The iconic and terrifying hallway scene from Stanley Kubrick's seminal adaptation of Stephen King's horror novel “The Shining” has been spoofed in a pretty spot-on new 90-second ad for Swedish home furniture giants Ikea, just in time for Halloween! Instead of the haunted halls of the Overlook hotel, however, the 'gifted' child in this new ad from BBH Singapore is peddling around a (seemingly) deserted Ikea store. Taking its best cues from the movie, the ad features numerous horror staples (flickering lights, impending sense of dread, desolate atmosphere, haunting score) as the young Danny Torrence doppelganger makes his way to the creepy twins, who it turns out are actually his parents. The ad aims to underline the fact that Ikea stays open until 11pm, and has obviously been timed to tap into the mood of the season.
IKEA - Halloween
The video (above) has already amassed more than 2 and a half million views on YouTube at the time of writing, marking the furniture retailer's second online viral hit in as many months. BBH Singapore have had great success with their Ikea work recently, with their Apple parody to promote the 2015 Ikea catalogue earning over 12 million views. Whether or not this latest ad will prove as popular remains to be seen, but the statistics so far see to suggest it might well be!
IKEA – Apple Spoof
To supplement the new ad, Ikea have also (in the spirit of Halloween) unveiled a new “Spot & Win” contest, with the chance for 13 fans to win 13 Ikea Gift Cards. The competition gives players 13 Ikea products and requires them to watch the ad and take screen grabs whenever they spot one of those products and use Facebook to comment on the picture of that product with their snap. It's a fun and involving way to get social media involved, and will give the video even greater re-watchability value.
KFC – Fans
In related news, BBH London recently unveiled a new football-themes add for KFC, which aims to raise awareness of the “Colonel's Brownie Bucket” through the nation's love of the beautiful game. The advert plays on the typical KFC tropes of brining the family together through fried chicken, by showing two young football fans on opposing sides coming together over a KFC bucket at the end of a hostile match. The ad, directed by Full Money director Peter Cattaneo of Academy Films and shot in Scotland, features real Stirling Albion and Dunfermline fans, and the two boys featured were cast from local football academies, so it all feels surprisingly genuine. BBH's Hamish Pinnell said “Everyone loves a good human story and identifiable characters and universal truths set against an original but authentic backdrop, and that the new ad aimed to show, that “The KFC bucket is great tasting, sharing food that breaks down barriers and invites everyone to get stuck in.”
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and musician from Kidderminster in the UK. The Shining is one of his favourite books and favourite films, and he honestly thing BBH managed to hit the ball out of the park on this one!
