Last week, for reasons we have yet to unravel, when we turned our computers on we received the British versions of Google and YouTube. Perhaps it had something to do with our guests from London the week before, or perhaps it was merely a coincidence. Either way, we were impressed and amused with the brilliance of the Ikea adverts that we have not seen in the United States. So tickled, in fact, that I feel compelled to share my favorite with you.
It isn't high art and it won't induce me to buy a mattress, but I paused, I watched, and I wrote about it when I would normally ignore the adverts and go into the kitchen to rummage for cookies or cracker peanuts.
Very pretty, even though I have butterflies in my stomach from the thought of free falling through the sky. It seems that in the US we put all our best eggs in one basket--the Super Bow--l and then forget the rest of the year.
ReplyDeleteI was captivated by this commercial and watched it twice. Now I'll have to check out YouTube for other IKEA ads. Do you know the source of the words of the ad ?
ReplyDeleteBTW, totally agree with Dewena about the SB.
The quote in the ad is Prospero's from the IV Act of The Tempest. There is a lovely version of the play on DVD with the part of Prospero being played by Helen Mirren.
DeleteAnother favorite Ikea ad I saw was one with a flock of T-shirts being portrayed as birds. It too, feels like a snippet of poetry.
fascinating! enjoyed the speaking ... sounded almost like judi dench ...
ReplyDeleterather more than the free falling ... though found it to be very beautiful overall.
so much more appealing than our in-your-face frantic loud highly fast pitched ads for everything.
The speaker in the ad is Prunella Scales, an English actress best known for her role as Basil Fawlty's wife in the popular British sitcom "Fawlty Towers".
DeleteI think that Shakespeare always sounds better with a British accent rather than an American one. I cringe when Keanu Reeves begins to speak in "Much Ado About Nothing", a film version of the play incorporating both British and American actors. Michael Keaton is the only exception I can think of.
I love IKEA and visit one of their stores about twice a year...just for the fresh displays done in multiples...so simple, so smart. Enjoyed this ad, thanks! I'd be claustrophobic in their tiny space housing but find their storage ideas so helpful...for Americans with all their STUFF!
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