IKANO Bostad - Building trust in one of Sweden's most uncertain housing markets

Overview

Buying a newly built home is one of the biggest financial decisions a person can make. During a period of economic uncertainty, customers were expected to commit to purchasing a home up to two years before it was completed. Trust wasn't just important—it became the deciding factor.

As Content Manager and Creative Lead at Ikano Bostad (IKEA Group), I was responsible for strengthening the brand, leading creative direction, and creating digital experiences that increased customer confidence throughout the buying journey.

The Challenge

Ikano Bostad had relatively low brand awareness and consideration compared to larger competitors. In a slowing housing market, convincing customers to invest in a home years before moving in required more than marketing—it required a brand people genuinely trusted.

The challenge was to reposition Ikano Bostad from another residential developer into the most trustworthy choice for buying a newly built home.

My Role

I led the creative and strategic direction of the project, including:

Brand strategy and positioning
Content strategy
UX and website strategy
Customer journey development
Campaign concept development
Digital marketing
Cross-functional collaboration with marketing, sales, product teams, developers, and external agencies

The Solution

We repositioned Ikano Bostad around one simple but powerful promise:

"The Trustworthy Building Company."

Every touchpoint was redesigned to reinforce confidence—from messaging and visual storytelling to website structure and customer communication.

The work included:

A refreshed brand platform
Integrated marketing campaigns
Website redesign
Improved information architecture
Stronger content strategy
Clearer customer journeys
Consistent messaging across digital and offline channels

Rather than focusing solely on selling homes, the communication focused on helping customers feel secure throughout one of life's biggest decisions.

Results

The repositioning had a measurable impact on both brand perception and digital performance.

Brand

Increased from Top 10 to Top 3 in customer consideration among Sweden's new-build housing companies.

Website Performance

+111% Website Sessions
+145% New Users
+300% Goal Conversions

The project successfully strengthened customer trust while improving engagement across the entire digital experience.

Key Takeaways

This project demonstrated how brand strategy, customer experience, and creative storytelling can directly influence business performance.

By understanding the emotional barriers behind a purchase—not just the functional ones—we transformed how customers perceived the brand and built a stronger foundation for long-term growth.