Global Ads Spotlight: When Hornbach’s campaign brought out creativity in every inch and space
When affordable living spaces in urban areas began to shrink year after year, German DIY store chain Hornbach rolled out ‘How to Enchant with One Square Meter’ which bagged a Grand Prix at Cannes Lions 2024. Read and watch in the Global Ads Spotlight column.
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How would life be waking up and living each moment in square-meter rooms? According to you, would there be enough ‘room’ to realise your daily activities? German DIY store chain Hornbach’s ‘How to Enchant with One Square Meter’ campaign answered this in a creative manner, with humorous twists.
A man’s life is confined in one square meter rooms right from waking up, dining at a restaurant which shows people sitting above him enjoying their meal to taking time off for recreation. The film aims to say that creativity can be found in every square meter, which deserves equal applause.
Did One Square Meter Enchant?
A 60 second film, conceptualised by HeimatTBWA\, and directed by Steve Rogers (also owner of production company Revolver), the campaign touched upon the concept of affordable living spaces shrinking rapidly every year in urban areas.
In the film, one can see the protagonist living life vertically. Right from waking up to getting ready to cease the day, his activities revolve in a vertical format. Steven Jones-Evan, production designer, designed the sets, bolstering the fact that minimal spaces aren’t an issue. Creativity can be found in every corner, and one ought to make the best out of every inch and centimeter in small living areas.
The film was accompanied by radio spots, OOH installations and digital ads to strengthen its messaging. What makes the campaign stand out is that no special effects were used to convey the messaging.
A series of real-life square meter projects were created by artists and designers from eight European countries, which include Germany, Austria, Sweden, Slovakia, and the Netherlands, stated a media report.
The campaign won a Grand Prix at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in 2024.
During the time and age when spaces are shrinking or living spaces come at an exorbitant cost, Hornbach’s ‘How to Enchant with One Square Meter’ campaign busted the myth that creativity cannot be explored in limited spaces, through its tagline ‘Every square meter deserves to be the best in the world.”
