Wednesday 12 June 2013

Ibis' Snuggling Bunnies - Everybody Go Awwww


While browsing the Daily Mail Femail page a couple of nights ago and resisting the temptation to go to sleep at 9:30pm - I know, where's the willpower?! - I came across an article labelled "this year's most shamelessly adorable commercial".

Of course, I clicked on the link and indeed I did come across a shamelessly, but incredibly cute, online advert from Ibis Hotels promoting their new Sweet Bed.

In an attempt to follow the huge and incredibly successful advert, which Three mobile ran earlier this year with a dancing Shetland, what better way for this hotel giant to get the world's attention than by rounding up 40 fluffy rabbits, of various shapes and sizes, let them hop around a Ibis London Blackfriars hotel room, before snuggling together for a good night's sleep. And catch everyone's attention, they have!


Although there are no rabbits in jumpers (as seen with Shetland ponies in the Scottish Tourism Board advertising campaign), what makes this advert so effective is, not only have they jumped on the bandwagon and used animals in their advert, but there are no CGI special effects of any kind. This hotel propaganda is solely the result of a lot of hard work - two days worth of filming - plenty of carrots (an unbelievable 571 of them!) and what I can only imagine as many hours spent waiting for that perfect shot. 

It's hard enough getting one rabbit to do what you would like it to, without having to worry about another 39 running through the shot, not wanting to move at all or simply using the hotel floor as a giant litter-tray. 

What's also great to see is Ibis thought this campaign through carefully and put the rabbits' health first with a vet behind the scenes, just in case anything was to go wrong. 


With some soft, whimsical music playing in the background (a contemporary version of Hushabye Mountain by Richard Hawley, originally from Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang), it makes the viewer want to do what all of the rabbits eventually come to do - yawn and collapse on a soft, comfortable bed. 

I have always loved owning rabbits since I was eight years old, but watching this advert just makes me want to have more (and book a room at an Ibis Hotel so I can try out one of their Soft Beds for myself)! I hope they won't mind when I bring my rabbit Simba along too! #ibisbunnies

Watch the video here: 




To watch more fluffy bunnies, here's the behind the scenes video: