Another world

Global – Ikea has teamed up with animation studio Dreamworks to promote its new range of toys and games.

• The Swedish furniture giant has recruited one of the world’s most renowned storytellers
• Dreamworks has created a series of 25 films for Ikea’s YouTube channel

The films explore the world of the characters from Ikea’s Lattjo toy range, which also includes games for indoor and outdoor play, music-making and role-playing. The initial trailer reveals a series of archetypal scenarios including a spooky cave, magical forest and action-packed funfair.

The decision to go for a content-driven approach was based on extensive market research of over 30,000 parents and children across 12 countries, and is a far cry from the product-focused ads of the early 80s and 90s.

Ikea found that over half of parents surveyed said that play can include the use of smartphones, tablets, games consoles and computers.

‘You can develop a product, but the whole idea is to make us play more and to create a more playful mindset,’ explains Cindy Andersen, business area manager at Children’s Ikea.