IKEA is putting strong storytelling at the heart of a new brand platform that aims to bring emotional appeal to a brand more known for the functional.
Called “Bring Home to Life,” the new branding taps in to the changing meaning of “home” as a result of the pandemic years, as well as increasing concerns about affordability and sustainability. While these pressures have made people view home as less of a personal sanctuary, IKEA is looking to restore that feeling through emotional creative that shows how people can once again find comfort and happiness in their homes – with the retailer’s assistance, naturally.
“With so many people seeing home in a new way, we felt it was important for our brand communications to reflect this change and speak to the role that IKEA plays beyond our thoughtfully-designed products,” said Johanna Andrén, head of marketing for Ikea Canada. “Through emotional, authentic storytelling, Ikea can inspire Canadians to reconnect with their homes and help them see the potential for the life they live there.”
https://www.youtube.com/sZMYYDhMDxE
The campaign centres on a two-minute film that showcases a newcomer family assembling their new apartment. To the tune of Juno-nominated singer-songwriter AHI’s “Your Song” (an Elton John cover), a man enters the apartment for the first time and sees friends and family frozen within it in various positions that imply the presence of furniture.
Over time, the man assembles that furniture – sometimes literally – and slides it into place in the scene. Eventually, the rest of the man’s family joins him, and when they enter the now fully-furnished home, the scene unfreezes and friends and family celebrate their new life.
Rethink led strategy and creative, Wunderman Thompson is handling CRM and Carat is handling media.
The film, produced by OPC, debuted as a 60-second cutdown during the 2022 Emmy awards, the first shot in a broader integrated launch campaign that will roll out over TV, OLV, social, billboards and 3D OOH, as well as through IKEA’s owned channels – email newsletters, its website and all of its stores – in the coming weeks.
