IKEA - Kitchen Squad

IKEA may be synonymous with bookcases and meatballs, but it is less well-known for its kitchens.

While competitors with bigger adspends use pictures of 'perfect' kitchens being showcased by actors, IKEA wanted to show kitchens that belong to real people.

The 'Kitchen Squad' campaign comprised a trio of ads that ran across consecutive ad breaks on Channel 4, showing IKEA's makeover team surprising people by ripping out their old kitchen and installing a new one. Two additional storylines will be broadcast soon.

The ads, created by Beattie McGuinness Bungay, featured two unsuspecting families who were nominated by friends.

'It is a campaign we are proud of. We have approached the category with honesty and integrity in mind. That is why we have used real employees. It is not advertising that is beautiful and soulless: it is affordable kitchens for real people.'

IKEA came top of a shortlist of ads broadcast in January and February, and voted on by members of Thinkbox's Creative Academy of ad industry experts.

The judges were enthusiastic in their praise. Nick Darken, of Albion, said: 'It is great to see IKEA using TV in a different and engaging way.' Dominic Chambers, of LG, added: 'The ads are funny and emotional and shot in a way that makes them entertaining.'

Visa's 'Football Evolution', charting a fan's journey to the World Cup, was runner-up; third place went to dairy brand Cravendale's latest humorous execution, 'Time Fridge'.

It is not advertising that is beautiful and soulless: it is affordable kitchens for real people.

Geraldine Stewart
Head of External Communications
IKEA

• Client Geraldine Stewart, head of external communications, IKEA
• Brief To make IKEA synonymous with kitchens
• Ad Agency Beattie McGuinness Bungay
• Creative Team Laurie Smith, Steve Robertson, Simon Bere
• Production Monkey Kingdom
• Director Ben Caron

Other ads on the podium

Visa - Football Evolution

Visa's latest campaign promotes its sponsorship of this summer's Fifa World Cup in South Africa while also continuing the theme of its previous "running man" creative work. To a sountrack of Isla de Encanta by The Pixies, the film shows the journey of an overweight man, first seen watching football in his living room. Inspired, he gets up from the sofa and sprints continuously from his house, down the high street and across Europe and Africa, to reach South Africa in time to play in a World Cup game. As he runs, buying items using his contactless Visa card, he slowly loses weight, until he finally arrives at the game, runs on to the pitch and scores a goal. The brief was to develop a fun and impactful way to drive customer engagement with the brand, as well as showing how Visa can help people overcome barriers and get one step closer to making their dreams a reality.

Cravendale - Time Fridge

Cravendale's stop-motion animated plastic figurines are back in action in a new spot produced by the Belgian Pic Pic André animation team - Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar. To promote the fact that Cravendale milk stays fresher for longer, the cyclist, the pirate and the cow are transported back to the past thanks to their fridge, which, when hit by lightning, fuses with the kitchen clock, becoming a time machine. First, they're catapulted back to ancient Egypt where they make Cleopatra's wishes come true by filling her bath with Cravendale. They then find themselves in the time of myth and legend where they're called upon to dowse the flames of a fire-breathing dragon by pouring more of their milk down its throat. The ad continues the company's focus on Cravendale's long-life properties. As the pay-off puts it, Cravendale is "purer so it stays fresher longer".

Also shortlisted for January/February 2010

Renault Twingo - Dad

This latest ad in Renault's "modern times" series for the Twingo features another surprising take on family life. The previous film in this campaign had a mother seeing a poster advertising her daughter's starring role in a risqué nightclub act - and the mother merely asks why the daughter hasn't told her she's found a job. This execution features a young man driving a Twingo through a night-time cityscape with his friends. They come across a group of drag queens at the entrance of a club. Upon closer inspection, the guy recognises his dad dressed as one of the women - but instead of being shocked, he shouts: "Hey, Dad... Can you get us in?" Its soundtrack, as with the previous execution, is the catchy Whistle by the French drum and bass duo Sporto Kantes. The brief was to make the range sexier and make the brand appealing to a younger target audience while reaffirming Renault's return to a focus on driving pleasure.