In the advert, created by Rethink Canada, a young boy used Ikea furnishings to improve the home of an unhappy troll who has the misfortune of living under a bridge.
At the beginning of the two-minute video, the 8-foot troll is glum; he grumpily collects tolls from the local towns folk.
After his young human friend brightens up his home with an Ikea LED lamp, however, his mood improves and he stops collecting tolls from local drivers which makes them happy too.
At the end of the video we’re told “When home feels happy, you do too.”
The video was directed by Australian Nick Ball, with a troll created by Czech puppet maker Martin Peck and given life through animatronics and CGI.
Muse by Clio said ‘”The Troll” offers an engaging brand fairy tale in keeping with past Ikea Canada efforts. These include a “Stuff Monster” epic, this sweet tale of home with an Elton John soundtrack, and of course, 2018’s lauded sustainability pitch starring the most famous ad-lamp of all’.
Ikea Canada’s client marketing lead Johanna Andren told Muse “Through this little fable, we show how anyone’s home can become a source of happiness and wellbeing, with a little attention and smart touches from Ikea, of course,”
“The state of our homes can impact the way we feel. To show how anyone’s home can be transformed, we landed on the folklore of a grumpy, lonely troll and it allowed us to build the drama from dark to light, lonely to friendly, grumpy to happy. The troll was also something more unexpected to help the creative break through.”
“The build is deliberate and cinematic to pique interest, and the musical score is key to tying the whole production together,” Andren says. “The dramatic music building up from dark and slightly scary to happier in the end is a strong component.”
Cutdowns of various lengths will run across TV, digital and social channels in Canada and Australia. The compositing is seamless throughout.
