The other week I had the “privilege” of going to Ikea twice. As a live-abroad Swede Ikea holds a special place in my heart, but even for me two days in a row is a bit much. However, no matter where in the world I am walking into an Ikea will always provide me with a sense of being closer to home. Every store looks the same. I’m surrounded by quirky Swedish names and products I recognise, and though this sense of ‘home’ may make me slightly biased some of the best advertising campaigns I’ve seen come from this yellow and blue brand.
There are ads and then there are ads. Ads that makes the hair at the back of your neck stand up, that makes you smile, perhaps well up. Ikea are one of those brands that time after time hit home and resonate on so many levels. Their campaigns can be daring and controversial, but always have an element of unexpected fun in them. They are incredibly well thought through, from how the different aspects and building blocks of the campaign fit together to the tiniest of detail in how to get the message and their products across. It is visible in the imagery they use, every room set up, the copy and their straplines and in the tiniest of interactions. It’s never intrusive but always inspiring and whether you want it or not their campaigns creates pictures in your head of how you can make your home into an even nicer and happier place. Below are a few of my favourites.
Happy Inside – Ikea + Cats
http://youtu.be/Z7vXP3tHzhA
Few brands would consider letting 100 cats loose in a store. Ikea did. This commercial was shot last autumn in our local Ikea with the idea of cats being the kings and queens of comfort, happiness and making themselves at home. The cats were let loose and free to explore the store and what home furniture that was their happiness spot. The commercial is beautifully shot and with a making of video, a dedicated competition site around some of the participating cats and an accompanying Ikea cat-alogue, the campaign did the rounds on the internet and sparked conversations. And you can’t really go wrong with cats.
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Come into the closet – Ikea + wardrobes
Come into the closet is an interactive campaign around Ikeas closet and storage offering. The movement of the people in the different rooms are controlled by music, music that’s either created by you using the keyboard/microphone or by uploading a track. Quirky, playful and with non intrusive product presentation it did the rounds, just as the Happy Inside campaign.
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Home made is best – Ikea + kitchen appliances
Not every Ikea product is as inspiring as a nice and comfy sofa, armchair or clever storage solution. Some products are a necessity rather than something which you normally think of in terms of homeliness. But just because the product itself isn’t that inspiring doesn’t mean the campaign can be. The ‘Home made is best’ campaign is really about kitchen appliances but as the cookbook video says, no ones is really interested in them so instead it focuses on the food you can make using the appliances. With 30 Swedish baking classics that I can highly recommend, the cookbook, which was created as part of the campaign, takes a different approach to presenting recipes by making the ingredients into art. And the result is a beautiful.
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Ikea + Paris + Metro
Then there is the Paris Metro take over. We all know that tube stations aren’t the nicest of places. If you live in a big city they can be a necessary passing point in order to get home. Busy, overcrowded and with grumpy tired people all wanting to get out of there as quickly as possible this campaign that was running in Paris last year did make the passing time a little more comfortable for the tired commuter. In a few busy Metro stations they set up their furniture and before you knew it you were taking part in a live Ikea ad, like this guy.
Via FastCompany
The unofficial campaigns
And then there are the unofficial ones like What if you lived in Ikea by photographer Christian Gideon who was sent to Ikea by his wife and ended up taking the pictures you can see on his site with his friend. They’re brilliant and funny and despite not being official Ikea advertising they inspire you and resonate with Ikea’s message:
Home is the most important place in the world
