“Budubupbup, I must confess” that I haven’t heard of D Double E before.
However, the foresight of the IKEA marketing team to link with this widely-unknown grime MC for their first-ever Christmas ad was very well thought through.
Coming into the ‘Top of the Shops’ Christmas advert game for the first time must’ve been nervy – especially with many considering the repetitive campaigns to be struggling in recent years. Enter stage right, our favourite Swedish flatpackers with a fresh take.
Check out the advert here:
Grime, and its influence, has been a growing genre for years. I don’t want to say ‘entering the mainstream’, but artists such as Stormzy and Skepta, have paved the way for crossover talents like platinum-selling AJ Tracey and 2019 Mercury Prize winner Dave.
The music is easy to listen to – you can hear the words, as my Nan would say – and the lyrics fit well with both IKEA’s cheeky personality and the cultural acknowledgement of the pressured situation. This is generally how British people are, emphasised to the max at Christmas.
Not just content in hopping on the coattails of the grime music scene, the Silence The Critics advert is funny in its own right. Its characters – including Mr Double E as a rabbit tea pot with attitude (see above), and a toy dinosaur with a speech impediment, who is very worried about the mess – add a relatable element to the narrative, drawing out nods from British viewers, resulting in a modern, irreverent package appealing to many.
As IKEA’s Sarah Green puts it: “Our first IKEA Christmas advert focuses on the phenomenon of ‘home shame’ – encouraging people to overcome the negative voices in their head holding them back from open up their homes.”
Sure this will boost D Double E’s credibility, streaming figures and bank balance, but I wonder if he’s already got his place decked out by the Swedish house/home masters…? And did they leave him to unpack…
What do you guys think? Is the Christmas ad not what it used to be?
Does this year’s new IKEA entry rise to the top… or does Aldi’s Kevin the Carrot x Robbie Williams mix up do it for you? Perhaps you’re more of a M&S fan, or delighted that Argos has joined the fray with its ‘Book of Dreams’?
Let me know what you think!