You know how to say “consistent” in Swedish? Ikea and Åkestam Holst. Okay, not a straight translation (it’s actually konsekvent) but the insanely creative run of kooky and just plain awesome work the furniture giant and Stockholm-based agency has churned out over the last year or so is impressive. From Game of Thrones rugs and fashion-forward blue bags, to human catalogs and emotionally engaging ads, they’ve run the gamut. Now this week they launched an ad that requires you to pee on it. A crib ad that’s also a pregnancy test, in which the price changes to 50% if the result is positive? Oh, baby. Onward!
Ikea “Pee Ad”
What: An Ikea print ad for cribs that’s also a pregnancy test.
Who: Ikea, Åkestam Holst
Why we care: Developed with Mercene Labs, the ad is just the latest example of Ikea playing with media platforms–see their edible cookbook or their instructions to turn a rug into a coat fit for the Night’s Watch.
Kenzo “Yo! My Saint”
https://youtu.be/p3CjIDcAePM
What: A new short film from Kenzo, in support of its spring/summer 2018 collection, features original music from Karen O.
Who: Kenzo, director Ana Lily Amirpour, Karen O
Why we care: Kenzo creative directors (and Fast Company‘s Most Creative People honorees) Carol Lim and Humberto Leon are at it again, with a mesmerizing mix of visuals and music. Not as unexpected as Spike Jonze’s batsh*t awesome dance or Carrie Brownstein’s social media culture commentary, the film stars Jessica Henwick (Game of Thrones, Iron Fist, Star Wars) and musician Alex Zhang Hungtai (Dirty Beaches, Love Theme), and really, it’s just a trippy cool ode to creativity.
Wealthsimple “Aubrey Plaza: Money Diaries”
What: A new round of Errol Morris-helmed money diaries, this time mixing regular folks with celebrities like Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass, Bryan Tyree Henry, and Alex Karpovsky.
Who: Wealthsimple
Why we care: I’ve been a fan of this campaign, and Wealthsimple’s overall brand vibe, for a while, and here we have another series of spots that aim to bring some real talk to money management. It’s nice to hear that Plaza, Henry, Duplass, and Karpovsky seem just as confused, thoughtful, and curious about money as the rest of us.
Volvo “The Goldman Brothers: Call My Name”
What: A new music video for The Goldman Brothers that also just happens to be an ad for Volvo’s V40 model.
Who: Volvo, director Tal Zagreba
Why we care: Another interesting example of a brand testing the waters of collaboration in the name of finding ways to get a marketing message into content people actually want to watch. It’s a delicate dance. If I watched this video as a Goldman Brothers fan, I may not have even noticed the car. After I knew it was funded by Volvo, it all started to look like an elaborate car ad. But the fact it’s fun, isn’t offensively commercial, and isn’t trying to beat us over the head with a Volvo-branded two-by-four is worthy of praise.
Adidas Originals “EQT Support 93/Berlin”
Who: Adidas Originals, Jung Von Matt
Why we care: Best transit pass ever.
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