IKEA has launched a new TVC campaign aimed at making the everyday more wonderful through a thought-provoking film. Capturing the unique memories of a couple’s wonderful life together, the new campaign poses the question: what if the little things are really the big things? As the latest instalment of IKEA’s “Wonderful Everyday” advertising strategy, “Wonderful Life” features a character looking back over a lifetime spent with her partner. Viewers are challenged to think about what is really important in life and the latest TVC marks a real departure for the retailer into an even more distinct and engaging visual style.
Created by our good friends over at Mother London, the campaign has launched in static and digital Outdoor media, with hundreds of personal “Secrets to a Wonderful Everyday” that have been submitted by IKEA Co-workers. The campaign reaches a crescendo with a 90 second film online and in cinemas, and a 60 second TVC, before going live across print, digital and outdoor from today, Monday April 25, all supported by PR, social and CRM. It runs through the start of the summer until July 8.
Wonderful Life
In the film, we follow one couple through the course of their life spent together, from their early 20s to old age. We see scenes from a a life very well lived (glamorous artistry, Grand Prix racing, dancing to a standing ovation on Broadway and winning a grand slam tennis tournament), and the spot then cuts to a living room and we see the same woman, only much older, telling her granddaughter the story of her life, with the help of a cherished photo album. Only as we look closely at the album, we see that the photos differ from the scenes we’ve just watched. Though less spectacular, these “Real” moments are clearly no less special than the exaggerated ones we saw before, and that's the whole point! It's a wonderfully poignant and surprisingly subtle way to illustrate the tagline: “Enjoy the little things in life. Maybe, they are really the big things,” which is underlined with an emotional gut punch that I won't spoil here. Just watch for yourselves.
“This is one of the most inspirational and affecting ad campaigns we have launched to date”
Laurent Tiersen, the new IKEA UK and Ireland Marketing Manager, said of the spot: “The Wonderful Life TVC is a new emotional direction for IKEA. In this film we want to bring to life the sentiment of the Wonderful Everyday through the eyes of someone who has lived a long and fulfilling life made up of small personal moments that add wonder to our everyday lives at home. This really is a celebration of how the little things are the big things.”
