Decades of luring people with shiny new things has made the word, frugal, an outcast – a miserable term for an undesirable attribute. But people buying and discarding shiny new things is not sustainable living, nor is the practice sustainable. The world is already choking with the crap people leave wherever they want to.

Ikea and Mother are reframing frugal with their campaign, Fortune Favours the Frugal, highlighting the benefits of being thrifty and sustainable for both people and the planet alike. And because a traditional threatening campaign is not the style of either company, the campaign film delivers its message with a sense of fun.

The campaign will appear in broadcast TVC in 60- and 20-second versions), cinema (60-seconds) and digital media across the UK and Ireland from January 2021, supported by OOH, and across a cluster of Ikea markets, including the US and Netherlands, during the year.

The OOH executions aim to bring to life the small acts that make a big difference. Refillable bottles, recyclable straws, homegrown herbs and energy-saving LED lights juxtaposed against epic scenes of the natural world serve to bring the long-term effects on the environment – and how to counter them – to life. The campaign is supported by PR, CRM and content created for Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and Pinterest.  

Kemi Anthony, marketing communications manager at Ikea, commented, “As a business, Ikea has a made clear commitment to help protect our planet from the effects of climate change, reducing our greenhouse gas emissions and designing all products to be reused, refurbished, remanufactured and recycled.

“In the last year alone we have introduced a new, plant-based alternative to our iconic meatball, which has just 4% of the classic meatball’s carbon footprint; and we announced that we’re removing all non-alkaline batteries from our range, encouraging customers to use rechargeable ones instead. What’s more, early in January 2021 we will be launching Buy Back – an initiative that will see our stores buy back unwanted IKEA furniture from customers in return for a voucher to spend when they really need something.

“Fortune Favours the Frugal encapsulates Ikea’s commitment to continue to adapt the business and inspire people to think differently about the benefits of living a life of moderation over a life of excess. Small acts now will make a huge difference in years to come.”

The campaign is fully supported across paid and earned channels by PR, CRM and bespoke content created for Instagram, Youtube, Facebook and Pinterest.

Credits:

Agency: Mother

Production Company: MJZ
Director: Tom Kuntz
Producer: Shirley O’Connor
Production Manager: Daniel Gay
Production Designer: Jahmin Assa
Director of Photography: Daniel Landin
Editing: Russell Icke at the Whitehouse
Music Supervision: John Connon @ Mr Pape
Sound: Sam Ashwell @ 750mph
Post: Electric Theatre Collective
VFX: Electric Theatre Collective
Producer: Magda Krimitsou
Coordinator: Larisa Covaciu
Creative Director: James Sindle
2D Lead: James Belch 
3D Lead: Tushar Kewlani
2D Artists: CJ Gaikwad, Ludvig Hallenius, Ralph Briscoe, Tomer Epshtein & Lino Khay (DMP)
3D Artists: Ryan Maddox, Tobin Brett, Patrick Krafft, Gareth Bell, George Savvas, Jordan Dunstall, Oliver Metz, Greg McKneally, Fabrice Fiteni, Chago Bunton- Cole, Luis Fos, Platon Filipov & Nikolai Maderthoner
Colourist: Luke Morrison