Because this week is supposed a week of brilliant comms efforts, flourishing in creativity – I have a second creative comms post today. This one involves a ‘blast from the past’, as IKEA show you how to design your living room in the style of some of your best-loved TV shows. Already equipped with a dedicated landing page (nifty for link building), the campaign has generated a great deal of attention in the few hours that it’s been launched.
Whether its appraisal for the creativity from publications like The Drum and Campaign, or general consumer interest from publications in Reach Plc, for example – IKEA is tonnes of coverage for its efforts (and a good portion of backlinks too – which you can never complain about).
The stunt, named the ‘IKEA Real-Life Series’, in their words…
“…Brought to life the iconic living rooms of the most beloved families of all times, through tons of furniture combinations in lots of different styles and sizes – and at affordable prices. We’ve grouped all the products for each room for you, so it’s easy to recreate what you see here in your own home. Take a look and make your living room iconic with IKEA.”
The sets include the Simpson’s living room, the iconic ‘Friends’ flat & Joy’s front room that is featured in the Netflix drama, Stranger things. And though I’m not biased – because I bloody love every single one of these shows – they look fantastic. Perfectly timed too, seeing as I’m moving home soon and will be looking to decorate (though I’m not sure my other half would be too impressed).
Quirky, Cute, Brilliant
A plethora of factors make an effective PR campaign, just a few of them include the adjectives above. But above all else, those are the three words I think best describe IKEA’s latest gag. And coincidentally, they’re also the three that make it a showstopper campaign that’s on track to win them a lot of publicity.
It’s quirky in the sense that I don’t think anything has ever been done like this before? I love how retro the designs are and how realistically animated they are too. On first glance, you actually would think you’re looking at the cartoon living room set where The Simpsons reside. It’s only when you really peer into your screen that you begin to see the realistic flooring and painted architecture. The creativity channelled into this stunt is second to none, and it really shines through.
It’s cute because it’s relatable. Upon first seeing the setups, I immediately just wanted to say “awww” and then follow that with “that’s how I want to design my living room.” (Totally not joking, either). This campaign works because though very whimsical, it also resonates with what a lot of people appreciate. The Simpsons, Friends and Stranger Things are all big TV hits with recognisable themes that are unmistakenly tied to them (such as the creepy letters on the wall). IKEA and their marketing team have really honed in on that and have appealed to the loyal fanbases of each show.
And finally, it’s brilliant because of its unconventional and original stance. As mentioned above, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this before. But I’m sure glad I have now. Originality, however, isn’t the only thing that makes this campaign what I would define as brilliant. It’s an all-around great effort because it’s been well thought through. I.e. it comes with a landing page which is not only great for building links, but also because you can actually click through and buy the featured products. A campaign that generates brand awareness, while also increasing the likelihood of physical sales. You can’t argue with that, can you?
According to Campaign, Ikea and Publicis Spain brought the famed living rooms to life in “a 3D studio after sifting through thousands of items from the brand’s catalogue and matching them to pieces from the fictional series. The campaign, which is running in the United Arab Emirates, was written by Guillermo Laureano Ley Núñez and art directed by Diego Fernández-cid.”
Well hats off to them, they’ve done a fantastic job and this is certainly one of my favourites of the year so far. What do you think? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter.
Jessica Pardoe | PR, Marketing and Communications Blogger | See All Posts By Jessica Pardoe 