A brand new idea advert format for Ikea goes viral, and it reveals that AI adverts can truly be good.
The idea, which seems to have first been created by X consumer @Salmaaboukarr, begins with a large shot of a colorless, dorm-esque room with a easy Ikea-branded cardboard field within the heart. In a matter of seconds, the field explodes open, spewing a full rooms-worth of Ikea furnishings all through the house and instantly remodeling it into a comfy haven.
This intelligent play on Ikea’s iconic build-it-yourself mannequin is a glimpse into how far AI fashions have come previously a number of months, and the way a lot of a job they’re poised to play sooner or later promoting panorama. Whereas it’s not truly an actual advert for the model, it seems to be convincing sufficient to be one.
How the “exploding field” advert exploded on-line
The creator listed full directions on the right way to obtain the same outcome utilizing step-by-step prompts on Google’s Veo 3 mannequin, and dozens of creators have since made their very own. The unique video has over a million views and 11,000 likes on X on the time of writing, and one other iteration of the Ikea idea has raked in 34,000 likes on Instagram. One creator designed a spot for Amazon, and one other made a video idea for a pretend pet care firm.
The Ikea field advert visuals include a satisfying mixture of cardboard sounds and stable thunks because the digital furnishings settles into place. This appears to be a results of utilizing Veo 3 itself, which debuted this March and stands out from AI video generator rivals like OpenAI’s Sora for its skill to generate dialogue and audio alongside near-photorealistic video.
Up to now, netizens have used Veo 3’s superior capabilities for a spread of content material, from benign ASMR clips to alarmingly reasonable deepfakes of riots and election fraud—and it’s solely going to get extra highly effective from right here.
These Ikea ideas present the potential for AI-generated adverts
Many viewers of the unique video are responding positively to the advert, with one calling it “mesmerizing.” Predictably, although, the idea can be receiving its fair proportion of criticism.
On the aforementioned Instagram put up, which incorporates the caption, “That is actually a ~$100,000 VFX advert made with one Veo 3 immediate,” some commenters criticized the video, noting it was possible skilled on actual (and costly) initiatives by inventive folks. One other, noting the mismatched finish tables and armoires, and the location of the ceiling lamp, felt it pointed to AI’s shortcomings.
Moral considerations round AI’s use of copyrighted supplies and its huge power consumption are actually legitimate. Nevertheless, critiques of the small flaws in these Ikea idea adverts—like the location of an errant lamp—work to undersell how astronomically AI instruments have improved previously a number of months, and the way helpful they are going to inevitably be for entrepreneurs.
Trying again only a 12 months in the past to Toys ‘R’ Us’ cursed toy advert, which was billed because the first-ever absolutely AI-generated industrial, it’s troublesome to emphasise simply how a lot worse that precise advert seems to be in comparison with at this time’s fan-made AI content material. Not solely is the picture high quality markedly higher at this time, however the prompting savvy of AI creators has additionally improved.
Within the case of those Ikea ideas, for instance, the main focus is on the product itself—an space the place AI at the moment excels. For those who observe the Ikea idea adverts and not using a fine-tooth comb, it could be troublesome to argue that they’re not efficient.
Granted, we’re possible nonetheless in for lots of AI slop, and possibly extra of it. However, as with every different software, the existence of unhealthy AI-generated adverts doesn’t imply it’s inconceivable for good, inventive folks to make good ones. These Ikea idea adverts present that, with the precise idea, AI can showcase a product with out coming off as cringeworthy.
Lastly bought spherical to testing Veo 3 for ads- IKEA (inspo advert)
Immediate beneath👇 pic.twitter.com/fSKhIUXf72
— Salma (@Salmaaboukarr) July 19, 2025
