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When IKEA’s “U up?” campaign launched in February, it started something of a DM duel. Competitors Sleep Country and The Brick responded with campaigns of their own. Sleep Country produced a billboard featuring a faux text chain that answered with, “Sorry was asleep.” Next, The Brick answered both IKEA and Sleep Country’s texts with, “who dis?”

Now, the Cannes Lions jury has responded to IKEA’s DMs – with two Golds, one for Social & Creator and the other for Direct. Those top honours followed a Silver Direct and a Bronze Social & Creator win on Day 3 of the festival on Wednesday.

The social and OOH campaign, which was developed by Rethink Toronto, saw IKEA send direct messages on Instagram to selected Canadians who were awake, offering a discounted or free mattress. The retailer used the social stunt to capture the attention of people looking for better sleep solutions while highlighting the brand in a competitive market.

About 500 messages were sent to Canadians who were awake and scrolling Instagram between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. Some users were offered a free mattress, while all were notified of a 15% discount on mattresses and sleep products. The retailer extended the free-mattress offer to social-media influencers, who helped create additional buzz around the interaction.

The stunt worked on multiple levels, according to the two Cannes jury presidents.

Beth Keamy, the president of the Social & Creator jury, told strategy that the campaign received praise for its simplicity and contextual timing. “The team did an incredible job with the responsive nature of it,” said Keamy, the chief digital officer with TBWA/Media Arts Lab Global. “For creatives to have a brief around short-term mattress sales and to come up with something that is so delightful and so charming – and that not just drives business, but enacts brand love – was incredible for us.”

Direct jury president Gaëtan du Peloux, co-president and CCO of Publicis Groupe agency Marcel, said the jurors loved the humour. “In many ways, it was quite brave for a brand to try to do that.”

Back when the campaign launched, Jonelle Ricketts, head of marketing for IKEA Canada, told strategy that the company was “thrilled to see our creativity inspiring others. It’s been incredible to see the positive response from consumers and other brands jumping in on the fun. And most importantly, we’re glad that other brands feel that sleep should be a priority as much as we do.”

Ricketts was named a 2025 Marketer of the Year winner after helping to produce a string of campaigns that balanced brand building and performance marketing.

At last year’s Cannes Lions, IKEA Canada made waves with the “SHT” campaign, which won Gold in Creative Commerce, Silver in PR and a Bronze in Direct.