IKEA and Mother go dating

We all judge people a little bit on their furniture choices, and IKEA and Mother have made good on this insight.

IKEA x Mother’s ‘Storage Is Sexy’ turns the furniture giant’s products into entertainment through the concept of a dating show built entirely around wardrobes.

Hosted by Charley Marlowe, the series asks a fairly ridiculous question: could you fall in love with someone based purely on how they organise their clothes?

Three contestants reveal their IKEA PAX wardrobes, and a potential partner chooses based on what they find inside.

The gimmick soon becomes believable as we realise that wardrobes do function somewhat as a proxy for personality.

The ad succeeds in selling us the products too, with the meticulously colour-coded hangers, which clearly suggest discipline, standing out.

The ad goes on to diagnose someone with more chaotic piles of clothes as spontaneous. Which all rings true, frankly.

Why it works

The campaign takes on a classic format, but drifts it closer to creator content and reality TV.

IKEA has always subverted the polished furniture ad, refusing to simply show beautiful Scandinavian interiors, but Mother has built a format that could plausibly exist even without the brand.

It's reminiscent of campaigns that have successfully redefined mundane product categories through cultural behaviour. Spotify Wrapped, for example, turned data into personal identity.

Thematically, it builds on IKEA's long-running "Wonderful Everyday" philosophy but brings in a bit of the modern dating language of ‘micro-signals’: where you judge prospective partners on playlists, books and otherwise mundane habits.

In a world of dating apps and short flings, IKEA has really committed here.

Credits

Brand: IKEA UK
Agency: Mother
Host: Charley Marlowe
Production: Faithful Hound
Director: Chris Faith
Editor: Andy Phillips (The Chophouse)
Sound: King Lear
Music Supervision: Holy Wax