When Ikea opened in West Sacramento, they bought all of the advertising in Sacramento.

They sent fliers in the mail, advertised on the radio and television, and got a heap of press coverage with their "first person in line" contest.

Tom and Amy even saw an Ikea "living room on a truck" driving around downtown.

Truck photo courtesy of Taking it all In.

On the day before Ikea opened, I spotted this incredible "flying billboard" ad in the clouds far above the freeway.

The sight from my car was breathtaking. Because the sky was pretty cloudy, and the airplane was painted white, the huge sign appeared to hang in mid-air.

I don't know how much this flying billboard cost, but I'm definitely a believer. 

This thing was awesome.

A few days later, they tried something even bigger over the same freeway - a spectacular rainbow.

This was also pretty cool, but their branding was lost in all those colors.