Is your home an Ikea-furnished wonderland?
A new ad from the retailer and agency Mother London features a rich imaginary world, full of islands in the sky, where a bat and a bird help a robot learn to fly.
It's a delightful little story, gorgeously produced, in a style evoking illustrations from children's books. At first blush, it might seem a bit divorced from the brand, but the tagline "Come home to play" puts a clear point on the message: Ikea's products will make your home a fun, relaxing place where your mind can run free.
In the end, the camera's perspective tunnels through a purple cloud and switches to live action, making clear the whole trip was a dad play-acting with his two young children. The approach comes across as a slightly more abstract version of Ikea and Mother's "Playing With My Friends" ad from 2012.
The work was designed to promote the marketer's "Lattjo" line, which includes toys, like jumping sacks and play tunnels.
Though it could also be a pretty good ad for psilocybin.
CREDITS
Client: Ikea
Agency: Mother, London
VFX Company: MPC
VFX Producer: Jakub Chilczuk
3D/Motion Design: Tom Robinson, Steven Ross
2D: Rod Norman
Colorist: Richard Fearon
Sound studio: 750mph
Editing: The Whitehouse
Editor: James Norris