Home and furniture retailer Ikea has developed an interactive party invitation generator to encourage people to make the most of their outdoor space in the summer.

The tool, available on the Ikea website, allows customers to create invites to a range of events.

Customers first decide what type of event they’re having, from an al fresco brunch to after-work drinks, and then enter the relevant postcode for a live weather update to select the best date. After entering a few more details and creating a guestlist, the invite is sent.

The invite itself is a video designed to work like a weather report, including clever personalised elements such as guests’ names and satellite images of the party address.

Quirky campaigns such as this work on several levels to serve the needs of the retailer. It aligns the retailer in customers’ minds as the place to go for outdoor furniture, potentially driving sales as well as increasing brand awareness, and compelling customers themselves to act as brand advocates.

Via RetailWeek