Ikea has brought back the classic carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas” for its holiday campaign, giving it a playful, contemporary edge. As a comically overwhelming stream of birds fills the screen, the message becomes clear: practical gifts trump quirky ones. The brand positions its everyday essentials as more meaningful and useful than the novelty items that often end up forgotten in a drawer, underscoring Ikea’s push for thoughtful, functional holiday gifting. The campaign was created for IKEA Canada by the agency Rethink and directed by J.J. Adler.
“With a holiday ad, you want to stay true to the festive spirit without blending into a sea of sameness. So, we put a chaotic spin on a holiday classic,” says Geoff Baille, partner and GCD at Rethink, which crafted the campaign.
The campaign was produced to a reworked version of the classic carol, its escalating tempo mirroring the mounting chaos on screen. Behind the scenes, the shoot required coordinating 15 animals, including six species of birds. To ensure the highest standards of care, IKEA partnered with Movie Animals Protected (MAP), a leading authority on ethical animal treatment. MAP specialists were present throughout filming to advise the crew, flag potential risks and safeguard both the physical and emotional well-being of every animal on set.
Not all of the featured creatures were real, however. Several moments relied on CGI, particularly scenes that would be impossible, or simply too unruly, to stage in real life. As any handler knows, gathering large numbers of geese in one spot is a recipe for disorder. By combining live action with digital effects, IKEA was able to deliver a warm, humorous story while maintaining its commitment to responsible production.
“We had never worked with so many animals before, so this project was a new and exciting challenge,” Baille added. “Going into any shoot, you have a vision of how you want the final product to look. But when you’re working with six kinds of birds, you quickly learn that not everything can be perfectly controlled. We embraced chaos as part of the idea, so we let the birds and cows and goats improvise.”
