A Divorced Dad Uses Ikea to Create a Special Surprise for His Son

A Touching Tale of Real-Life Sweden

Published On
Sep 15, 2016

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

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