IKEA Canada has unveiled its latest holiday campaigns created by Rethink, aiming to remind Canadians that the best gifts during the festive season are often the most practical ones. Built around a unified creative brief, the campaigns were developed to capture the cultural diversity of Canadian holidays, offering two distinct executions — one for English-speaking Canada and another tailored specifically to Quebec’s unique humor and traditions.
In English-speaking Canada, the “Twelve Days” campaign playfully reinterprets the classic Christmas carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas” to highlight IKEA’s role as the go-to destination for gifts that are not only thoughtful but genuinely useful. As the spot humorously shows, not everyone needs another wool sweater or a partridge in a pear tree. Instead, IKEA offers simple, functional items that people truly want — from stylish lighting to cozy throws that make everyday life easier and warmer.
The film, set to a modern rendition of the carol, juxtaposes the chaotic imagery of birds, gifts, and over-the-top holiday gestures with the calm practicality of IKEA’s offerings. The production itself was a logistical feat, involving 15 animals, including six species of birds, all handled with utmost ethical care. To ensure animal welfare, IKEA collaborated with Movie Animals Protected (MAP), the industry authority for ethical animal treatment on set. MAP representatives supervised filming to ensure the physical and emotional safety of every creature involved. Where realism wasn’t possible, CGI enhancements were used to bring the narrative to life — because, as the production team joked, “no one can safely gather that many geese in one place.”
Meanwhile, in Quebec, IKEA and Rethink continued their successful collaboration with a new festive twist on the “Ih, Ké, Ah!” campaign. Originally launched earlier this year, the campaign draws from a distinctly Quebecois linguistic quirk — the everyday onomatopoeias “Ih,” “Ké,” and “Ah” that conveniently echo the syllables of IKEA’s name. Each sound represents a familiar moment: “Ih” for a problem, “Ké” for considering a solution, and “Ah” for that satisfying sense of resolution — perfectly aligning with IKEA’s brand promise of “Bring Home to Life.”
The holiday iteration expands on this insight with three humorous vignettes that every Quebecer can relate to: dodging an aunt’s nosy questions about marriage, managing the winter boot chaos at the entrance, and preventing culinary disasters during family feasts. Presented with local wit and warmth, the campaign celebrates IKEA as a silent hero of holiday problem-solving — a brand that makes life smoother in the moments that matter most.
Both campaigns are rolling out across TV, digital, out-of-home, cinema, and social media nationwide, with Carat managing media strategy and placement. The dual approach demonstrates IKEA’s nuanced understanding of Canada’s cultural landscape, combining humor, empathy, and functionality to cement its position as a household favorite during the busiest time of the year.
As Canadians prepare to deck the halls and fill their homes with family, laughter, and a little chaos, IKEA’s message is clear: “Think of us first — because sometimes the simplest gift is the one that truly makes life better.”
