Cats sold seperately.

September 9, 2010 3:02 PM

Ikea ads switch from guerrillas to cats. Ikeafilter “Herding Cats” is an experiment by IKEA UK where they released 100 cats inside their Wembley store at night. The finished commercial.
posted by Fizz (131 comments total)

This is terrible. Ikea ads should make you feel bad for the furniture.
posted by thewittyname at 3:09 PM on September 9, 2010 [1 favorite]

What a surreal concept. I'm glad they had a high-speed camera on hand, that makes it all come together.
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 3:09 PM on September 9, 2010 [1 favorite]

Related.
posted by Behemoth at 3:12 PM on September 9, 2010

Is the outtakes real full of cats chewing power cords and getting stuck in the drawer organziers?
posted by Slack-a-gogo at 3:13 PM on September 9, 2010 [4 favorites]

Happy Inside is a genius tagline. Some of those cats were pretty haggard though.
posted by peep at 3:14 PM on September 9, 2010

They really should have held this ad until prop 19 passed in California. Cause I predict it will e a huge hit in the stoned at home searching tv and vaguely disatisfied with my second hand sofa set.
posted by humanfont at 3:16 PM on September 9, 2010 [2 favorites]

I just wish I could get the commercial to load. Is there another link to it hosted somewhere else?
posted by MegoSteve at 3:16 PM on September 9, 2010

What the commercial doesn't show is that when they gathered the cats up in the morning they'd all picked up an extra package of tea lights, some coat hangers and a three-pack of picture frames, none of which were on their lists.
posted by The Card Cheat at 3:17 PM on September 9, 2010 [98 favorites]

"Chris Brown, animal handler"

You'll need one of those.

"Roz Hamilton, cat owner"
"Jason Lombard-Jordan, cat owner"
"Margaret Lombard, cat owner"

Sure, Probably need, oh, about a hundred or so of those.

"Tim & Freddy, creative team"

OH YOU INSUFFERABLE AD AGENCY DOUCHEBAGS YOU CAN FUCK RIGHT OFF. "TIM & FREDDY" INDEED.
posted by dersins at 3:21 PM on September 9, 2010 [26 favorites]

Given that awful "making of" video, I'm a bit surprised to see that the commercial turned out as well as it did.
posted by briank at 3:23 PM on September 9, 2010 [2 favorites]

The finished ad only confirms my gut feeling about Ikea: that walking through one of their stores would only be tolerable in the dead of night when no other humans are to be seen.
posted by Elsa at 3:26 PM on September 9, 2010 [6 favorites]

What, no shots of the cats puking? There had to be puking. Had to be. These are cats we're talking about here.
posted by cropshy at 3:26 PM on September 9, 2010 [28 favorites]

Man, people that work at ad agencies can't get a break around here.
posted by josher71 at 3:27 PM on September 9, 2010 [3 favorites]

they seem to have not included a single black and white cat.
posted by Maias at 3:28 PM on September 9, 2010 [4 favorites]

Ad Agency Guy 1: "I am fresh out of ideas. What the hell are we going to do? It's just furniture."
Ad Agency Guy 2: "I know. Plus, we'll never beat that incredible ad with the sad lamp. Shit."
Ad Agency Guy 1: "Shit."
[Long pause.]
Ad Agency Guy 1: "I guess we could . . . no, that sucks."
Ad Agency Guy 2: "Wait! I know! We could . . . no, no. That's been done."
[Long pause. Agency cat wanders in.]
Ad Agency Guys 1 & 2: "YOU'RE A KITTY!"
posted by The Bellman at 3:29 PM on September 9, 2010 [28 favorites]

I'm trying to imagine the pitch. Do you think it was literally just one word on a single sheet of paper?

"KITTIES"
posted by The Whelk at 3:29 PM on September 9, 2010 [14 favorites]

The ad was very pretty and well-done, but I felt very sorry for the cats. Great, take a hundred cats that don't know each other and dump them into a strange location, disrupting their schedule, so they're little balls of stress. Poor kitties!
posted by immlass at 3:31 PM on September 9, 2010 [8 favorites]

heheh kitties are cute.
posted by 1000monkeys at 3:32 PM on September 9, 2010 [1 favorite]

I'm trying to imagine the pitch. Do you think it was literally just one word on a single sheet of paper?

"KITTIES"

It was a collective exclamation at the same time. One of those "I got it!" movements. Only with kittens.
posted by Fizz at 3:32 PM on September 9, 2010

does IKEA sell litter boxes, imagine the line waiting to use the litter box. longer than the line waiting to use the ladies room at a professional ball game's stadium.
posted by tustinrick at 3:33 PM on September 9, 2010

They probably just went in the ball pit.
posted by Artw at 3:34 PM on September 9, 2010 [4 favorites]

Golgafrincham B Ark
posted by run"monty at 3:35 PM on September 9, 2010 [5 favorites]

"Meow, meowr, meowrr, meow, rowr, meowwwr, meooow, rowwwwr."

Translation from Cat:

"What the fuck does VARMT mean? How am I supposed to pronounce HATLVIG?"
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 3:35 PM on September 9, 2010 [27 favorites]

Now at least 4 members of my family are allergic to Ikea.
posted by Cranberry at 3:37 PM on September 9, 2010

Great, take a hundred cats that don't know each other and dump them into a strange location, disrupting their schedule, so they're little balls of stress.

To be fair, one of my cats would love this, one would disappear under a bed and never be seen again, and one would find the largest cat she could, murder it, and then go find a couch to piss on.
posted by coolguymichael at 3:37 PM on September 9, 2010 [18 favorites]

Something something Peggy Olson was on a deadline and reeeeallly stoned something.
posted by The Whelk at 3:38 PM on September 9, 2010 [12 favorites]

Hundreds of cats. Thousands of cats. Millions and billions and trillions of cats.
posted by Artw at 3:39 PM on September 9, 2010 [9 favorites]

Ikea's previous guerrilla marketing of metro stations and commuter rail cars.
posted by filthy light thief at 3:40 PM on September 9, 2010 [1 favorite]

Cool Papa Bell - Surely Varmt and Hatlvig are the kinds of words that cats say anyway, admittedly just before they're about ruin your carpet with something semi-digested.
posted by Grangousier at 3:42 PM on September 9, 2010 [32 favorites]

“Herding Cats” is an experiment by IKEA UK...

Musn't forget the EDS 'Super Bowl 2000' commercial (by Fallon McElligott): 'Herding Cats.'
posted by ericb at 3:42 PM on September 9, 2010 [5 favorites]

I feel bad for the cats.
posted by rtha at 3:42 PM on September 9, 2010

The kitties were just paid off by Ikea, with the guarantee that appearing cute and pretending to look comfortable on klippans and hemnes is all a lie to get the humans to purchase some cheap furniture, and to bring them some sweet, sweet cardboard boxes.
posted by raztaj at 3:44 PM on September 9, 2010 [16 favorites]

My cat would freak the fuck out, climb into the nearest hole and never be seen again. She gets nervous when she leaves my bedroom, never mind dumped in a furniture shop with 99 other furry balls of terror. The phrase "scaredy cat" was coined specifically for my cat.
posted by afx237vi at 3:45 PM on September 9, 2010 [2 favorites]

I HAZ A CHEEP SCANDINAVIAN BUK SHELF
posted by 1000monkeys at 3:48 PM on September 9, 2010 [23 favorites]

I have this theory that there's a tipping point, which could be scientifically determined, where a multitude of cute things ceases to be cute and becomes creepy. 100 cats in an entire Ikea doesn't come close...but maybe 200 cats in the ball pit?

I'll take my grant now, KTHX.
posted by JoanArkham at 3:57 PM on September 9, 2010 [2 favorites]

Psh. Cat party. They stole that idea from Devo.
posted by limeonaire at 3:58 PM on September 9, 2010 [2 favorites]

I CAN HAZ SWEEDISH MEETBALS?
posted by oneswellfoop at 3:59 PM on September 9, 2010 [9 favorites]

I have to admit I liked this. It was soothing.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 4:09 PM on September 9, 2010

Worked on me. Half way through the ad i turned and said "we haven't been to ikea in over a year, we should go."

All of you are too cynical about advertising, Ikea, and cats. Bullocks to you I say. :P

(in a playful way).
posted by djduckie at 4:09 PM on September 9, 2010

Yes, some cats would find this frightening, and some cats would find all the new places and things to explore exciting. Presumably cat owners have some awareness of which category their cat falls into and take that into account when deciding if they should bring their cat to an Ikea furniture shoot.
posted by JiBB at 4:09 PM on September 9, 2010 [5 favorites]

Is the oh-so-subtle implication that if you get Ikea furniture, you'll attract a lot of pussy? I don't buy it.
posted by Hylas at 4:13 PM on September 9, 2010 [2 favorites]

My eighteen month old daughter would like to point out that this is the GREATEST COMMERCIAL EVAR!! Cats sure are entertaiing.
posted by Go Banana at 4:17 PM on September 9, 2010 [6 favorites]

heheh kitties are cute.
posted by 1000monkeys at 3:32 PM on September 9 [+] [!]


Now if they'd only try this with 1000 monkeys...
posted by ennui.bz at 4:19 PM on September 9, 2010 [2 favorites]

This is one of the strangest ads I've seen in some time.I have no idea how those people got all their cats in that store, or why.
posted by louche mustachio at 4:25 PM on September 9, 2010 [36 favorites]

> I feel bad for the cats.

True, at least some of the cats probably didn't like the situation.

Which is too bad, as I find it very cute.

I actually wonder more about the health of the ad guys-- the concept has such a grandiose, "Pull Only in Case of Emergency" quality to it that I wonder if it was taken from a private "Things to Do Before I Die" list, and that the next entry has something to do with robbing a bank and going down like Bonnie and Clyde.
posted by darth_tedious at 4:26 PM on September 9, 2010 [5 favorites]

Ok, any of y'all hating on this can suck it. The shot at ~ 0:44 of the kitties hanging out in the bin full of stuff animals is adorable.
posted by juv3nal at 4:33 PM on September 9, 2010 [7 favorites]

"I guess we thought, well, let's do an experiment: let's, let's take a hundred cats, release them in IKEA, let's actually do it, for real, at night when the store's closed, and, and let's see what happens."

What, they went into this without a hypothesis? That is not good science.
posted by JHarris at 4:38 PM on September 9, 2010 [3 favorites]

Is there a discount for the furniture that now smells like cat pee?

It was sort of cute, but not all that compelling -- though it is clearly good marketing, since we are talking about it here.
posted by Forktine at 4:41 PM on September 9, 2010 [1 favorite]

Waitaminnit! These aren't SWEDISH MEATBALLS!
posted by Ron Thanagar at 4:50 PM on September 9, 2010 [1 favorite]

Translation from Cat: "What the fuck does VARMT mean?

Oh, come on! They know what that means: VARMINT-- as in "MOUSIE I GETZ TO HUNT DOWN AND DRAG BACK TO HUMAN OWNER.

What cats hear!
posted by ericb at 4:51 PM on September 9, 2010 [3 favorites]

I wonder if Ikea's next piece of furniture will be the "Huh-guk huh-guk huh-GUK huh-BLARF"?
posted by Dipsomaniac at 5:09 PM on September 9, 2010 [5 favorites]

The IKEA in MN has these Big Ass Fans in them. I find that funny.
posted by cjorgensen at 5:11 PM on September 9, 2010

They got their ROI on that last frame. That cat in the covers owned it.
posted by iamkimiam at 5:16 PM on September 9, 2010 [9 favorites]

I particularly liked how they went to a lot of trouble putting up plastic barriers so the cats couldn't escape. Then the cats got up on the grid of suspended lighting and walked right over the barriers. That's why they call it a catwalk, I suppose.
posted by charlie don't surf at 5:22 PM on September 9, 2010 [2 favorites]

yeah, i felt a little bad for the cats in the "making of" video. but i liked the finished commercial.
posted by janepanic at 5:24 PM on September 9, 2010

The IKEA in MN has these Big Ass Fans in them. I find that funny.

cjorgensen - every time I visit I stand in the middle of the aisle and stare. just stare at the big ass fans as they slowly spin with their terrible blades.
posted by Think_Long at 5:27 PM on September 9, 2010 [1 favorite]

Sounds like this is just me but I thought that was genius. Cute kitties humanise a store that otherwise reeks of yuppy alienation and/or perennial exasperation, provide spontaneous curiosity and grace, give you a good excuse to shorten the focal length and turn a repetitive shelf display into a yummy wall of abstract glow, and finish on a shot of something actually enjoying an IKEA bed.

I know you're all trying your hardest to out eye roll each other over the vapidity of advertising - well done you men and women of staunch and sensible consumption - but I suspect this is a rather good ad and better than that, it works.
posted by doobiedoo at 5:29 PM on September 9, 2010 [10 favorites]

I just wish I could get the commercial to load. Is there another link to it hosted somewhere else?

It wouldn't load for me until I disabled Adblock on that page.
posted by oneirodynia at 5:35 PM on September 9, 2010

Can someone point me to the SNJIFFLR tissues and the ACHJÖÖ antihistamines? Are they in the checkout aisle next to the frozen meatballs?
posted by oinopaponton at 5:43 PM on September 9, 2010 [5 favorites]

I went to an IKEA once. I staggered out of a fire exit after ten minutes. I was weeping and shaking uncontrollably for I had seen a hell beyond the most fevered scriptural imaginings. I had seen a veritable Gehenna of yuppies and yummy mummies; of frazzled daddies with pattern baldness and unfortunate shirts; of horrible, horrible, shrieking bastard-eyed children; of outsize trolleys wheeled miserably along an endless grey pathway that meandered with cunning purpose through oh-so-artfully placed items of blandly functional furniture and multi-tiered walls of tidily-cut construction materials. I staggered through dead avenues of tidy consumerism and sheer unecessariness. My mind reeled in shocked revolt at the sight of the corpse-faced supplicants in this soaring temple of soulless domestic objects; this grim, Pavlovian parade of zombie acquisition. Even the presence of a thousand, nay, ten thousand cute felines could not have assuaged the infinite black spiritual terror of the experience.

Still, I found a pub and a couple of beers saw me right.
posted by Decani at 5:45 PM on September 9, 2010 [7 favorites]

God cannot spare you the indecency of furnishing on a budget, but ikea helps.
posted by doobiedoo at 5:55 PM on September 9, 2010 [2 favorites]

I don't know how it made me feel about Ikea but right now both of my cats are like "why are you cuddling with us? Put us down, we're dignified beasts, stop rubbing our bellies!"

I'm picturing all of the little children who now will dig through the stuffed animal bins hoping to find one of the kittens and being sad to end up with a felt hedgehog instead.
posted by librarianamy at 6:09 PM on September 9, 2010 [1 favorite]

I'm in ur Ikea, peeing in ur nightstandz.
posted by azpenguin at 6:13 PM on September 9, 2010 [2 favorites]

Yes, decani, those poor bastards, how dare they make you realize that for a lot of people, the life you end up in isn't always the life you wanted to lead. Sorry for your momentary inconvenience.

On the other hand, compared to other furniture stores in Japan, Ikea is not only cheaper, but a lot of times has things more designed for actually usefullness. My kitchen cabinets cost probably $3000 less than going to a Japanese design center would have cost, and I got to buy exactly what I wanted. Yes, I had to put up with other people (the horror), but with what we saved (on the dressers, the sofa, the kitchen) we've been able to do a lot more with the house. (Although trust me, the stores in Japan are more crowded, and the brats have freer reign)

As for the video, it was adorable. I just wonder about how they cleaned up after. I imagine there'd be complaints from alergy sufferers. For me, though, the cat in the lampshade was the best.
posted by Ghidorah at 6:13 PM on September 9, 2010 [3 favorites]

My mind reeled in shocked revolt at the sight of the corpse-faced supplicants in this soaring temple of soulless domestic objects; this grim, Pavlovian parade of zombie acquisition. Even the presence of a thousand, nay, ten thousand cute felines could not have assuaged the infinite black spiritual terror of the experience.

Wow, your IKEA really sucks.
Did you have some meatballs and jam at least?
posted by madajb at 6:14 PM on September 9, 2010 [3 favorites]

My cat just hauled his big furry ass out of the Ikea crib we have for the toddler and is now taking a bath next to my wife's desk. Not quite as picturesque.
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 6:15 PM on September 9, 2010

Right, not sure about the whole commercial, but the sleepy cats at the end was gold.

Also, I too was concerned about folks with allergies going into the store the next day. Maybe they groomed first, but, still...
posted by cavalier at 6:24 PM on September 9, 2010 [1 favorite]

I know you're all trying your hardest to out eye roll each other over the vapidity of advertising - well done you men and women of staunch and sensible consumption - but I suspect this is a rather good ad and better than that, it works.

I don't doubt that it does work. Not on me, and not because I'm in any way sophisticated or clever, and not because I don't like stuff or am insusceptible to commercial manipulation, but only because it caused me to think in short order:
- KITTIES!
- Ooooooh, an Ikea at midnight. That sounds deserted and delightful.
- Yeesh, I hate wading through crowds of people.
- Ikea is always full of people. Horrible, horrible people exactly like me.
- PHEW, good thing I needn't go to an Ikea anytime soon! FREEDOM!

Not exactly what the advertisers were going for, is it?
posted by Elsa at 6:24 PM on September 9, 2010 [1 favorite]

INVISIBLE GODMORGON
posted by Dr. Zira at 6:28 PM on September 9, 2010 [1 favorite]

I've never had a problem with the Frisco, TX Ikea being overly crowded. There are always plenty of people there, yes, but it's never prevented me from being able to look at the items I was interested in, or from sitting down in one of the fake living rooms with my friends and chilling out while the rest of the world bustles around us. And in a world where my furnishings options are essentially limited by budget to the levels of Walmarts or Goodwills, it's nice to have an option for always-available (not just when luck is on my side in the donation bin) and actually attractive (not hideously cheap-looking & sold by Walmart) furnishings of my choice.

Also I like that Ikea stuff tends to come in bright and unexpected colours, which goes far better with my decorating ideas than the crap poorly-done fake oak laminate shit at Walmart.

Re: the ad: I watched the "making of" first, because it was linked first, and spent the entire time not understanding why they bothered doing this. The language in the "herding cats" video never actually says they're filming a commercial, so while I figured that they MUST have made a commercial out of it, I was still just intensely confused about WHY this guy had this experiment about cats in an Ikea...
posted by titus n. owl at 6:29 PM on September 9, 2010 [1 favorite]

best part of the making-of video

RRRRRRRRRRRRIP! hee hee
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 6:42 PM on September 9, 2010

really stupid idea, and what a crap result- blatantly manipulative, cloying and uncomfortable. and that's coming from someone who totally LURVS the KITTEHS.
posted by lapolla at 6:54 PM on September 9, 2010

I went to an IKEA once. I staggered out of a fire exit after ten minutes. I was weeping and shaking uncontrollably for I had seen a hell beyond the most fevered scriptural imaginings. I had seen a veritable Gehenna of yuppies and yummy mummies; of frazzled daddies with pattern baldness and unfortunate shirts; of horrible, horrible, shrieking bastard-eyed children; of outsize trolleys wheeled miserably along an endless grey pathway that meandered with cunning purpose through oh-so-artfully placed items of blandly functional furniture and multi-tiered walls of tidily-cut construction materials. I staggered through dead avenues of tidy consumerism and sheer unecessariness. My mind reeled in shocked revolt at the sight of the corpse-faced supplicants in this soaring temple of soulless domestic objects; this grim, Pavlovian parade of zombie acquisition. Even the presence of a thousand, nay, ten thousand cute felines could not have assuaged the infinite black spiritual terror of the experience.

You know we don't have a Purplest Prose award right? You also don't win anything for being the Most Too Cool for School. IKEA's pretty easy to hate, but it is a useful place for a lot of people, and no one, and I mean NO ONE, is impressed with you.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 6:58 PM on September 9, 2010 [13 favorites]

I know you're all trying your hardest to out eye roll each other over the vapidity of advertising - well done you men and women of staunch and sensible consumption - but I suspect this is a rather good ad and better than that, it works.

I suspect it works, too, since it's going to be rebroadcasted here and on every other social network site by members of their staff like maybe Fizz. Because that's what advertisers do. And I'm disappointed that there isn't an ironclad rule at Metafilter that we don't rebroadcast advertising for advertisers and then stand around talking about that advertising. That isn't the best of the web, it's the worst of the web.

What did I think of the ad? I don't click on ads, so I just think it's another fucking ad that I'm glad I don't have to endure.
posted by gum at 7:00 PM on September 9, 2010 [2 favorites]

Right around that bit with the windscreen on the overhead mic, note how all the cat owners are holding their cats -- it's a very cat-show kind of cat holding, vs. a snuggling at home kind. I bet a lot of those cats were prepared for a lot of other cats and a weird new space because they're used to cat shows.
posted by mendel at 7:01 PM on September 9, 2010 [2 favorites]

Jesus. Just imagine if the cats had discovered THIS!
posted by Ron Thanagar at 7:27 PM on September 9, 2010

My eighteen month old daughter would like to point out that this is the GREATEST COMMERCIAL EVAR!! Cats sure are entertaiing.
posted by Go Banana at 4:17 PM on September 9 [4 favorites +] [!]

I just want everyone to know that I read this as "entertailing".
posted by !Jim at 7:32 PM on September 9, 2010

My (recently late) cat was always ABSOLUTELY fascinated whenever you brought him into a new environment. He would never try to hide -- he would always slowly and methodically investigate each and every corner, wall, nook, shelf, piece of furniture, table, room, hallway, architectural molding, and surface with the thoroughness of a CSI detective. Both times I moved with him into a new home, I always watched him very carefully investigave the new digs when I finally brought him in. When he was done with his examination -- which took him about two hours, each time -- he would then saunter into the living room where I sat, jumped up on a chair, and settled in with a nonchalant, "eh, okay, I can work with this" kind of look.

I'm picturing what he would have done in this kind of situation -- I'm picturing all the other cats running around on their own trajectories, but he'd get stuck in the first showroom for an hour, poking his head into all the cupboards and examining the Poannnng chairs like a sommelier or something.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:46 PM on September 9, 2010 [10 favorites]

This reminds me of what I recently read on AfterElton: Does IKEA Score Again With This Bisexual-Themed Ad?
about an ikea ad that runs in germany right now...
posted by ts;dr at 7:59 PM on September 9, 2010 [1 favorite]

Of my three boys - Osiris, god no, he'd hide somewhere and we wouldn't find him for a month. Its his MO in new places. Icarus, god no, he'd freak out and attack the first strange cat that came near him; I mean, he's learned to put up with the other three of us in his house, but his tolerance only goes so far.

Tanis, on the other hand, would probably view that as his version of heaven. I mean, new places to explore! And new friends to meet! And toys to play with! (stop knocking stuff off that counter, its there for a reason...aw...damn, do I have to pay for that?) Plus he's ginger and he photographs beautifully. And I think he knows it.

It is a very cute commercial. And of course its manipulative. Its a commercial. Its what they do.
posted by sandraregina at 8:22 PM on September 9, 2010 [1 favorite]

"These are not specially trained film cats."

There are specially-trained film cats?
posted by schmod at 8:33 PM on September 9, 2010

Oh! And the boxes! How could I forget the boxes. Tanis' favourite thing ever. He'd love to get his claws into Ikea cardboard.
posted by sandraregina at 8:34 PM on September 9, 2010 [1 favorite]

I love cats and this is a cool commercial but I don't really see how it gets me to like Ikea or want to by their stuff. I still like the lonely lamp one.
posted by arse_hat at 8:54 PM on September 9, 2010

I don't know about anyone else, but it made me want to hug my cat.
posted by squeak at 8:55 PM on September 9, 2010 [1 favorite]

So, Ikea smells of cat pee now?
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 8:57 PM on September 9, 2010

Our cat Yorvit is sitting on my partner's lap, watching the video on her laptop. He loves it.
posted by rtha at 8:58 PM on September 9, 2010

Decani:this soaring temple of soulless domestic objects

You see an empty glass, barren, desolate and bereft of nutritive sustenance.
I see an empty glass, hopeful, sanguine and yearning to be filled with delicious delight.

Fill your stuff with your own soul; why would you want anyone else's?
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 9:03 PM on September 9, 2010 [4 favorites]

[i]It is a very cute commercial. And of course its manipulative. Its a commercial. Its what they do.[/i]

But, but, they, ... they included the deliberately artless and authentic "making of" section. How could that be manipulative?
posted by sebastienbailard at 9:07 PM on September 9, 2010

Also: Kitty!
posted by sebastienbailard at 9:14 PM on September 9, 2010

>My (recently late) cat was always ABSOLUTELY fascinated whenever you brought him into a new environment. He would never try to hide -- he would always slowly and methodically investigate each and every corner, wall, nook, shelf, piece of furniture, table, room, hallway, architectural molding, and surface with the thoroughness of a CSI detective.

That's what cats do. My theory is that they are inspecting the perimeter of their territory, to locate any places where intruders like mice could enter.

>Of my three boys - Osiris, god no, he'd hide somewhere and we wouldn't find him for a month.

Aw, you remind me of my now-deceased cat named Kitty. One day Kitty disappeared. I kept searching the house for days, trying to figure out if she was hiding, or if she found a way to get out. After about a week, I opened a linen closet and there she was, laying on the top shelf, giving me that look like, "well, it's about time you let me out of here." She just wandered away like it was no big deal. The week before, I was putting away some towels and she must have snuck in there before I closed the door.
posted by charlie don't surf at 9:17 PM on September 9, 2010 [1 favorite]

Guys, if you don't get that Decani is flying to joke flag, I suggest you stop reading the psychotic tea bagger is psychotic posts.

I've got no evidence, but the "we don't get the difference between humor and angry screeds" thing might be contagious. Just saying.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 9:33 PM on September 9, 2010 [2 favorites]

Hmmph, not even one Token Black Kittie in that commercial.
posted by medeine at 9:42 PM on September 9, 2010 [5 favorites]

rtha: "Our cat Yorvit is sitting on my partner's lap, watching the video on her laptop. He loves it."

I somehow feel that we should record this and upload it so someone could show it to their cat.
posted by gingerbeer at 9:46 PM on September 9, 2010 [2 favorites]

If Nosy could be persuaded to ignore the presence of those other cats, this would be the BOCKS NIRVANA of his dreams. (And all those counter tops to explore!)
posted by Space Kitty at 10:09 PM on September 9, 2010

When the cats can actually assemble flat pack Ikea furniture then, and only then, will I be impressed.
posted by fallingbadgers at 10:19 PM on September 9, 2010

I somehow feel that we should record this and upload it so someone could show it to their cat.

Video metacat. It's what the internet is for.
posted by rtha at 10:23 PM on September 9, 2010

Fun. I can imagine one of my cats really enjoying the opportunity to fur up an entire warehouse's worth of furniture.

I'd like to see their IRB proposal, though.
posted by Kadin2048 at 11:49 PM on September 9, 2010

But everyone laughs at the PÖPPI kids cats.
posted by arcticseal at 12:40 AM on September 10, 2010

I liked this ad at an emotional level. But putting tons of cats in a foreign place together?

That's cruel and stressful.

Tim and Freddy should have gathered 98 other hipsters and made them walk through Croydon at 11.30pm on a Friday night to get to the Ikea branch there.

That would have been no less cruel and stressful, but at least you can pay the hipsters for their suffering.
posted by MuffinMan at 12:56 AM on September 10, 2010

OH YOU INSUFFERABLE AD AGENCY DOUCHEBAGS YOU CAN FUCK RIGHT OFF. "TIM & FREDDY" INDEED. posted by dersins

ahem. you are talking about my friends.
posted by krautland at 2:53 AM on September 10, 2010

The poor cats! But so adorable!
posted by Omnomnom at 2:53 AM on September 10, 2010

Pretty as the advert is, it can't remove from my mind this image of Ikea. Also, the most interesting thing about Ikea for me is their accounting.

I wonder what precautions were taken to protect customers with a cat allergy?
posted by Busy Old Fool at 3:55 AM on September 10, 2010 [1 favorite]

Yes, decani, those poor bastards, how dare they make you realize that for a lot of people, the life you end up in isn't always the life you wanted to lead. Sorry for your momentary inconvenience.


Heavens above; I'm trying, I'm really trying, but if I were to stick my tongue any further into my cheek than I did with that post I'd give myself a sprained tongue and a cheek rupture. Lord a'mighty, was it really that hard to detect the trowelled-on hyperbole and non-serious intent of that post?
posted by Decani at 4:22 AM on September 10, 2010 [2 favorites]

What's with all the white cats at 0:24-0:25? Fucking racists.
posted by frecklefaerie at 4:22 AM on September 10, 2010

Oh sure, they look happy, but wait until they find out they have to trolley and assemble their new furniture. At least they can get scratchable pillows for low prices.
posted by ersatz at 4:23 AM on September 10, 2010

You know we don't have a Purplest Prose award right? You also don't win anything for being the Most Too Cool for School. IKEA's pretty easy to hate, but it is a useful place for a lot of people, and no one, and I mean NO ONE, is impressed with you.

Jeepers, Bulgaroktonos. Even if I try to imagine myself blind to Decani's ironies, I can't quite produce a reading of his comment that would warrant such an utterly mean-spirited response. I suppose you're sticking up for IKEA? Or Family?
posted by nobody at 5:27 AM on September 10, 2010 [2 favorites]

nobody, the technical way of asking that question is: who pissed in your cornflakes?
posted by MuffinMan at 6:22 AM on September 10, 2010 [1 favorite]

"True, at least some of the cats probably didn't like the situation.

Which is too bad, as I find it very cute."

We ask for a letter from a vet confirming any animals (from elephants to katydids) appearing in UK advertising are well-treated and happy. Sad animal = commercial isn't getting on air.
posted by mippy at 6:38 AM on September 10, 2010

I grokked Decani's feelings about IKEA. My rule about going there is that I will only go if we arrive when it opens, and we go straight to whatever it is we're there to buy - this usually means that we skip the maze that takes you through the entire store, and instead we work the place backwards. I have enjoyed the food in their cafe, though. But otherwise? I get the heebiejeebies and start to twitch if we're there for too long and there are too many people there. But I get the same way at Target and Costco.
posted by rtha at 6:39 AM on September 10, 2010 [1 favorite]

Someone should dump 100 cats into this post.
posted by orme at 6:41 AM on September 10, 2010

i am resisting the urge to post ascii cat graphics from here.

i thought the ad was cute. i've only been in an ikea a few times, and not until my 30's, so i think i missed some kind of post-college-needs-furniture imprinting that a lot of people seem to have with their stuff. their kitchenwares are pretty good, and not weirdly expensive.
posted by rmd1023 at 6:58 AM on September 10, 2010

If it has cats, people will look at it. Anyone familiar with Youtube knows this. This ad was inevitable.
posted by Anything at 7:01 AM on September 10, 2010

Ikea good. Fun big store. Other big stores, no fun. Ikea different. At least for me.
posted by serena15221 at 7:31 AM on September 10, 2010 [1 favorite]

Someone should dump 100 cats into this post.

Will this do?
posted by Omnomnom at 7:35 AM on September 10, 2010

Bullocks to you I say.

I just got an idea for a china shop ad.
posted by Sallyfur at 7:39 AM on September 10, 2010

Given the results whenever anyone mentions a shop or a cinema I have to wonder at the average MeFites ability to go out into the outside world.
posted by Artw at 7:50 AM on September 10, 2010 [3 favorites]

Ikea. LOL. In Switzerland, the only choice is Ikea, or OMFG_EXPENSIVE!. I don't like the latter much, and find the former more tolerable than not, and sometimes, even perfect.

I love the commercial. It makes me feel better about shopping at Ikea, and I have to go there tomorrow. See, Ikea sells a cabinet for $300 that would cost me $3000 if I bought it at a normal store. Of course, the $3k version is made of steel, and Ikea's is made of particle board. Either will hold my stuff equally well.

I looked around! To be sure, Ikea rather hides this cabinet (on their website) and it is mis-categorized. So I looked around a lot, and found the USM stuff. When I got the price, I was blown away. Then I found the Ikea item.
posted by Goofyy at 9:06 AM on September 10, 2010

Of course, the $3k version is made of steel, and Ikea's is made of particle board. Either will hold my stuff equally well.

To be fair, the $3000 steel cabinet will hold your stuff, your children's stuff, and your grandchildren's stuff, whereas the $300 Ikea cabinet will hold your stuff for a couple of years until you move it a few times, at which point it will become a wobbly hazard that constantly threatens to murder your cats and / or children by toppling over onto them or just collapsing when they open it.
posted by dersins at 9:30 AM on September 10, 2010

If IKEA wants to prove the quality of their furniture they should get all the HULKs on Twitter FEMINIST HULK, MUSLIM HULK, GRAMMAR HULK, DRUNK HULK, etc, and release them in a store and see what happens :)
posted by liza at 9:51 AM on September 10, 2010

btw, when i saw this

"Chris Brown, animal handler"
posted by dersins at 6:21 PM on September 9

first thought was, "he didn't smack the cats?"
posted by liza at 9:53 AM on September 10, 2010

"I flipped through catalogs and wondered: What kind of kitty cat defines me as a person?"
posted by ErikaB at 10:41 AM on September 10, 2010 [1 favorite]

Actually, dersins, that's bullshit. I have a house full of Ikea, including a desk that has seen 3 continents and 5 countries. The shelves in the living room have 2 continents and 4 countries worth of moving and holding stuff. If you don't have to take it apart, it isn't that bad. (mind, it isn't their cheapest stuff).

The problem stuff is the Lundia, that is older, and has been taken down and rebuilt nearly very move (the last time we got them to keep it together). It's made of soft pine, and it's not likely to last another move.

The steel cabinet isn't going to hold my kids stuff, as there are no kids. I'd far rather spend 3k on something that would be stored in that cabinet, than the stupid cabinet. If there was a cabinet for 1k, I might consider it. And that's the problem I find here, there is nothing I would call middle-priced.
posted by Goofyy at 10:51 AM on September 10, 2010 [1 favorite]

interesting stuff, the only wildlife i've seen in the salt lake city ikea has been the occasional 4 year old.
posted by brycebertola at 11:15 AM on September 10, 2010

Actually, dersins, that's bullshit

Strong words. Strong words which do not at all match my experience with (most) Ikea furniture. It's attractive, but ultimately disposable, as it appears intended to be.
posted by dersins at 11:48 AM on September 10, 2010

Gotta say, it's pretty funny how strongly people feel about IKEA, isn't it?

Which, err, was kinda what I was sending up in my original post. Thanks goodness some people got that.

I have IKEA chairs and curtains, by the way. The chairs are decent but the curtains suck. They let too much light through. I blame all that midnight sun stuff. Who needs thick curtains when it's bleedin' dark all the time?

Oh God, now I'm going to get accused of anti-Scandinavian sentiments. I can just feel it. :-)

See what you people have made me do? Bloody emoticons! GAH!
posted by Decani at 12:19 PM on September 10, 2010

I often have dreams about "lots and lots of cats" and often not being able to figure out which one is the right one. So I was expecting this commercial to be a little surreal for me. But there were too many shots of kitties wandering around by themselves in the dark looking lonely, which just made me sad; especially the shot of the kitty wandering around the warehouse by itself going "WTF?"
And I have to speak up for Ikea. There really is no place else to go for furniture if you just don't have $10,000 to "invest" in it.
posted by amethysts at 6:32 PM on September 10, 2010

Dersins: "Bullshit" isn't a strong word when backed up with direct experience as proof. And I'm not out to defend Ikea, as they annoy me and I blame them for the lack of furniture options that aren't overly expensive. See, Ikea has been in Europe longer than in the States.

It would seem that in today's world, it is difficult to have a middle. Maybe the problem is that the flat-pack stuff works too good for retailers (and manufacturers?) to leave room for something more robust, without going into the high end.

Some things are worth spending more on, from my point of view. Beds and desk chairs, especially. And our home theater seats are leather, and not from Ikea. But I don't find it sensible to spend such a huge amount on a cabinet when I could actually get something fun and useful for the money, and put it in an Ikea cabinet.
posted by Goofyy at 10:47 PM on September 10, 2010

First the ad made me cry. Then this thread made me (not sure how but the correlation was unmistakable) spill coffee all over myself and the table. And then I cleaned it up with my Ikea dish towels.
posted by Salamandrous at 7:20 AM on September 11, 2010 [1 favorite]

First the ad made me cry.

This Nissan Polar Bear ad has gone viral and is making some people cry, as well.
posted by ericb at 7:28 AM on September 11, 2010

This Nissan Polar Bear ad has gone viral and is making some people cry, as well.

Ohhh. That's a whole different kind of crying though. :(
posted by Salamandrous at 8:16 AM on September 11, 2010

They seemed to groom the cats well before hand, and we saw a shot of someone using a steamcleaner or similar on a couch towards the end. This allergic person is mollified.

My IKEA stuff has also got up to 6 moves on it, steady as ever, and my mother-in-law has a number of items from the 60's to 80's that I would never have guessed was from IKEA. So I am pretty pleased in terms of quality.
posted by Iteki at 11:08 AM on September 12, 2010