Ikea's new ads (Scottish accent and all) win plaudits in the US
A new campaign for Ikea in the U.K. launched by Mother in London last week has been chosen as Ad of the Day by Adweek magazine in the US.
Entitled, "Entertaining," the first spot is a music video called "Playin' With My Friends" (the song is performed by Masters in France).
The commercial stars a group of kids and their wacky friends—an enormous stuffed bear, a giant toy robot, a life-size action figure, and others—preparing a dinner party in an Ikea kitchen while dancing to the goofy song, says Adweek.
According to Mother , the spot "explores the insight that adults and children all behave better when they're sat around the same table together, rather than the children being sat at the end of the table."
At the end of the video, we see that the kids' companions aren't actually oversized toys—they're the parents.
Adweek says the real standout piece in the campaign, however, is Mother's video about the making of the commercial , which is narrated by one of the spot's stars, Darren the Bear..
"Darren tells us in his thick Scottish brogue, he was just your average 8-foot-tall stuffed bear walking the streets of London, trying to avoid stepping on gum (turns out it's difficult to find shoes that fit him) and working as a cleaner in his local Ikea. All of that changes when he's cast in the music video, where he gets to work with some "proper professional" wee'uns and one rather bothersome "action guy," and receives glowing reviews from his castmates. Now, Darren is taking acting classes—and is even dating one of his fellow students."
Adweek's verdict: It's a pretty charming story.
Enjoy!