Spike Jonez's hilarious new IKEA ad (click the TV to watch it, you'll need Quicktime)...

September 24, 2002 9:52 PM

Spike Jonez's hilarious new IKEA ad (click the TV to watch it, you'll need Quicktime)......and here's the Slate.com article that led me to it.
posted by adrober (45 comments total)

That ad is beautiful--it made me laugh out loud the first time I saw it. If all TV advertising were that good I wouldn't have worn out my mute button. It won't make me buy from Ikea, but it won't make me avoid them either, and since nearly half the commercials I see make me add to my "do not buy from" list, that could be considered a success.
posted by Nothing at 9:58 PM on September 24, 2002

Such a great ad, I laughed when I saw it the first time too, I actually hit rewind on my TiVo to see it again.
posted by riffola at 10:02 PM on September 24, 2002

I do feel bad for it! Luxor Jr. is out on the street!
posted by o2b at 10:05 PM on September 24, 2002

Rotten new lamp... He'll get his!
posted by crookdimwit at 10:11 PM on September 24, 2002

Awww...poor unloved lamp...left to rust...in the rain....*sniff*

And for the record...yes, I probably am crazy. :)
posted by dejah420 at 10:30 PM on September 24, 2002

Remember: the things you own end up owning you.
posted by panopticon at 10:34 PM on September 24, 2002

i don't think i could name one bad thing that spike jonze has ever done. his movie, videos, tv ads, acting and even jackass...i love them all.
posted by suprfli at 10:58 PM on September 24, 2002

(click the TV to watch it, you'll need Quicktime)

And a PC, apparently. It can't detect the latest version of Flash in any browser on any of our Macs. Gah.
posted by Dreama at 10:58 PM on September 24, 2002

i don't think i could name one bad thing that spike jonze has ever done

Not formed an army and burned down the Viacom offices for giving "Lady Marmalade" Video of the Year instead of "Weapon of Choice?"
posted by XQUZYPHYR at 11:05 PM on September 24, 2002

Worked fine on my Mac.
posted by kindall at 11:16 PM on September 24, 2002

Listen.

It's not hilarious.

It's a goddamned.

Ikea.

AD.
posted by spudnuts at 11:26 PM on September 24, 2002

spud:

Yeah?

So?

Ads...

...can be hilarious and creative.
posted by El_Gray at 11:29 PM on September 24, 2002

No.
posted by spudnuts at 11:57 PM on September 24, 2002

yeah, el gray. what do you think this is? an online forum for discussing things?
posted by 4easypayments at 12:04 AM on September 25, 2002

Funny. I laughed.

spudnuts: unclench, dude.
posted by Down10 at 12:09 AM on September 25, 2002

I am right.
posted by spudnuts at 12:17 AM on September 25, 2002

i hope this doesn't devolve into a discussion of whether or not it is appropriate to post a FPP like this, i thought it was a clever ad and i wouldn't have seen it had i not seen it here.

Just to keep my post on topic, i also enjoy much of Jonzes work, and "Weapon of Choice" is indeed the natch choice of best video.

Opinions on this may vary, but mine is the only one that really counts.
posted by quin at 12:20 AM on September 25, 2002

It's cool... but at the same time it's evil capitalist cultural imperialism! AAAAGH HOW TO REACT?!?! *average mefi user's head explodes*
posted by dagny at 12:32 AM on September 25, 2002

I liked it. Not only did I laugh, but I think it's interesting how it points out the ridiculous tendency people have of assigning human qualites to inanimate objects. It also shows how much of an impact the presentation of the object -- in this case, the music and lighting -- can have on that tendency.

It's like a miniature lesson in human psychology in a 30-second advertisement for... not even a specific lamp, just a furniture store.

As Ingvar said, "...you crazy! It has no feelings! And the new one is much better."
posted by CrayDrygu at 12:39 AM on September 25, 2002

spud: you are, of course, welcome to your opinion about the humor level and general noteworthiness of the ad. But simply saying that it's an ad, and therefore not worthy of interest, is pointless. If you're going to make such a statement at least give a reason. Or give us a rant about the evils of ads (rants are fun!).

Don't just shit on the thread. Participate. Back yourself up. Or back yourself out.

I thought the ad was interesting. It's pathetic, but I felt bad for the little red lamp, too. Thing is - I liked the red lamp better than I like most ikea lamps.
posted by jaded at 12:43 AM on September 25, 2002

there's another besides the lamp... one with a little creamer in the shape of a cow that gets broken, when a couple spontaneously decide to have sex on their kitchen table. i'm not too fond of advertising but i appreciate the sort that's a little strange, as these are. ikea's fall campaign was fairly offbeat last year as well.

hmmm, i think that's my sofa in the lamp lady's apt...
posted by t r a c y at 12:46 AM on September 25, 2002

It's cool... but at the same time it's evil capitalist cultural imperialism! AAAAGH HOW TO REACT?!?!

Yeah, and Ikea's founder is a Nazi, too!!!

spudnuts,
relax, man.
posted by matteo at 3:55 AM on September 25, 2002

consume.
posted by crunchland at 5:07 AM on September 25, 2002

t r a c y - i thought that was my sofa in the lamp lady's apt. except my sofa has been used as a scratching post.

poor little red lamp. i've been there little buddy.
posted by birdherder at 5:51 AM on September 25, 2002

I second Jaded, but i also understand if people here don't like ad-related posts. if you feel that ads are not the thing you'd like to post on Mefi, our community place is built for exactly that type of post. [apologies if you don't like the "self" link, but I do buy text ads here too.]

as far as the ad goes, when I watched it, was was busy cringing at "löading" and "unböring". My pet peeve is when people use åäö because they 'look cool'. I read them as letters with specific sounds and it really looks ridiculous to me. ;-)

ten points to matteo - not many people know that.
posted by dabitch at 6:28 AM on September 25, 2002

I just bought a couple of lamps at Ikea. Damn cheap, and pretty good looking too.
posted by laz-e-boy at 7:28 AM on September 25, 2002

I love it. But then, I love a lot of quirky advertising. Most commercials are a waste of time, but I have to appreciate those that put enough thought into advertising to turn it into an art form.

I am right.
posted by LittleMissCranky at 7:53 AM on September 25, 2002

So is this what happens when the Pixar logo gets laid off?
posted by Vidiot at 8:11 AM on September 25, 2002

Slightly off topic... In the Slate article, the author advises in linking to the ad: (if you're at work, mute your computer; the site comes up with music)

I appreciate his thoughtfulness. Maybe I don't read Slate enough, but it seems that this exhibits a communal level of care usually reserved for the message board/blogger set (e.g. "Not work safe"). Or do I need to get out of the house more often?

Also, I loved the ad. He pulled up the melancholia in me in no time flat.
posted by Vek at 8:12 AM on September 25, 2002

I think that was really un-thoughtful of slate. Not the warning about the music - but the advice to deeplink. bad!
posted by dabitch at 8:21 AM on September 25, 2002

Yep. Gotta love an advertising campaign that encourages folks to toss perfectly good items into a landfill just so they can have a new item that matches their cat's water dish. Whatever.
posted by terrapin at 9:00 AM on September 25, 2002

(if you're at work, mute your computer; the site comes up with music)

The problem with this advice is that the ad makes no sense without the sound. Without the music, it's just a lamp.
posted by originalname37 at 9:16 AM on September 25, 2002

LittleMissCranky: Most commercials are a waste of time, but I have to appreciate those that put enough thought into advertising to turn it into an art form.

It's a great commercial, but I think David Foster Wallace said it best:

"[A]n advertisement's primary obligation [...] is to serve the financial interests of its sponsor. Whatever attempts an advertisement makes to interest and appeal to its readers are not, finally, for the reader's benefit. [...] This is the reason why even a really beautiful, ingenious, powerful ad (of which there are a lot) can never be any kind of real art: an ad has no status as a gift, i.e. it's never really for the person it's directed at."

posted by muta at 9:28 AM on September 25, 2002

i thought that was my sofa in the lamp lady's apt. except my sofa has been used as a scratching post.

bwah! mine too. which is why, like the good little ikea shopping drone that i am, i bought 3 alternative slipcovers for it 8-)
posted by t r a c y at 9:56 AM on September 25, 2002

Terrapin... not exactly... that exact same site has a call for folks to send their used goods to Goodwill or the Salvation Army. The ad, however, is not specific... for all we know, that's the pick-up place for the Goodwill.
posted by silusGROK at 10:00 AM on September 25, 2002

the very fact that we're discussing it at all - including the company it was produced for - means the ad is extremely successful.
posted by crunchland at 10:31 AM on September 25, 2002

I love Ikea.
Good on them.
About the only place to get good design for my home at a cheap price.
The other furniture stores are the real thieves. Particle board masterpieces with plastic wood grain sold for $120.
posted by Espoo2 at 11:37 AM on September 25, 2002

Hilarious ad...my g/f was just getting this sad look on her face when the announcer came on. Then she felt tres stupid.
posted by trillion at 12:38 PM on September 25, 2002

muta -- I think that it's a faulty assumption that art has to be "a gift." Most art throughout history has been in the service of something, whether it's a patron, a political standpoint, or a religion. I don't think that the identity of the intended "beneficiary" is necessarily germane to something's status as art.

Most music today is written and produced with the goal of making someone money -- does that disqualify it as art?

(The first person who brings up Britney Spears in response to my last question is getting a kick in the teeth.)
posted by LittleMissCranky at 1:27 PM on September 25, 2002

I felt really sad for the red lamp. Then Ingvar Kamprad comes in and tells me I'm crazy. Then I got angry. Like almost everything else Spike Jonez has done, he makes effective, entralling schlock, then ridicules the audience for liking it. Tres post modern. Tres fucking irritating.

But I like IKEA's philosophy, as well as some of their products- simply made and cleanly designed objects for cheap. Too bad some of their stuff is so poorly made, otherwise I'd be behind them 100%.

But rather than making me want to buy new things from IKEA, this ad makes me want to rescue all the abandoned lamps out there on the street. Yes, Ingvar, I am crazy.
posted by evanizer at 2:00 PM on September 25, 2002

If DFW is right, no art produced for a patron or commission - say the roof of the Sistine chapel - really counts as true art.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 2:31 PM on September 25, 2002

Just out of curiosity, do any of you judge the merit of your post based on how many responses it got? I can't but feel a sense of pride at my 41, though it's low in comparison to some of MeFi's highest.
posted by adrober at 5:10 PM on September 25, 2002

If DFW is right, no art produced for a patron or commission - say the roof of the Sistine chapel - really counts as true art.

Hmm, the Sistine chapel as advertisement for God?

I dunno, maybe there's a difference between paying for a piece of art, and paying for an advert. I mean, an advert has a specific intent (consume! obey!), and maybe that's the key thing (the intent that is, not the possession of intent).

Incidentally, DFW's expression of this idea, doesn't go as far as some.
posted by inpHilltr8r at 5:27 PM on September 25, 2002

It's cool... but at the same time it's evil capitalist cultural imperialism! AAAAGH HOW TO REACT?!?!

Easy: laugh at an ingenious and funny ad (and a good post), then don't buy anything.
posted by frykitty at 5:49 PM on September 25, 2002

Nothing's first comment sums it up for me. I will not buy from companies that put out ads that are insulting to my intelligence (or lack thereof.) On the other hand, I don't always buy from the good ads, but I can and do appreciate them, even if just for the entertainment value.

BTW...have you seen the side of a Budget Rental Truck lately? (Click on the toy truck offer for a closer look.)
posted by jaronson at 5:56 PM on September 25, 2002