Cat-alogue & Dog-alogue Pets Collection – Ikea UK | Clapboard Ad Archive

The Play-Doh Masterpiece - Play-Doh | Clapboard Ad Archive

Play-Doh’s The Play-Doh Masterpiece campaign, created by FCB for the French market in 2021, reframes the iconic household modeling clay as a bridge between intergenerational creativity and the world of high art, with a father-daughter collaboration at its core exhibited at the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris. By integrating the playful act of sculpting into the museum context and positioning itself as a patron of MAM’s educational workshop program for youth, Play-Doh moves decisively beyond traditional toy advertising, aligning its brand with the mission of artistic inspiration, cultural education, and familial connection. The creative concept—placing an artwork molded from Play-Doh by four hands among pieces by renowned contemporary artists—serves as an act of pure symbolism, demonstrating how the most beautiful works emerge from collective, familial creativity; this approach sits squarely within Clapboard’s FORMAT#9—Symbolize the Benefit, leveraging the inherent emotional charge of real family collaboration to dramatize the product’s power to foster togetherness and imagination. The campaign supports its core proposition with meaningful actions: funding accessible, curiosity-driven art workshops for children and families that activate both permanent and temporary museum collections, ensuring Play-Doh becomes part of the cultural fabric that supports creative learning and generational exchange. Integrated touchpoints and a museum partnership enable the Hasbro brand to respond to contemporary parental desires for activities that are at once constructive, educational, and emotionally resonant, unlocking new cultural capital for what might otherwise be seen simply as a toy product. In the context of a market crowded with creativity-enabling brands—Crayola, Mega Bloks, Kiwo, and Jovi among them—the campaign establishes Play-Doh’s positioning as not just a safe or high-quality play material but a patron of modern art and youth development, operating in the household product category at the intersection of family, creativity, and culture. Social activation via campaign-specific hashtags further amplifies the message that Play-Doh’s true value lies in shared creative expression. The campaign earns 72/100 in Clapboard’s global creative archive. When a brand elevates the experience of play to the realm of cultural institution, as Play-Doh has with The Play-Doh Masterpiece, it signals a future for toy marketing that puts creativity, collaboration, and cultural legitimacy at the center of category strategy.

Cushelle Quilted Selfishly Soft - Cushelle | Clapboard Ad Archive — archive collection thumbnail

Cushelle Quilted Selfishly Soft - Cushelle | Clapboard Ad Archive

Cushelle’s Quilted Selfishly Soft campaign for 2024, conceived by Publicis London, sets a confident new benchmark in the United Kingdom’s household product landscape by recasting the routine act of choosing bath tissue as a declaration of self-worth. Building on the instantly recognizable character of Kenny and anchored by the directive to be more Kenny and put yourself first, the campaign elevates the product’s core promise — softness — into a lifestyle statement tailored for a demographic fluent in self-care culture and increasingly drawn to moments of personal comfort. The creative strategy positions Cushelle Quilted not as a mere utilitarian purchase, but as a daily pleasure that embodies indulgence and self-prioritization, expressed through the core idea of selfish softness. The communications employ what Clapboard’s 12-format taxonomy identifies as FORMAT#9—Symbolize the Benefit, with Kenny operating as an emblem of unapologetic comfort and the product’s quilted texture exaggerated as an irresistible source of tactile satisfaction. Notably, the film avoids conventional demonstrations of efficacy, instead weaving Kenny’s personality into visuals that heighten the emotional payoff of choosing softness for oneself — a tactic that resonates in a market where emotional connection is the leading differentiator. The campaign’s nearly one million views reinforce its strong reach, a testament to both media investment and the cultural currency of appealing directly to self-care sensibilities. Publicis London leverages humor, relatability, and an understated aspirational tone, setting Cushelle apart from household product competitors by making indulgence feel not like a luxury, but a necessary act of everyday self-respect. It underscores how a familiar category, facing both heritage players like Andrex and value-driven competitors such as Velvet and Velvet Bliss, can disrupt expectations by appealing to contemporary attitudes around wellness and personal reward. The campaign earns 63/100 in Clapboard’s global creative archive. Cushelle Quilted Selfishly Soft matters because it signals how packaging emotional value into a sensory benefit is now both an effective point of difference and a blueprint for reframing the everyday essentials segment.

Do The DIY - 10 Year Woodstain, Do The DIY - Fence Life Plus - Ronseal | Clapboard Ad Archive — archive collection thumbnail

Do The DIY - 10 Year Woodstain, Do The DIY - Fence Life Plus - Ronseal | Clapboard Ad Archive

Ronseal’s 2018 Do The DIY campaign, created by BJL for the United Kingdom market, harnesses the power of immersive 3D audio to confront the widespread consumer procrastination surrounding routine home maintenance tasks such as fence painting and door staining. Positioned within the House and Garden sector, the campaign leverages a sound design approach that sits squarely in Clapboard’s FORMAT#3—Symbolize the Problem—eschewing literal depictions of DIY chores in favor of a hypnotic auditory experience that mirrors the mental inertia often felt by homeowners when faced with these mundane yet necessary jobs. By delivering this 3D audio content optimized for headphone use, Ronseal transforms passive listening into an active, almost meditative encounter that draws consumers into a sensory space where hesitation is palpable and recognizable, effectively externalizing the internal struggle that stalls many from initiating their DIY projects. This innovative use of audio not only captures attention in a cluttered media environment but also aligns with Ronseal’s brand promise of straightforward, reliable solutions that make DIY approachable and achievable. The campaign’s dual focus on Ronseal’s 10 Year Woodstain and Fence Life Plus products is subtly embedded within this sonic landscape, inviting listeners to break free from indecision and take control of their home improvement tasks with confidence. The strategic choice to use sound as a symbolic rather than literal narrative device elevates the campaign beyond conventional advertising, positioning Ronseal as a brand that understands and addresses the psychological barriers to DIY, thereby enhancing emotional resonance and brand recall. Clapboard rates this campaign 63/100. This campaign matters to the industry because it demonstrates how household product brands can leverage immersive audio technology to engage consumers on a psychological level and turn procrastination into motivation, signaling a shift toward more experiential and psychologically nuanced communications in the DIY category.

Start Something New - Kingfisher plc | Clapboard Ad Archive — archive collection thumbnail

Start Something New - Kingfisher plc | Clapboard Ad Archive

Kingfisher plc’s Start Something New marks a significant shift for the house and garden category, positioning the brand’s user-led product innovation on the international stage with a narrative-first approach crafted by Leo Burnett. This campaign, the company’s first multi-platform effort to span the United Kingdom, France, and Romania, is grounded in exhaustive customer research that saw Kingfisher teams visiting hundreds of real homes to understand authentic needs, resulting in a new range of outdoor products conceived to mirror customers’ lived realities. The creative centerpiece is a television commercial that leverages the emotional resonance of life’s transitions—moving in, expanding families, redefining spaces—as an entry point to demonstrate how accessible, exclusive design can help people forge new memories and reinvent their environments. In line with Kingfisher’s corporate belief that the home is the heart of personal experience, the advert uses a personal, story-driven structure to portray everyday transformation not as a grand reveal, but as an accumulation of small, meaningful changes, all enabled by thoughtful product design. Heavyweight media backing supports this vision, with a coherent push across multiple markets designed to position these unique outdoor products, available through B&Q, as both attainable and influential in shaping life’s next chapters. The campaign’s storytelling architecture sits squarely in what Clapboard’s taxonomy would classify as FORMAT#5—Exemplary Story, with the product range playing a vital, solution-driving role at the crux of the narrative’s resolution and serving as a catalyst for positive, personal change. On a creative level, the partnership between Kingfisher and Leo Burnett demonstrably aims to elevate utilitarian home and garden solutions into objects of genuine emotional impact, signaling a drive to democratize good design and reposition household products as central players in life’s ongoing drama. The campaign earns a 58/100 in Clapboard’s global creative archive. For the advertising and home improvement industries, Start Something New signals that multi-market resonance in this category depends on insight-driven, narrative-rich storytelling that links product to emotional and functional transformation.

Skin Essentials - Huggies | Clapboard Ad Archive — archive collection thumbnail

Skin Essentials - Huggies | Clapboard Ad Archive

Huggies’ Skin Essentials campaign, launched in the United States in 2024 and crafted by Droga5, presents a focused and strategic communication effort centered on the Skin Essentials™ diaper’s core functional benefit: protecting infant skin by managing moisture and mess to prevent rashes. Positioned squarely within the household products market, the campaign leverages a film medium that aligns with Clapboard’s FORMAT#1 DEMONSTRATION—directly showing how the product works to address two of the most pressing concerns for parents and caregivers dealing with diaper rash. The campaign’s tagline, #wegotyoubaby, encapsulates a reassuring brand promise that combines empathy with efficacy, signaling Huggies’ commitment to essential skin care rather than superficial claims. The creative approach is purposefully clear and straightforward, eschewing narrative complexity or symbolic storytelling in favor of a fact-based, instructional tone that builds trust through transparency and utility. This is supported by the Skin Essentials™ Song, which reinforces the product’s benefits in an engaging yet didactic manner that fits the demonstration format’s emphasis on clarity and direct communication. Strategically, the campaign also incorporates a robust digital ecosystem, encouraging audiences to deepen their engagement through Huggies’ website and social media platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube, thereby extending the conversation beyond the film and fostering a community around baby care expertise and support. By highlighting the prevention of rash through moisture control, Huggies differentiates itself in a competitive market where other brands such as Pampers focus on premium innovation, Luvs on value, and eco-conscious competitors like Honest Company and Seventh Generation emphasize natural and sustainable ingredients. The campaign’s single media asset deftly balances educational content with emotional resonance, positioning Huggies not only as a product but as a trusted ally to parents navigating the challenges of infant skin health. Clapboard rates this campaign 63/100. This campaign matters to the industry because it demonstrates how a category staple can reaffirm its relevance and leadership by centering product functionality and caregiver reassurance in an increasingly saturated and diverse market.

The Lighthouse & The Sea - Bunga Montessory Space | Clapboard Ad Archive — archive collection thumbnail

The Lighthouse & The Sea - Bunga Montessory Space | Clapboard Ad Archive

The Lighthouse & The Sea is a film campaign launched in Spain in 2019 by Jiuston for Bunga Montessory Space, a brand operating within the House and Garden industry that transcends traditional educational advertising by embodying the Montessori philosophy through poetic symbolism rather than direct exposition. This campaign employs the metaphor of a lighthouse and the sea to represent the dual roles in the parent-child relationship, where the lighthouse symbolizes the guiding, protective force of parents and the sea embodies the vast, unpredictable world that children explore independently. This allegorical approach aligns with what Clapboard’s taxonomy classifies as FORMAT#9—Symbolize the Benefit—where the campaign abstracts the educational journey into evocative imagery that conveys the mutual growth and discovery inherent in Montessori education. Instead of showcasing the brand through conventional product features or testimonials, the film captures the emotional complexity of parenthood, emphasizing that while parents prepare to teach, they are ultimately learners themselves, enriched by their children’s independent exploration. The campaign’s narrative deftly challenges the traditional one-way pedagogical model by illustrating education as a shared voyage that fosters growth on both sides, thereby positioning Bunga Montessory Space as a nurturing environment that supports not only the child’s development but also the parents’ transformation. Jiuston’s cinematic execution elevates the storytelling with a refined visual language that deepens the emotional resonance, making the campaign’s message palpable without explicit verbalization. The campaign earns 63/100 in Clapboard’s global creative archive. The Lighthouse & The Sea matters to the industry because it demonstrates how a household product brand can harness metaphorical storytelling to redefine educational advertising as an emotional dialogue rather than a transactional pitch, signaling a shift toward campaigns that build brand affinity through shared human experience.

The Aviator - Pentonic GumStik | Clapboard Ad Archive — archive collection thumbnail

The Aviator - Pentonic GumStik | Clapboard Ad Archive

Pentonic GumStik’s 2022 campaign, The Aviator, marks a pivotal moment for Linc Limited’s fast-growing writing instrument brand as it extends its reach into the crowded household products market with a compelling entry in the stationery category, executed in partnership with Wunderman Thompson Kolkata. The campaign’s central digital film champions the product’s super sticking power by locating its narrative in the imaginative world of a 10-year-old airplane enthusiast whose model takes flight, a journey made possible and convincing by the adhesive reliability of Pentonic GumStik. Featuring a meticulous visual narrative and an inventive soundscape that harnesses the playful vocal effects children use during solo play, the campaign positions GumStik not as a commodity adhesive but as an enabler of tactile creativity and open-ended play, directly targeting families who prioritize products that amplify their children’s exploration and self-authored storytelling. The strategic approach deliberately leans on an emotional connection, making the act of model-building not just an activity but an authentic expression of how the product’s core functional benefit transforms everyday moments into feats of ingenuity. In a competitive space shaped by legacy brands such as Fevicol, 3M Fevistik, and Elmer’s, Pentonic draws a sharp distinction by associating “super sticking power” with reliability and child-led innovation rather than generic problem-solving, a choice echoed in the campaign’s alignment with FORMAT#6—Benefit Causes Story as categorized by Clapboard’s creative taxonomy, where the very existence of the narrative is contingent upon the product’s key advantage. Rather than presenting adhesiveness as a solution to failure, the campaign flips the axis, using the gum stick’s performance as the engine for a protagonist’s imaginative success story, a tactic that imbues the Pentonic brand with a fresh, youthful energy that is both visually engaging and culturally astute within India’s rapidly-evolving stationery marketplace. The campaign earns 63/100 in Clapboard’s global creative archive. This work matters because it signals a shift in household product storytelling from functional demonstrations to emotionally resonant narratives where product performance underpins self-driven creativity.

Campaign Proposition

IKEA UK’s campaign for its new pet product line, UTSÅDD, extends the brand’s longstanding promise to improve everyday life by including household pets alongside their human customers. The campaign underscores IKEA’s expanded value proposition of creating a better home environment not only for people but also their furry companions, emphasizing pets as integral family members. This reinforces IKEA’s holistic approach to home living, reflecting contemporary values around pet care and inclusivity. The market strategy hinges on a culturally relevant insight: pets are increasingly seen as full members of the family, deserving of thoughtfully designed products that enhance their daily experiences. By launching UTSÅDD, a range developed with input from pet experts and a panel of dogs and cats, IKEA leverages authenticity and expertise to connect with pet owners seeking functional, affordable solutions for eating, sleeping, playing, and hiding—the core needs of pets. The creative angle is amplified through partnership with Woodgreen Pets Charity, which adds a social responsibility dimension by showcasing rescue animals using the products. This collaboration not only highlights IKEA’s commitment to community and animal welfare but also taps into consumers’ growing interest in pet adoption and ethical consumption. Targeting family-oriented consumers in the UK who value pets as part of their household, the campaign combines product introduction with a cause-driven narrative. The integrated approach, encompassing digital media and storytelling around "Cat-alogue" and "Dog-alogue," aims to build emotional engagement and functional appeal simultaneously. In doing so, IKEA situates itself uniquely at the intersection of household products and pet care, reinforcing brand relevance and expanding its addressable market in the evolving home lifestyle segment.

Creative Device

FORMAT#1 DEMONSTRATION — Directly shows how a product works and highlights its benefits. This campaign best fits the Demonstration format because, according to the description, the UTSÅDD pet range is being actively “put to the test” by pets from Woodgreen Pets Charity, showcasing real animals eating, sleeping, playing, and hiding with the actual IKEA products. This is not a narrative-driven story or an exaggeration, but rather a constructed scenario to directly show viewers the tangible utility and appeal of each item in the new pet collection. The focus is on actual usage, with real users (the pets) visibly benefitting, allowing the features and benefits of the products to be observed in action. ADVERTISING FORMATS EXPLAINED: https://www.clapboard.com/blog/branding-and-advertising/brand-strategy/12-advertising-creative-formats

Competitive Planks

Dunelm – Market Positioning Dunelm positions itself as a versatile home furnishing retailer offering affordable, stylish, and functional household products with a broad range including pet accessories. It emphasizes value for money and accessibility, targeting family-oriented consumers who seek practical solutions for home and pets under one roof.

Argos – Market Positioning Argos leverages its extensive product range and fast delivery to appeal to convenience-driven consumers. Its pet product offerings complement household goods, providing a one-stop shopping experience with frequent promotions and strong online presence, appealing to busy families and pet owners.

Pets at Home – Market Positioning As a specialized pet retailer, Pets at Home dominates the pet accessories and food market, focusing on expert advice, comprehensive product ranges, and pet welfare services. Their positioning is built on trust, community engagement, and product quality tailored specifically for pet owners.

Wilko – Market Positioning Wilko offers affordable household and pet products focusing on simplicity and practicality. It targets budget-conscious consumers looking for functional and reliable everyday items, supporting a value-driven shopping experience with strong in-store and digital availability.

John Lewis & Partners – Market Positioning John Lewis positions itself as a premium retailer combining quality household products with stylish, well-designed pet accessories. Known for excellent customer service and ethical sourcing, it appeals to consumers looking for higher-end, durable items and a trusted shopping experience.