Tobias Granström & King: Clas Ohlson – and the power of wonderful storytelling – make you want to repair more

Something very unhealthy happened to everyday life after our grandparents’ generation – everything became disposable. “Use it, break it, throw it out, buy a new one” is not how life was until late in the twentieth century and the environment is already paying the greatest price of the new century’s change.

Swedish home improvement retail chain, Clas Ohlson, is hoping to encourage people to repair instead of throwing away because it is better for both the environment and everyone’s wallets. Its message is that things are there to be used, over and over again and agency, King, has used a doll owned by a child “demolition machine” to make that message very, very appealing. Bleck Film director, Tobias Granström, has infused the film with a wonderful dash of humour and an abundance of heart, and both of which are underlined by the song, The Glory of Love, originally written by Billy Hill and recorded in 1936 by Benny Goodman. Granström also edited the film.

The campaign also launches a new product for the chain, the first repair kit. The kit is full of smart things to have when the accident occurs, such as different types of glue, tape, nails, gaskets and repair plasters. It is supported in print, where old repaired faithful servants are highlighted as something worth celebrating.

Clas Ohlson’s focus on sustainability began in earnest early this year, with a campaign called Give a little love to what you have. The new campaign is running in all of Clas Ohlson’s markets – Sweden, Norway and Finland.