Passersby at the Waterfront Courtyard of the St. Petersburg Pier over Memorial Day weekend came across some unusual sights—sofas trapped in massive clear bottles. The stunt was a promotional exhibit to tout the opening of the new Ikea store in Tampa, some 24 miles away.

The new store, one of the largest Ikea outposts in the country, had its grand opening May 6, and the company wanted to stage a bold reminder. “By providing a visual of the physical furniture, it offered a good sampling of what we have to offer in terms of furniture and accessories,” said Joseph Roth, Ikea's director of public affairs.

Dubbed “Message in a Bottle,” the event was meant to convey a metaphorical S.O.S. from consumers' homes. Signs inside the furniture displays asked, "Is your home sending you a message?" and then advised that home solutions could be found at the new Tampa store. “We wanted to create interaction with the community and remind them that you could redo your home for a very affordable price,” Roth said.

TH Outdoor & Events, a New York-based marketing and event production firm, and ad agency Deutsch Inc., also based in New York, produced the installation. “We wanted to create the feeling that the bottles had washed up ashore,” said TH Outdoor project manager Kristy Felix.

Deutsch Inc. crafted the 10- by four-foot bottles from three pieces of molded acrylic. The pieces were then attached and a trap door in the bottom end of the bottle allowed the furniture to slide in. Team Sandtastic provided the sand piles that supported the bottles that littered the pier. “The bottles had different angles and placements. Nothing was uniform,” Felix said. A sand sculpture of the Ikea logo also made an appearance.

Roth explained that the production team selected the featured furnishings for their variety and popularity among Ikea’s inventory. Roth also admitted the decision hinged on practicality—the selected items fit inside the bottles.

Street teams donning Ikea t-shirts spread out around the area to point people to the exhibit. The teams handed out mini bottles with messages, as well as certificates for a free dinner at Ikea. More than 1,000 people registered to win a three-piece living room set that included a couch, chair, and love seat.