IKEA wanted women to pee on their Ad

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IKEA created a very unusual magazine advertisement in Sweden that worked as both an ad and a real pregnancy test. The ad was placed in a Swedish women's magazine called Amelia and showed a picture of a baby crib.

How it worked

The ad had a special strip at the bottom that women could pee on, just like a normal pregnancy test. The headline said, "Peeing on this ad may change your life".

If a woman were pregnant and peed on the strip, it would detect pregnancy hormones in her urine and reveal a special discount for the baby crib.

The price would drop from 995 Swedish Krona (about £90) to 495 Swedish Krona (about £45).

IKEA worked with scientists at a company called Mercene Labs to make this work.

They used the same technology as regular pregnancy tests but made it work on a magazine page. The strip could detect a hormone called hCG that pregnant women have in their urine. When pregnant urine touched the strip, it dissolved special red ink made of gold nanoparticles, which revealed the discount text.

What made it special
This was not just a gimmick. The test was actually medically accurate and worked just as well as pregnancy tests you buy at the pharmacy. Swedish doctors confirmed it would work properly as a real pregnancy test.

The campaign got huge attention around the world because it was so creative and unexpected. Some people loved how innovative it was, while others thought it was inappropriate or exploitative. It sparked lots of discussion about whether brands should use such personal moments for marketing.

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