IKEA is focusing on its PAX wardrobe system in its latest campaign, putting the focus on its organizational capabilities in the bedroom, spurred by smaller-scale living and limited storage spaces.

In “The Wardrobe,” the retailer’s new 30-second spot, a young girl plays inside her parents’ PAX wardrobe. As she opens the door, a light invites her further inside a maze-like room of storage, with rows of clothes and toys to play with.

The campaign is promoting IKEA’s Storage Event, which offers discounts on wardrobes, shelves and other storage solutions.

https://youtu.be/6GvVPxIlM78

While shelves and closets might seem like a dull subject, Lena Dukic, brand director at IKEA Canada, says it feels “kind of magical” when things are organized perfectly and in their rightful place, hence the fairy-tale feel of the spot. The reason IKEA used a young girl in the creative, she says, is to echo the children’s storybook feel.

The campaign also adds some fun and whimsy to a very practical concern for many Canadians. Dukic says keeping our stuff organized is one of the biggest pain-points in our homes, according to the company’s research, which is intensified by the fact that more people are living in smaller spaces. IKEA wanted to show that a single wardrobe “can be personalized in an endless amount of ways to help you get organized.”

“As we showed in Stuff Monster earlier in the year, Canadians are overwhelmed with the amount of things that we have,” Dukic says, and the task of getting organized can be daunting. In that campaign, the brand offered ways to give unwanted IKEA products a second life, an ongoing message for the retailer as part of its sustainability goals.

Dukic says the brand’s target demo “is and always has been the many.” According to Dukic, rather than strict demographics, the brand looks at life at home insights, and is hoping the spot resonates with people who have struggled with trying to stay on top of their organizational needs. Last year, the retailer began a strategic shift for its “Beautiful Possibilities” brand platform, using it to remind customers that they should feel safe, comfortable and recharged in specific areas of their homes, such as their beds. It has also focused on how organization can de-stress home life for sales event-specific ads in the past.

Late last year, the brand also announced it would open a smaller format store in Toronto, part of a global response by the company to increasing urbanization and desire for convenience.

The Storage Event campaign, produced by agency Rethink, will run from Jan. 9 until Jan. 27 and will be supported by a full 360-plan including digital, social, radio and OOH.