Ikea’s catalog has long inspired new approaches to organizing your dishes, linens, toys, Berglubbs and Fjällas. But what if it also contained the secrets to taking control of your entire life, including your relationships and insecurities?
A schlubby guy named Ali stumbles across just such a discovery when he begins browsing the retailer’s latest catalog in a fun new spot from agency Memac Ogilvy out of Dubai.
Ali soon becomes an inspirational guru for people facing all of life’s challenges, from dealing with a husband who never pitches in to managing your own hatred for all other people.
The spot, called “The Book That Will Change Your Life,” was created for the retailer’s operations in the UAE, Egypt and Qatar. You can expect to see more ads timed to the catalog’s release in other countries, and Ikea Denmark (with agency Hjaltelin Stahl) is even advertising the absence of its print catalog as the chain goes digital-only there for the first time this year.
Dubai-based Memac Ogilvy has been producing innovative work on the brand for years, including creating the “sleepiest print ad ever” in 2018 by inventing a magazine ad that doubled as a lavender-scented white noise machine.
CREDITS:
Client
Brand: Ikea Middle East
Gm Marketing, Communication & Id Design: Carla Klumpenaar
Regional Marketing Communications Manager: Amer Yaghi
Regional Digital Marketing Specialist: Noha Gheith
Creative Agency
Creative Agency: Memac Ogilvy, Dubai
Chief Creative Officer: Juggi Ramakrishnan
Copywriter: Alok Mohan
Client Team Leader: Tarek Shawki
Account Manager: Alaa Nour
Senior Account Executive: Selin Alnazer
Head of Production: Luke Morris
Producer: Hiyam Itani
Production Company
Production Company: Hanzo Films, Fze
Director: Samir Mallal
Dop: Andrij Parekh
Executive Producer: Hijaz Moosa
Line Producer: Moskitos Films, Istanbul
Producer: Kaan Acemi
Production Designer: Theo Boswell
Offline
Edit Company: The Assembly Rooms, London
Editor: Nik Hindson
Postproduction / Vfx
Postproduction Company: Company 3, New York
Colorist: Joseph Bicknell
VFX Supervisor: Eppie Bowler, Amanda Pilnik
Music
Licensing: The One Who Knocks By Francesco D’andrea
Sound
Sound Company: Machine Sound, London
Sound Engineer: Patch Rowland
Audio Director: Matej Oreskovic
