Mother takes a surreal approach in IKEA’s first ad of 2015, celebrating “The Joy of Storage” with a 60-second spot featuring bird-like t-shirts.
The flock of t-shirts shivers in the cold, flees from a lake at the sound of a gunshot, and is chased away by dogs and children before finally circling over a suburban neighborhood. They then swirl down through an open window and into IKEA storage products as the calm voiceover states, “A home for all the things you love, that’s the joy of storage.”
It’s a clever idea that makes for a visually striking ad, piquing viewers’ curiosity before presenting IKEA’s products as the solution to the conflict and giving them their time to shine. It is also very well-shot, by director Dougal Wilson, who recently handled John Lewis’s “Monty the Penguin” Christmas spot. The otherworldly approach isn’t anything new for IKEA, as Mother’s “Ode to Sleep” for the brand’s bedroom collection last year attests. It’s just the latest success for IKEA, following on the success of such creative efforts as its satirical pitch for its 2015 catalog and Ogilvy’s “Morning Anthem.”
Credits:
Client: Ikea
Agency: Mother
Creative Directors: Tim McNaughton, Freddy Mandy
Creatives: Rich Tahmesebi, Pilar Santos
Director: Dougal Wilson
Production company: Blink
Puppeteering: Jonny & Will, Blinkink
Editor: Joe Guest, Final Cut
Post: MPC