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Ikea: Silence the Critics by Mother
In Ikea’s first-ever UK Christmas ad, a family is taunted by their bar-spitting kitsch ornaments, who encourage them to defy ‘home shame.’
Tapping into contemporary culture, the ad flies the flag for Grime music that has recently made a resurgence by entering into mainstream music for the first time. And who better to have on board than an artist that Skepta hailed as “the greatest grime MC of all time” – D Double E, who voices the gimcrack ornaments.
The campaign will launch with the film across broadcast and VOD TV, cinema and digital media. The 90-, 60- and 20-second edits are fully supported with out-of-home, press, CRM and PR.
Agency: Mother
Production Company: MJZ
Director: Tom Kuntz
MJZ Producer: Emma Butterworth
MJZ Production Manager: Daniel Gay
Production Designer: Chris Oddy
Director of Photography: Chris Soos
Editing: Russell Icke at the Whitehouse
Music Supervision: Dave Bass and Arnold Hattingh at Wake the Town
Sound: 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: Patrick Krafft
2D Artists: Chris Fraser, Tomer Epsthein
3D Artists: Jordan Dunstall, Ryan Maddox, Mark Bailey, Remy Herisse, Edwin Leeds, Gregory Martin, Nikolai Maderthoner, Will Preston, Stefan Brown, Adrian Lan Sun Luk, Piers Limberg, Zach Pindolia, Olivia Grimmer, Romain Thirion, Richard Fry
Colourist: Luke Morrison
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The genius of IKEA ‘Silence the critics’ an advert review
Every once in awhile there’s an advert released — which is really and truly memorable. It’s the ad that every young creative wants to work on and any agency hopes to create. It’s like the one hit single that artists spend years trying to record — the one that they hope takes the airwaves (or internet) by storm. The creative agency Mother are renowned for their superb adverts, but for me, the latest Ikea ad ‘Silence the critics’ has really struck a chord.
When I started hearing some murmurs of grime artists being involved I was naturally curious and excited; The chatter that would follow had many to believe a parody or meme-esque video would grace the internet but what followed was both surprising, genius and perfectly executed.
Why it’s so good
Creatively, the concept is brilliant. The idea that having tatty everyday objects around your house can breed insecurities is very relatable, but to personify the objects through rap music in a comedic way elevates the concept to another level.
Mother said, “We tried to find things that people weren’t necessarily used to seeing come to life as that would make for the most surprising visual and music pairing.” This was delivered through an unexpected line-up of quirky ornaments that would torment the couple, from a novelty teapot and ceramic panda to a lucky cat and dinosaur toy.
The 3D animation was executed excellently by the talented folks at VFX studio Electric Theatre Collective where they 3D scanned each object, rigged and textured the items to star in the music video.
The hardest part?
The music. Getting the music right in any type of video content be it a vlog, TV program or an advert, is a challenge. It’s crucial. It can make or break a video, and even more so in this instance as it needed to be authentic and true to the culture behind the music.
It can go two both ways, the wrong alignment for an artist can spell disaster for their music credibility, and selecting the wrong artist for a brand can cause havoc. It’s a tough gig. Mother, the agency responsible for the ads creative rightly aligned rap as the right direction. This is no small genre of music and they had a vast array of artists to choose from. What they needed to get this right was to find an unfiltered artist who could perfectly communicate the comedic narrative, in a way that didn’t compromise the artists' style.
There could have been only a handful of hundreds of artists to have successfully achieved this, and only one would have come with the organic authenticity and rap credibility, and that was D Double E. Hats off to Star One on the production of this — as every part of the composition captures the spirit and energy of the grime genre as it’s known and loved for. This is a testament to music supervisors Theodore music and the team there for this fantastic job. it hasn't gone unnoticed either, industry heavyweights have rejoiced at the ad for the same reasons.
In all my years documenting grime and underground music, I never thought I’d see the day that an MC as true to his sound and stylistic flair as D Double E would front a campaign for a brand like Ikea. - Grime journalist JP Patterson
Connecting on a personal level #MarketingWithAttitude
‘Silence the critics’ resonates with me personally on multiple levels. I’ve been in the creative industry and involved in the grime music scene for many years. When I started my agency Disrupt in 2015, getting any “mainstream” brand to even consider the grime genre was impossible. At this time we found that only a few brands such as KA Drinks had the courage to seize the opportunity to do something different and push boundaries with us.
Working at the intersection of culture and the internet for the last decade, I have witnessed first-hand the power of music working together for brands and people.
What we set out to do with artists and personalities back when the agency started would later become a booming industry now referred to as influencer marketing. Our mantra was to work with an influencer rather than for them to just feature and we really believed that authentic collaborations were the key to success. We called this “Marketing with Influence” not influencer marketing. This tied into our overarching approach called “ Marketing With Attitude ” This brilliant Ikea advert is a perfect demonstration of exactly that.
Marketing with attitude is about daring to be different and connecting with people on a human level through their passions. It’s about being clear on who you are as a brand and how to communicate in a truly authentic way. We are putting this approach in action for our new business Reboxed, and if you want to stay up to date with how to really push your brand to the next level consider signing up to my newsletter
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Mother London: Ikea, Silence the Critics
Honourable Mentions: Advertising, Commercials
In 2019, Ikea released a Christmas ad that avoided the emotional approach many other brands take during the festive season and instead took a witty look at the state of our homes, and whether they need a refresh before family and friends visit for the holidays.
The spot, which is directed by Tom Kuntz and features a bespoke soundtrack by grime artist D Double E, shows some household objects come to life and perform a scathing diss track to the owners about the state of their place. Each one is eventually silenced by the comeback of some smart Ikea solutions that brighten up the home.
Agency: Mother London ECDs: Ana Balarin, Hermeti Balarin Creative Directors: Thom Whitaker, Danielle Outhwaite Noel Creatives: Mike Kennedy, Pauline Ashford Producer: Jenny Fan Production Assistant: Will Carmichael Production Director: Giedre Minniotaite Strategists: Scarlett Spence, Imogen Carter Account Team: Yuki Yamakado, Sophie Holt, Marina Banks Production Company: MJZ Director: Tom Kuntz Editing: Whitehouse Music Supervision: Wake the Town Composer/Arranger: D Double E Sound: 750mph Post Production: Electric Theatre Collective VFX: Electric Theatre Collective
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IKEA: Silence The Critics
Argos: The Book of Dreams
John Lewis & Partners: Excitable Edgar
M&S: Go jumpers for Christmas
Walkers: All Mariah Carey wants this Christmas
Ikea ‘silence the critics’ and win nov/dec 2019 thinkboxes.
IKEA’s first foray into Christmas TV advertising has brought home the Thinkboxes Award for TV ad creativity.
Creatives and other TV luminaries voted ‘Silence the Critics’ by Mother London the best TV ad of all those that launched in November and December 2019.
Joining the Christmas TV advertising throng with a much smaller production budget than many retailers, the challenge was both to stand out and be festive in a true-to-the-IKEA-brand kind of way.
In the commercial, IKEA and grime collide when a family, fearful their home isn’t stylish enough for guests, find their internal self-criticisms voiced by the ornaments they’ve let take over their lives and the horrible things they say humorously brought to life by grime music legend D Double E.
- Creative agency: Mother
- Creative team: Mother
- Client: Kemi Anthony
- Production company: MJZ
- Director: Tom Kuntz
Other shortlisted ads:
Argos ‘the book of dreams’.
Flicking through the Argos catalogue, a dad chances upon an entry for a kid’s drum kit. Before we know it, the kit has appeared in his kitchen, the kitchen has morphed into the stage of an arena rock venue and he begins playing along to 'Don’t You (Forget About Me)' by Simple Minds. Then his daughter appears, as does another drum kit. She sits in and they play in tandem, driving the crowd (yes, an audience has appeared too) into rapture.
- Creative agency: The&Partnership
- Creative team: Yan Elliott, Micky Tudor, Danny Hunt, Ludo Thomas, Arthur Harry
- Client: Becky Desert
- Production company: Stink
- Director: Traktor
John Lewis & Partners and Waitrose & Partners ‘Excitable Edgar’
John Lewis opted for a cute Christmas character this year: Edgar the Excitable Dragon, whose burning enthusiasm for seasonal pursuits tends to have unfortunate consequences, not least when he sets fire to the village’s Christmas decorations. But wait – maybe there’s a way he can contribute to seasonal celebrations. When he turns up to a Christmas lunch, all the guests take cover but he produces a Christmas pudding and, to general acclaim, sets fire to its brandy with a flame from his nostrils.
- Creative agency: Adam & Eve/DDB
- Creative: Simon Lloyd
- Clients: Craig Inglis, customer director, John Lewis & Partners; Martin George, customer director, Waitrose & Partners
- Production company: Blink
- Director: Dougal Wilson
Marks & Spencer ‘Go Jumpers’
M&S decided to reinvent the Christmas jumper for a new generation this year – turns out it’s the party accessory you can’t do without. Not exactly cool but not quite naff either. The backing track is "Jump Around" by World of Pain and its driving hip hop energy sets the Yuletide world dancing in winter woollies. The spot aims to embody the glorious madness of Christmas, lifting the nation’s spirits and giving customers a compelling reason to come in-store during the festive period.
- Creative agency: ODD London
- Creative team: Nick Stickland, Turhan Osman
- Client: Nathan Ansell
- Production company: Cherry Studio
- Director: Jake Nava
Walkers 'All Mariah Carey wants this Christmas'
Taking a break from shooting a new video for her evergreen festive hit, 'All I Want for Christmas Is You', Mariah Carey seemingly embodies the holiday spirit as she dispenses gifts. However, her smile slips at the catering trolley as she gets into a tug of war with one of the extras over the last bag of Walkers. She wins by hitting one of her legendary high notes, so powerful that everyone has to cover their ears – and it even shatters someone’s glasses.
- Creative agency: AMV BBDO
- Creative team: Alex Grieve
- Client: Wayne Newton
- Production company: Caviar / Supply & Demand
- Director: Joseph Kahn
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IKEA enters the Christmas ad arena with a wonderfully ridiculous take on the state of our homes over the holidays. The film shows a crew of everyday household objects come to life and perform a scathing diss track about a place that clearly isn’t ready for festivities.
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Password reminder, ikea – silence the critics, yellow pencil / film advertising / tv commercials 61-120 seconds / 2020, yellow pencil / entertainment / audio, graphite pencil / animation / character animation, graphite pencil / art direction / art direction for film advertising, graphite pencil / film advertising / writing for film advertising, graphite pencil / entertainment / writing for entertainment, wood pencil / direction / film advertising, wood pencil / sound design & use of music / original composition.
IKEA entered the Christmas ad arena with a wonderfully ridiculous take on the state of our homes over the holidays. The film shows a crew of everyday household objects come to life to perform a scathing diss track about a place that clearly isn't ready for festivities - before each one is silenced by the ultimate comeback: some smart IKEA solutions. The track was made by legendary Grime emcee, D Double E.
What did the judges have to say?
I absolutely adore this ad…This touched on so many amazing cultural insights. Amy Snow, Creative and Co-Founder, Ogilvy Roots and WPP Roots
It’s a lighthearted twist on a diss track. Also, CG can be really unfunny, I almost always will try to go practical over CG in any case that I’m trying to be funny, but it’s really well done here. Nathaniel Lawlor, Copywriter
Work that should be celebrated is work that feels new, that breaks the mould and ignites conversation. This is exactly what Ikea's Silence the Critics does. Subverting the tired ‘pull at the heartstring’ formula usually rolled out for holiday season advertising, Silence the Critics instead uses grime music to create their own diss track targeting the house in the ad. The result is a clever, catchy, conversation-starting piece of work that lived far beyond its original purpose and instead turned into a cultural moment. Holly Fraser, Director of Content / Editor-In-Chief, WePresent
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If you've been awarded Wood Pencil or above, drop us your details for further information about how you can order your D&AD Pencil. If you've previously won In Book or a Nomination and would like to celebrate your achievement with a Wood or Graphite Pencil, please let us know.
- Kemi Anthony
- Singapore United Kingdom
Account Director
- Sophie Holt
Business Lead
- Marina Banks
- Yuki Yamakado
- Mike Kennedy
- Pauline Ashford
Creative Agency
- Mother London
Creative Director
- Danielle Outhwaite-Noel
- Thom Whitaker
Executive Creative Director
- Ana Balarin
- Hermeti Balarin
Music Supervision
- Wake The Town
Music Supervisor
- Arnold Hattingh
Post Production
- Electric Theatre Collective
Production Assistant
- Will Carmichael
Production Company
Production Director
- Giedre Miniotaite
Sound Design
- Imogen Carter
Strategy Director
- Scarlett Spence
Visual Effects
Advertising Agency
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Silence the Critics
8 th november 2019.
IKEA enters the Christmas ad arena with a wonderfully ridiculous take on how we see the state of our homes over the holidays. The film shows a crew of everyday household objects come to life and perform a scathing diss track, about a place that clearly isn’t ready for festivities, before each one is eventually silenced by the ultimate comeback: some smart IKEA solutions.
It was directed by Tom Kuntz and the track was made bespoke by legendary Grime emcee, D Double E.
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Ikea: Silence the Critics by Mother. In Ikea's first-ever UK Christmas ad, a family is taunted by their bar-spitting kitsch ornaments, who encourage them to defy 'home shame.'. Tapping into ...
The creative agency Mother are renowned for their superb adverts, but for me, the latest Ikea ad 'Silence the critics' has really struck a chord. ... Branding Case Studies: How Famous Brands ...
The creative agency Mother are renowned for their superb adverts, but for me, the latest Ikea ad 'Silence the critics' has really struck a chord. When I started hearing some murmurs of grime artists being involved I was naturally curious and excited; The chatter that would follow had many to believe a parody or meme-esque video would grace ...
Each one is eventually silenced by the comeback of some smart Ikea solutions that brighten up the home. Agency: Mother London. ECDs: Ana Balarin, Hermeti Balarin. Creative Directors: Thom Whitaker, Danielle Outhwaite Noel. Creatives: Mike Kennedy, Pauline Ashford. Producer: Jenny Fan.
Posted on: January 24, 2020. IKEA's first foray into Christmas TV advertising has brought home the Thinkboxes Award for TV ad creativity. Creatives and other TV luminaries voted 'Silence the Critics' by Mother London the best TV ad of all those that launched in November and December 2019. Joining the Christmas TV advertising throng with a ...
View IKEA's, IKEA 'Silence the Critics' new work by Mother London for Advertising/Creative. About us ... Archived Case Studies Filter ... IKEA enters the Christmas ad arena with a wonderfully ridiculous take on the state of our homes over the holidays. The film shows a crew of everyday household objects come to life and perform a scathing diss ...
IKEA entered the Christmas ad arena with a wonderfully ridiculous take on the state of our homes over the holidays. The film shows a crew of everyday household objects come to life to perform a scathing diss track about a place that clearly isn't ready for festivities - before each one is silenced by the ultimate comeback: some smart IKEA solutions.
IKEA. Silence the Critics. 8thNovember 2019. IKEA enters the Christmas ad arena with a wonderfully ridiculous take on how we see the state of our homes over the holidays. The film shows a crew of everyday household objects come to life and perform a scathing diss track, about a place that clearly isn't ready for festivities, before each one ...
House-shaming takes a curious new form in this entertaining outing for IKEA. When a woman hesitates on inviting friends over due to the state of her abode, knickknacks around the room take up a call for the family to get the place spruced up sharpish. Figurines rapping criticism over a Grime-inspired beat is sure to cut through the Christmas chatter, particularly for viewers getting twitchy ...
IKEA: Silence the Critics . IKEA, the furniture retailer, made waves in the UK by silencing the home shaming critics. Furniture & furnishings retail; United Kingdom; ... We use it to source case studies and best practice for the purposes of internal training, as well as for putting persuasive cases to clients. In compiling a recent case for ...
ABOUT. IKEA enters the Christmas ad arena with a wonderfully ridiculous take on how we see the state of our homes over the holidays. The film shows a crew of everyday household objects come to life and perform a scathing diss track, about a place that clearly isn't ready for festivities, before each one is eventually silenced by the ultimate comeback: some smart IKEA solutions.
Television Silence The Critics for Ikea by Mother London - The campaign kicks off with an advert featuring a couple who become racked with 'home sham...
Hilarious. Ikea UK unveiled its Christmas ad named "Silence The Critics.". The ad was created by the advertising agency Mother. The marketing message is "When it comes to hosting, we all have those little voices in the back of our heads that say our home isn't up to the job. And whether it's the chipped mug, the crack in the wall, the ...
This professional campaign titled 'Silence the Critics' was published in United Kingdom in November, 2019. It was created for the brand: IKEA, by ad agency: Mother. This Film medium campaign is related to the House, Garden industry and contains 1 media asset. It was submitted over 4 years ago. Credits
IKEA - Silence the Critics. Twitter; Facebook; Linkedin; Award: Yellow Pencil. Yellow Pencil / Film Advertising / TV Commercials 61-120 seconds / 2020 ...
IKEA Providing the Motivation to the Consumers The IKEA silence the critic campaign is providing consumers with a great level of motivation. According to expectancy value theory, people are generally motivated by what they expect to gain from an (Farhat, 2021) action or situation. In this case, IKEA customers are expecting benefits such as improved moods and decreased stress levels.
Ikea relies on three layers of protection in its wood supply chain, according to Ulf Johansson, wood supply and forestry manager at Inter Ikea. Suppliers have to present an annual wood procurement ...
Commercial Production Company. David Zander, President/Co-Founder. Rocky Morton, Co-Founder. Eriks Krumins, Senior Executive Producer.
Little Black Book, IKEA - Silence The Critics
The music in the IKEA Christmas 2019 advert is a songs called "Fresh N Clean (Silence the Critics)" written by English Grime MC D Double E (real name Darren Dixon). The song was produced and recorded by UK duo Star One. This IKEA Christmas 2019 advert titled 'Silence The Critics' features a family at home whos ornaments around the house ...
The changes at IKEA took place in discreet silence, ... In the mid-2000s, Harvard Business School, USA published a case study of IKEA and the way it dealt with child labour, entitled: "IKEA's Global Sourcing Challenge: Indian Rugs and Child Labor". Still today, the study is one of the schools' most popular among students and faculty. ...
IKEA Case Study Analysis It was once famously said by the founder of IKEA that his business philosophy stood on the basis "To create a better everyday life for the many people". In 1995 Marianne Barner, IKEA manager, was confronted with the pervasive issue of child labor within the company's rug supplier, this posed an intricate challenge of balancing corporate responsibility, navigating ...
Some critics have dissected Cass's methodology and assumptions while grudgingly accepting some of her findings; others have attacked her personally. Some even cynically labeled Cass's advocacy ...