Your Shot: Cosplay and One-Room Squeeze in IKEA’s Bedroom Stories

We’re an impeccably organised and tidy bunch over here at LBB (honest!), but even we’d struggle to fit a family of three or a compulsive cosplay habit into one tiny bedroom. BBH Singapore has sought out some of the city’s more unusual space-deprived residents in their new campaign for ubiquitous homeware brand IKEA. ‘Bedroom Stories’ unearths a couple of fascinating tales of organised chaos to put a human face on the brand’s space-saving innovations. As IKEA continues its unstoppable growth in Asia – thanks in part to shrinking living space – LBB’s Addison Capper caught up with the BBH Singapore team to find out more.

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LBB> What was the brief like from IKEA for Bedroom Stories? What were your thoughts when you first saw it?

BBH> IKEA came to us with a brief for to promote it's bedroom storage offerings in the Singapore and Malaysia markets. IKEA's bedroom business has achieved strong growth over the past years, owing to the smart solutions that IKEA offers via PAX, HEMNES AND MALM ranges. In addition to the storage ranges, IKEA also has a strong position in the wardrobes category because of the smart solutions that KOMPLEMENT interior fittings provide. This is something no other competitor can offer, and is a strength that IKEA would like to leverage on and continue to highlight in this brief.

It first struck us that IKEA's bedroom storage solutions are intimately relevant to the context of both the Singapore and Malaysian markets, where home-living needs are getting more layered and complex, whilst homes and living spaces are getting smaller and smaller. There is a definite tension between the rising need for more space (multi-generational living - young people in Singapore and Malaysia tend not to move out of their homes until they get married) and the reality of increased real estate prices which have led to homes shrinking in both markets. 

From past research, we also know that the bedroom is the most pressurised area of the house for Singapore and Malaysian consumers. In both markets, it is a space dedicated not merely to sleeping, but also playing (children and their toys), entertainment (most bedrooms in SG and MY are installed with TV sets), praying, etc. This reinforces the need for smart storage solutions that cater to the varied and complex needs of the bedroom.

These insights led us to the creative idea, which is to have IKEA walk the talk and showcase how Singapore and Malaysia's leading furniture retailer can literally 'make space better' for people who face unique space challenges

LBB> The campaign is focused around the people, instead of the product. What do you think that says about IKEA as a brand and why was it the right way to steer the campaign?

BBH> Whilst the campaign focuses on the life of two characters and their families, IKEA bedroom storage solutions like PAX (+KOMPLEMENT), MALM, HEMNES are very core to each of the stories. This campaign acutely demonstrates what IKEA bedroom storage solutions did for these people and their lives.

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LBB> Where did you find the people featured in the two films and what kind of criteria determined your search?

BBH> We embarked on a casting process that eventually took 6 weeks to complete, before we found the perfect fit in Frank and Michelle. Our criteria was very focused - In order to demonstrate the flexibility and functionality of IKEA's wardrobe solutions, we need to find people/families with unique or complex needs when it comes to their bedroom space.

LBB>The films feature two very different subjects - why was it important to get that mix?

BBH> For this brief, our target audience spans across the different types of families that engage in multi-generational living. From young parents who live with their young children to older parents who still have their over-grown children living with them.

Credits

Project Name: IKEA Bedroom Stories

Project type: Web Films

Business Director: Christina Chong 

Account Director: Sheila Melbye 

Account Manager: Jade Cheng

Head of Engagement Planning: James Sowden

Social Strategist: Josie Khng

ECD: Scott McClelland

Senior Art Director: Eirma Webster 

Senior Copywriter: Angie Featherstone 

Art Director: Marcus Yuen

Copywriter: De Neng Lim

Producer: Daphne Ng, Bhavna Shivayogimath

Production Agency: Black Sheep Productions