In a context full of distractions and moving at a speed that is often difficult to manage, being present and dedicating quality time to our loved ones becomes a real challenge. But the festive season may be an opportunity to reverse the trend, as proposed by Ikea’s Christmas advertisement, in which the company’s products and its assembly methodology are posited as allies.
Ikea returns to the screens after a few years in which its presence has been intermittent. It does so with “The best gift is to be present”, an advertisement designed by the creative agency McCann Madrid and made by director Alauda Ruiz de Azúa, who recently received the Golden Shell at the San Sebastián Festival with her film “Los Domingos”.
The spot has had Igloo as a producer.
In its new Christmas advertisement, Ikea encourages society to “activate home mode” and claims quality time. It does so with the story of a child who demands something as basic as more and better presence from his parents. He materializes his wish by requesting a Billy bookshelf as a gift, since it requires at least two people to assemble it. Thus, through one of its most popular products, Ikea symbolizes the value of sharing time.
Ikea launches reflection from its natural territory, the home, a space that it claims is where the most significant relationships are built. The brand reminds us with its communication how important it is to stop, reconnect and pay full attention to those around us, an issue present in the social debate and in the reality of Spanish homes.
Despite its interrupted presence, Ikea wanted to convey this message at Christmas, a moment that it considers key and organic to communicate. “It is a time where the home becomes the epicenter of emotions and relationships. We seek to connect with society and open conversation on important topics“, explains Gabriel Ladaria, Marketing Director of Ikea in Spain, to this medium. “Anchoring ourselves in a powerful insight and with an appropriate brand proposal allows us to gain affinity at the brand level and therefore have a positive impact on the business, in the short and especially in the medium term.”.
Ikea and authentic connections
The reflection, however, is not new either in the Spanish advertising industry or in Ikea’s communication trajectory. The company has addressed this area in previous Christmas ads, for example, with “The Other Letter,” launched in 2014 and which proposed an experiment in which boys and girls wrote a letter to their parents asking to spend more time with them. He also did it in 2018 with “Familiarizados”, which showed how screens can distance people even when they are together.
“Ikea has always known how to identify everyday tensions that invite us to look inward”
In this way, “The best gift is to be present” expands more than a decade of history in which Ikea has appealed to a more real and authentic connection between people. “Ikea has always known how to identify everyday tensions that invite us to look inward. And at Christmas those tensions become even more relevant“, assures Eoin Sherry, Chief Creative Officer of McCann Spain to reason.Why. “It’s not just about decorating the house or preparing dinners, but about reconnecting with what is essential. And home can be the place that helps us recover that connection.”.
With this campaign the brand communicates again at Christmas. Ikea did not present a Christmas advertisement last year, but it did do so in 2023 with “Make a better Christmas.” Before that, the last one had been “We all deserve a real home”, released in 2020.
The company wanted to take advantage of the festive season, which it considers one of the most reflective times of the year in homes, to open a debate that affects all generations. “Not only do we return to the Christmas conversation, but we do so with a message that connects with a real tension: the lack of full presence, of seeking quality time in a fast-paced world. It seemed key to us to put on the table the need to give time, attention and connection“, commented Rafael Jiménez, Director of Marketing Communication at Ikea in Spain, in statements to reason.Why.
The main challenge of the campaign, according to Eoin Sherry, was to find a powerful and familiar idea, and to transfer it without judging or giving lessons. Thus, he has tried to find an everyday story, “very Ikea”, in which all types of people could see themselves reflected.
Beyond communication, the brand claims to have initiatives that help people be present. In the home, it claims to contribute with its products and solutions, among which are space design services and through which they seek to promote disconnection from daily noise and help the people who live in the home to connect.
In the workplace, the company points out that it works so that its employees can enjoy full presence in their daily lives. It claims to have been the first company in the sector to regulate digital disconnection, thus reinforcing its commitment to conciliation and people’s well-being.
The campaign officially launches on November 10, and will feature 110, 60, 40 and 20 second versions. It will have executions on television, social networks, digital platforms and outdoor advertising.
It has iProspect, MRM, Meme, Tinkle, Apple Tree and Harmon as collaborating agencies.
