The art of advertising is a combination of capturing attention, gaining a positive reaction and developing brand recognition. It’s a tough, competitive business in which few of even the most successful ad campaigns remain in the public consciousness for very long.
Those whose effects linger are almost exclusively centered around ubiquitous corporate mascots (Speedy Alka-Seltzer, the Campbell’s kids, Mr. Peanut, Charlie Tuna and others) or successful humor ads (“Where’s the beef?”, Miller Lite, various Geico commercials, etc…) Only rarely do exceptions to those two options take root.
One of those exceptions is the Ikea cat commercial.
For no good reason other than they hoped they would get some good commercial footage, cameramen working with Ikea arranged multiple cameras throughout the floor of one of the furniture giant’s stores after the shoppers and staff left for the night. After doing so, they erected barriers to keep the cats isolated within the shopping area and brought in a video crew to capture action footage. They then released a hundred cats into the store and filmed what happened.
The results were everything they’d hoped for, and more. The resultant commercial, released in 2010, caught the attention of the internet and then the news media.
The commercial received more than a million hits before being taken down on the official company channel, the campaign over. The advertising company behind the idea uploaded their making-of video, showing that working with animals isn’t always terrible, but does come with certain drawbacks…. like sawing through walls to reclaim a wayward feline.
Question of the night: What’s your favorite furniture anecdote?
