Welcome to the Big Home Reboot, IKEA’s response to the pandemic
Co-Creative Direction and Art Direction | Given Agency
This yearly research project on Life at Home became more important than ever in 2020.
After 6 months of research, connecting with 40,000 people across 37 countries insights told us that people by being confined much of the year, many of us have come to a realisation: we want something different from our lives at home. New priorities emerging, everywhere and all at once. This felt like a moment of change, like a Big Home Reboot. I co-created the creative direction and led the design and film teams in this 360 campaign.
A time like never before called for a visual treatment never seen before at IKEA. Black as a leading colour, vibrant, modern shades with bespoke illustrations to boot. A series of shapes became essential storytelling tools, creating sticker-like effects that work both still and in motion.
We collaborated with 8 content creators around the world to capture photography and video that felt high-quality without loosing the User Generated Content (UGC) approach.
We took this visual treatment through every media, from a digital interactive platform, to virtual reports and social media assets. All assets were created as plates for all markets to transcreate and use as necessary.
The hero film
Collaborating with content creators from Canada, India, France, UK, Spain and Japan, and a songwriter from Germany, we were able to authentically capture the way the vast majority of people around the world are feeling about their homes as a result of pandemic restrictions: closer than ever.
The video proved so popular with the IKEA markets that we were commissioned to create a Holiday film in December 2020. This edit was so well received that IKEA Austria decided to have it broadcast on television during New Year’s Eve.
