Mayur Jumani on the making of IKEA India’s ‘Ghar Aa Jao’ campaign

IKEA India recently launched a new brand positioning – ‘Ghar Aa Jao’ (Come home). In the celebration of this new campaign launch, IKEA India collaborated with singer and composer Mayur Jumani, who has taken a musical twist and created this slice-of-life video inviting people to come home and celebrate their life at home. The song was composed in just one day, and that too at the IKEA store.

For the video, Jumani visited the IKEA Navi Mumbai store to shoot the video. He created the beats of his music video out of IKEA products and themed the song around ‘Ghar Aa Jao’. The song showcases the visuals of the beautiful IKEA store and invites people to come to IKEA and experience a better life at home.

In conversation with Adgully, Mayur Jumani, Singer and Composer, shares how he executed the campaign and created this video in just one day using the sounds of different products available at the store, as well as his future plans.

Could you tell us about your journey in the music industry?

I have been writing music and playing instruments like the piano since childhood. I used to write music and perform at local places after earning my engineering degree and working a full-time job to gain more experience. I decided to go to the Berklee Master’s program after receiving encouragement from my friends to take music more seriously. After receiving my degree, I worked on a few projects in Los Angeles before returning to Mumbai to pursue my career.

I have been creating odd remixes and launchpad videos since 2014. I recall posting Blue - Da Ba Dee my second-ever remix on 9gag. I never considered social media important before one of my early meme mixes went viral in 2020. I used to create a new mix every two to three days. I can create, produce, and mix an entire track in a very short period before I was able to market my producing abilities and become more active in the literary community because of social media.

What was the idea and inspiration behind IKEA’s ‘Ghar Aa Jao’ campaign?

I knew right away that the IKEA’s advertising effort would be distinctive. I immediately thought of visiting the IKEA store, recording some crazy noises, and sitting on one of their workstations to compose a song. There are just no better settings for the music video than those that are already in place. Everyone was astonished by the finished product, which the IKEA team was kind enough to let us all use our creative freedom to produce.

What was your experience in the making of video in just one day – it must have required a lot of hustle and strategic planning?

I remember getting a little nervous in the car on my way to IKEA. We were completely unaware of how the music would turn out. It could turn out to be the best or, after a risky bet, the worst. I had only one day to record and produce the song ‘Ghar Aa Jao’ since the vocalist was writing the lyrics while my videographer was scouting for appropriate locations. The fact that everything went great without a hitch shocked even me with the conclusion!

What is the core thought behind the ‘Ghar Aa Jao’ campaign?

When IKEA India approached AUX Media (Jumani’s production house) for partnering on the brand’s tone and messaging in its festive campaign, ‘Ghar Aa Jao’, we felt incredibly validated that a global brand trusted our creative vision. We wanted to deliver above and beyond with something that had never been done before. From there, we built an audio asset that was strongly connected to the brand and resonated with everyone who heard it. At the IKEA store, we had the crazy idea to start from scratch and compose a song utilising the product sounds. We set ourselves the impossible challenge of writing, recording, and filming the video in the store in less than a day.

How do you plan to measure the impact of this campaign?

We have seen how more brands are adapting and embracing digital TV commercials, and believing in artists. Other brands have cited IKEA as a model.

As part of the amplification process, other content creators and collaborators will use the audio asset I released on my social media pages, and UGC content will utilise it as well.

Tell us about your audio production house Aux Media.

I gained a lot of beneficial abilities from my two years of work as a UX Designer before music. I always create content from the audience’s perspective. When I write a song, I constantly think about how the user will experience it. AUX Media is where I can effectively utilise both of my skill sets. In addition to producing music, the audio production firm also develops and comes up with ideas for brand campaigns. Today, audio is the foundation of most pieces of viral material. We make sure this specific audio recording has all it needs to blow up on digital platforms.

What are your future plans?

For AUX Media, there are numerous plans under development. The company is being built on four main verticals. In addition, I am finally finishing my long-awaited solo EP. Additionally, we anticipate starting our live shows very soon. So, yes, this is only the beginning!