Ikea Comes Second to Parents, and That's a Brand Value

Ikea’s always been good at recognizing that while its furniture helps create possibilities, the merch isn’t really the point. It focuses instead on the human stories around which its goods revolve.

This comes out nicely in David Madrid and Ingo Hamburg’s latest work for Al-Futtaim Ikea (Al-Futtaim holds franchise rights for the brand in Egypt, Oman, the UAE, and Qatar.

“Proudly the Second Best” delivers a quiet message. Garnishing it with more words would detract from its impact, which speaks for itself.

It puts a set of Ikea products in living context. The Antilop high chair, the Bolmen step stool and the Smågöra cot are designed to simplify parents’ lives while making kids more comfortable. But as the ads show, the direct relationship between parents and children takes precedence. 

In these moments—when, foregoing the stool entirely, the toddler prefers to use your lap to reach the sink, and you’re happy to oblige—the items lie forgotten, almost bereft. It’s a scene prop without function.

“Proudly second best,” each piece concludes.

“Humility is a value that lives in the heart of our brand. Placing parents as the first choice for their children reflects this core belief,” explains Carla Klumpenaar, general manager of marketing and communication, HF and retail design in the regions served by Al-Futtaim Ikea. “It doesn’t matter if we are second only to the parents, we are actually proud of it. Through this campaign, we hope to spread this brand value and celebrate parenthood across several channels.”

The print, which is where this campaign really shines, appears below.

Click images to enlarge:

CREDITS

Campaign: Ikea Second Best Furniture
Agencies: David Madrid, Ingo Hamburg
Global Chief Creative Officer: Pancho Cassis, Tobias Ahrens
Global COO: Sylvia Panico
Chief Creative Officer: Saulo Rocha
Group Creative Director: David Krueger
Creative Director: Tomas O’Gorman
Senior Copywriter: Ricky Solano, Fernando Montero
Senior Art Director: Gonzalo Arica, Nicolás Lopez
Head of Accounts: Maria Garcia Herranz
Global Account Director: Annie Muñoz González
Global PR Director: Sandra Azedo
 
Client Approval: Carla Klumpenaar, Salama Ahmed, Dina al Sahhar, Oman Binita Roychowdhury
 
Production Company: Sal Gorda
Realizador: Michelle Cassis
Photography Director: Andy Pulido
Executive Producer: Juanjo Gómez
Producer: Noelia Lobo
Production Director: Rubén Subirats
Art Director: Bárbara Gil y Miguel Junquera
Estilismo: Paola Boch
Post production: Full Fiction
Color: GradePunk
Sound: The Lobby
 
Photography: Alberto Escudero, Oscar Calleja, Ricardo Moreira