo. The zoo has been inundated worldwide with visitors and people contacting them, so we didn't want to go out without their approval. We didn't want to put more pressure on them.

SA: But they loved the campaign, right? And Japan donated a lot of soft toys to them as well?

EW: Yeah, Japan donated a lot of toys a few days prior. Punch has a lot more toys now! I love him so much.

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SA: Do you have any more plans for the Punch toy or further campaigns?

EW: I'm not sure at this current moment. I know that at the end of last year, a lot of the IKEA countries (we have 32) ran a scheme where for every soft toy sold, a portion (like one pound or one dollar) was donated to a wildlife initiative of the country's choice. In the UK, it went to WWF. I think all up, about 3 million euros were donated recently to different wildlife initiatives.

SA: Are there any lessons you’ve learnt from the Punch campaign?

EW: A lot of people were surprised that it was just one person taking a photo on their phone and editing it. I always tell people that social media isn't about perfection anymore. I'm constantly telling the business that you don't have to spend big money on fancy, flashy productions because that's not actually what people are engaging with these days. All you need is an iPhone and a strong copy with a strong message.

If I could go back in time, I would have spent a little bit longer on the image, but it was good enough, I guess! People don't have to overthink things. I always say that "it isn't that deep." Social isn't that deep. Things don't have to be perfect; they just have to resonate with people. The messaging on the image is what really helped it resonate. The copy was: "Sometimes family is who we find along the way." I think that's something a lot of people worldwide can relate to. Family is not always biological; it can be through adoption or the friends you find in life.

SA: I loved that copy; it’s so universal. Thank you for the advice. Authenticity really is so important on social media.