Ikea tapped an unusual influencer for its latest ad campaign — a CGI model.
The Japan ad campaign called Happiness At Home With Imma features a CGI Instagram “influencer” known as Imma, who has over 263,000 followers on Instagram.
While the Instagram Imma run by Tokyo virtual human company, Aww Inc., is entirely CGI, Ikea’s version of Imma was actually half-real.
To make Imma a reality, her 3D-animated head was transposed onto a live-action body and background, according to My Modern Met. The entire experience was displayed on an LCD screen inside the company’s Harajuku store, and Imma posted about “her” time on Instagram.
Imma posted herself doing yoga, doning a face mask, cooking, and reading in her apartment with the hashtags #IKEAHarajuku and #happytobehome.
Ikea said the campaign was to showcase the concept of small space living in Japan, and highlight happiness at home during the global pandemic.
The Swedish-based furniture company is no stranger to using computer-generated or augmented reality in its shopping experiences. In 2012, the company said that it was moving toward having its catalog feature more CG photos that traditional photography, and in 2014, The Verge reported that 75% of Ikea’s product images in its catalog were now computer-generated.
Ikea also came out with an augmented reality app called Ikea Place in 2018 that lets you see what a piece of furniture would look like in your living room. You can place chairs, desks, and just about anything else in your kitchen, backyard, or heck, on the street, to see how it all looks before buying.
