A Divorced Dad Uses Ikea to Create a Special Surprise for His Son
A Touching Tale of Real-Life Sweden
Editor's Pick
Ikea's latest spot running in Sweden isn't about the perfect, advertiser-friendly Scandinavian family. Instead, titled "Every Other Week," it's a gently bittersweet tale of a kid with divorced parents, who's spending every other week with his dad. His father arrives to pick him up, exchanging a meaningful glance with Mom, as the little boy sits looking rather apprehensive in his bedroom, bags packed. He picks up his favorite pens from his desk before heading off from their rural house to a city, where Dad is living in a tower block. Opening the door to his new room, however, he finds it's identically furnished with Ikea stuff, even down to the desk with a groove for his pens.
It's a touching story, and also encapsulates a truth about the Ikea brand -- sometimes, it's not about being individual and unusual, and there's nothing wrong with your kid having the exact same bed and desk as the kid down the road. Because kids actually like uniformity -- and Ikea's also affordable, Dad in his urban apartment can recreate the family home in exactly the same way. (We wonder if the mom's meaningful look meant she was in on it, too.)
With the tagline "Where Life Happens," the spot (directed by Martin Werner at Bacon) is the first in a series of nine that agency Akestam Holst has worked on for Ikea, with a focus on how the brand impacts real life in Sweden. We look forward to seeing the rest.
Credits
- Date
- Sep 15, 2016
- Brand :
- Ikea
- Client :
- Ikea
- Agency :
- Åkestam Holst
- Art Director :
- Jesper Holst
- Art Director :
- Michal Sitkiewicz
- Copywriter :
- Mark Ardelius
- Copywriter :
- Rickard Beskow
- Creative Director :
- Magnus Jacobsson
- Graphic Design :
- Sara Bellafesta
- Account Director :
- Kjell Mansson
- Creative Planner :
- Jerker Winther
- Agency Producer :
- Leila Widgren
- Account Manager :
- Agneta Oppenheim
- Production Company :
- Bacon
- Director :
- Martin Werner
- Executive Producer :
- Ylva Axell
- Producer :
- Joel Rostmark
- Director, Photography :
- Mattias Rudh
- Set Design :
- Catharina Nyqvist Ehrnroot
- Costume Design :
- Johanna Borggren
- Post Production :
- BaconX
- Client :
- Carin Jacobsson
- Project Leader :
- Maria Granath
- Director, Marketing Media Advertising :
- Patrik Nygren-Bonnier
Need a credit fix? Contact the Creativity Editors
Related work

Ikea: Ikea eases the holiday stress in Rethink’s escapist seasonal spot

Ikea: Ikea’s spooky Halloween ads shine a light on kids’ bedroom fears

Ikea: Ikea’s blue bag gets even bigger in a pair of oversized campaigns
