This weekend, while watching one of my favorite movies of all time, 500 Days of Summer, I realized how huge the presence of Ikea was. In a movie so seemingly low budget without any other product placement, its almost a little strange how a company could be such a big part of the movie.
The most obvious presence of Ikea is the incredibly cute scene in which Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are running around, playing in the set up rooms and just being adorable.
Here's the scene for those unfamiliar with the movie:
Even a part from this scene, there was still more Ikea influence. With some researching I found out that a lot of the props and sets from the movie were furnished by the company. For example, the plates that Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) breaks in the first scene are indeed Ikea brand plates. In Summer's (Zooey Deschanel) apartment, her wallpaper was also being sold at Ikea at the time (around 2009). The characters also name drop Ikea in a few other scenes as well.
While Googling the product placement, I discovered that the Ikea-ness of the movie spurred a whole quirky/romantic revolution. There were pictures of couples recreating the scene, in outfits similar to the characters and everything. There were even some videos of women being proposed to by their boyfriends in front of Ikea.
This is probably the most successful product placement I have ever scene. I too also love Ikea and in all honesty, part of my love probably comes from the movie. Every time I watch 500 Days of Summer I feel a passionate need to go to Ikea. I can only assume that the movie has done wonders for their business. I think it has created a whole market and brand for Ikea: the quirky-cool young adult in their late twenties/early thirties (such as Tom and Summer) who wants cute home furnishings but at a reasonable price. Even more so, people who wish they were quirky-cute and shop at Ikea in order to feel like they are (which is me).
Would it be possible for another company to step into the place of Ikea? I think not. Ikea was specifically chosen for this role. Ikea is a place for anyone to find the things that will contribute to that place they call home. Would Walmart and Target work? Absolutely not. its the way that Ikea puts everything together that makes it all worth it.
ReplyDeleteI also love this movie. I've seen it a million times, yet have never noticed how deliberate the product placement is. Way to go, "500 Days of Summer" They managed to make this product placement seem like art. Even I just now understood that it has to be product placement. This movie is just as addicting as some dumb romantic movie with a cliche plot line. But it is made to seem like it is better quality. It's higher quality art. Yet it would not be the same if it didn't sponsor Ikea. Now after all the indie kids and young adults have seen this movie, they will look at Ikea differently.
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