How Ikea Will Save Us From the Terrors of a Trash Meteor

Look! Up in the sky! Is that a meteor symbolizing nonsustainable lifestyles bearing down on us all?

In a new 60-second spot from Ikea, it most certainly is.

The meteoric metaphor—composed of tumble dryers, single-use plastics, incandescent light bulbs and assorted consumer goods—suggests Earth’s unhappy fate if we don’t rethink our buying habits and focus on frugality and moderation:

Phew, a happy ending! Just like we’ll have in real life as we grapple with climate change. Right?

Mother London developed the campaign with MJZ director Tom Kuntz to spotlight the ways thrift and green living can help revitalize the planet over the long haul.

“The danger of meteorites falling to Earth and destroying everything is infinitesimally small, yet very real in many people’s minds,” Mother creative director Thom Whitaker tells Muse. “In reality, our actions are having a real impact on the future sustainability of the planet. But this is incremental, and there’s a danger we’ll all work out too late the damage we’re doing.”

Of course, Ikea frequently hits such themes. The company views this new initiative as part of its broader commitment “to reach billions of people across the world, and encourage them to shift their behaviors and become more sustainable,” Whitaker says.

Kuntz, a master of quirky storytelling who shot Ikea’s much-praised “Silence the Critics” holiday ad from 2019, delivers a serious-yet-relatable take on a global problem. Here, he cuts between the approaching orb of destruction and scenes of suburban family life to keep the narrative grounded and deliver Ikea’s message. As a little girl and her parents engage in eco-friendly activities—preserving foods, hanging clothes on a drying rack, using LED bulbs—the threat from above diminishes before our eyes.

And the funky groove of the Barons’ “Making It Better” stokes the energy level throughout.

“We knew we wanted something positive and uplifting to counterbalance the impending doom of the meteor,” Whitaker says. “When we heard the Barons track, we all knew it was the one. It’s got the perfect mix of swagger, optimism and effortless cool.”

Versions of the spot break this week in the U.S. and U.K., and Mother also fashioned these out-of-home elements for the campaign:

CREDITS

Agency: Mother
Production Company: MJZ
Director: Tom Kuntz
MJZ Producer: Shirley O’Connor
MJZ Production Manager: Daniel Gay
Production Designer: Jahmin Assa
Director of Photography: Daniel Landin
Editing: Russell Icke at the Whitehouse
Music Supervision: John Connon @ Mr Pape
Sound: Sam Ashwell @ 750mph
Post: Electric Theatre Collective
VFX: Electric Theatre Collective
Producer: Magda Krimitsou
Coordinator: Larisa Covaciu
Creative Director: James Sindle
2D Lead: James Belch 
3D Lead: Tushar Kewlani
2D Artists: CJ Gaikwad, Ludvig Hallenius, Ralph Briscoe, Tomer Epshtein, Lino Khay (DMP)
3D Artists: Ryan Maddox, Tobin Brett, Patrick Krafft, Gareth Bell, George Savvas, Jordan Dunstall, Oliver Metz, Greg McKneally, Fabrice Fiteni, Chago Bunton- Cole, Luis Fos, Platon Filipov, Nikolai Maderthoner
Colourist: Luke Morrison