Thursday
Sep092010
A wacky Ikea idea
Thu, 9 Sep 2010Oliver just sent Jo and I this video that is such a strange idea but, hey, Ikea can do anything as they rule the world. LOL. It is a look behind the experiment of IKEA UK's release of 100 house cats into its Wembley store. You need to watch it right to the end. You really do.
Reader Comments (27)
What a strange, strange concept. I'm still not quite sure I understand their reasoning. But hey, this would have worked nicely as one of your 'Pets on Furniture' segments!
Totally wacky! but very sweet but also probably very stressful to do.... that has to cut that kitty out of the wall!
the last bit was very sweet with the little white kitten and the one sleeping in the sofa.
xx
callie
I pity shoppers with cat allergies that visit the store after that! I think it would have been more interesting to release 100 dogs in the store. : )
Well, maybe I'm the crazy one here but I don't think it was cute or funny: on the contrary, I think it was a tawdry exploitation of animals that were no doubt stressed by the people, the noise, the lights, the unfamiliar surroundings and 99 other cats. Slow motion shots of fluffy critters does not a "happy" animal make.
Oh wow! I actually really loved that!
My cats would probably be a bit stressed, too, had they been in that situation, but they probably would have also been really fascinated to explore.
Totally love this. Damn. Whenever I decide I'm over Ikea, they pull me back in.
I too don't like this stunt. Stresses the cats out, they get into scrapes which can be serious (have you ever had to stop a real cat fight-?!), subjects them to communicable disease and risks escape.
I spend hours every day working on placing shelter animals, trying to find them good homes. Cats are the real tragedy in shelters. It makes me doubly sad to see these 100 all have owners who did not put their cats' best interests first.
really nice, I love that!
I'm still not quite sure what the reason for doing this *was*, but it was fun to watch nonetheless. I've owned a jillion cats. As a responsible pet owner, I'd say I've had two cats who would have loved to have done this. The rest of my cats would have hated it. I'd have taken one of the cats who would have loved it. (Magpie, the most outgoing of all my cats, would probably have been the one who got stuck in the wall. She probably would have climbed the camera, actually, as she loves cameras and sees camera focus as only her due. She's a bit of a clown.)
LOL, this is sooo strange in a funny way. This is how IKEA makes YOU feel. HAPPY INSIDE!? That ending is an instant classic!
I LOVE IT! It really made me feel happy inside. Haha...
Grumblebunny said it best!
Too bad they don't display this much creativity in their product lines or catalogue anymore!
dumb, very dumb, cats are dumb. waste of time even the end result ad was stupid. sorry just my opinion
I thought it was very creative and super cute. The end is puuur-fect. Sorry I couldn't resist.
I think this spot is cute because cats are cutes! But looking behind the scenes, I think: "Poor cats!" . These little creatures were definitely stressed by the people, the noise, the lights, the unfamiliar surroundings and 99 other cats (as Lin said).
Sorry, spot is an italian word... I mean commercial :\
My point of view - yes, some of these cats may have been stressed out for however long they were in the store but guess what? They likely GOT OVER IT. And cats are NOT dumb. People who think cats are dumb are dumb. And whyioughtta, I totally agree. The latest catalog was a complete snoozefest.
Unfortunate that IKEA is still exploiting animals. The cats were probably returned to their homes aka shelter and destroyed after the 'experiment'. Very very sad.
My Bootsie would have a field day in that store! he's as big as a small dog weighing in at 14 1/2 lbs though...not sure if the lamps, tableware and knickknacks would have survived his incredible curiosity!!!
I agree with Lin and others who find this disturbing and irresponsible. What an awful, stupid idea. Notice that no message of "no cats were harmed in the making of this video came up." Who knows what could have gone wrong!! This makes me like IKEA even less.
they are cats. i'm sure they had fun. quit being so sensitive. no different that when you bring a new person into your home or a new piece of furniture. they get stressed at first and then they get used to it.
I love it! Cats are amazing creatures and like stress in humans, it fades and curiosity takes over. Wish I could have been there to see it!
i really didn't like this idea!probably because i don't like cats.i'm still wondering.....
I found the ad quite peculiar and thought-provoking. Without the preamble, the message (pets=home) would have seemed merely cute and pretty.
But the mini-doc reminds us that IKEA stores are big hollow boxes filled with carefully arranged peepshow cubicles of fake home life. Cue the colour-coordinated cats, who arrive in boxes (not unlike merchandise) and are primped by stylists . But when set loose, they fight, they get lost and look kind of anxious and stressed out -- in other words, not unlike those human customers they have temporarily replaced ...
It's a plot, of course. Next they'll be suggesting the family pet should have his own credit card and the newest Expedit will be very tall with a detachable perch.