When kitsch is smart
Regular readers of this blog will know that I am a sucker for an eye-catching advert. Over the years IKEA as a brand have become associated with advertising which is memorable and quirky – a bit like their products. Two days ago their advertising moved outside, so to speak, with a campaign to smarten our gardens up. The campaign, by London-based creative agency Mother, depicts a couple trying to rid their garden of the scourge of kitsch gnomes. It might not be the most sophisticated advert in the world, but it makes me smile every time I see it.
An etymological pursuit of the word ‘Kitsch’ takes you down all kinds of alleys, from a mis- pronunciation of the French ‘chic’ to Russian slang and the Munich art world of the late Nineteenth Century. In the end, like many definitions – you ‘pays your money and takes your choice’. Most of us know kitsch when we see it, though.
Anticipate a backlash from the Gnome Preservation Society of Great Britain any minute…