IKEA UK is unveiling a new phase of the last year’s campaign focused on outdoor living solutions. The new chapter of the promotion, “Make more of your garden,” is inspiring consumers to treat and furnish their garden spaces just like any room inside the house. The major element of the latest installment is a surrealistic “thriller” music film that narrates a story of a battle between a typical English family and mischievous garden gnomes.

In the new spot, a married couple wants to renovate their backyard with IKEA pieces, but clay gnomes that used to be traditional attributes of the green outdoor space start a fight to preserve the dull garden settings where they rule. As the couple adds new improvements such as hanging colorful SOLVIN DEN solar-powered lights, putting the ARHOLMA outdoor sofa or installing a KARLSÖ gazebo, the number of angry gnomes grows and the fight escalates. However, the brave people manage to hold off the attack using creativity and the IKEA furniture.

The video, created by Mother London, comes in four versions—a 2-minute film and 60-, 30- and 10-second short ads that will be running until early June.

“To us, gnomes symbolize the lacklustre state of the nation’s gardens. They are tired, old fashioned and uninspired. So we imagined the gnomes’ reaction to a family installing new, exciting, modern garden furniture into their territory. It sparks a turf war, quite literally,” commented Freddy Mandy, creative director at Mother.

The “Make More of Your Garden” also includes outdoor, press ads and online elements. On its website, IKEA has created a dedicated page, unveiling the range of furniture and accessories for the garden renovation and providing ideas and tips on outdoor space design.

Pic.: A snapshot from the IKEA UK website (click to enlarge)