Harajuku with imma

Read the campaign story

For IKEA Harajuku in August 2020, Wieden+Kennedy Tokyo placed virtual model imma within a storefront experience combining digital imagery and real furniture. Aww’s production account dates the activity to 28–30 August and describes the character appearing to inhabit the space, with a continuing online view. The agency presents the work as a way to explore possibilities of home through an encounter that crossed the shop window and social channels.

Editorial interpretation: a window display becomes a place to revisit because it contains an apparent resident rather than a static arrangement. The virtual character can direct attention to everyday activities and spatial possibilities, making the furniture part of a scene. The interesting tension lies between the materially real room and the explicitly constructed inhabitant. Transparency about that construction should remain part of the experience.

The sources establish the production and its duration, not a measured increase in store sales or a general preference for virtual influencers. A continuous stream is also not proof that a character is autonomous or responding live. This study treats the activation as designed storytelling, with its value depending on whether people understand the home-furnishing proposition beyond the novelty.

Use the character to reveal the space

A virtual personality can easily dominate a display until the products become background decoration. Write scenes around real spatial questions: where to sit, how to store an object or how a small area changes between activities. Check that these demonstrations remain accurate for the physical furniture. Ask viewers what they learned about the room, not only whether they recognised the character. If the answer is nothing, reduce spectacle or strengthen the product interaction. The character should give the audience a reason to inspect useful details that a conventional photograph might leave unnoticed.

Explain the constructed experience without destroying its appeal

People can enjoy fictional characters while understanding that they are fictional. Label the virtual nature of the resident and avoid implying autonomous behaviour, genuine personal testimony or live interaction when those are not present. Clarify which parts are streamed, scheduled or pre-produced where that affects expectations. Give staff a consistent explanation for questions. This protects trust and helps audiences appreciate the craft rather than feel deceived. In a new project, consent and rights for voices, likenesses and performers must be resolved before production, not treated as a technical afterthought.

Design for both a glance and a return visit

A passer-by may have seconds, while an online viewer can spend longer. Create a clear first impression and a deeper layer that rewards voluntary attention. Avoid essential information that appears only at a particular hour. Provide an accessible description and a way to explore the relevant products without watching the whole stream. Plan moderation, technical failure messages and an ending that explains what remains available. A temporary living display should lead to a durable store or product resource rather than becoming a dead link after the launch team leaves.

A bounded test for another brief

Proposed adaptation: a small furniture maker could produce three clearly labelled stop-motion scenes using an original paper character in a miniature room. Each scene demonstrates one genuine storage or layout idea, with a link to accurate product dimensions. Show the scenes alongside ordinary product photographs to a small voluntary research group. Ask participants to describe the function, the scale and whether the character is real or animated. Compare comprehension and useful enquiries rather than treating viewing time as the goal. Use licensed sound, accessible captions and no imitation of imma’s appearance. Publish only after checking that the miniature does not exaggerate the actual furniture’s capacity.

Measure product-function recall, accurate scale expectations, qualified enquiries, accessibility feedback and confusion about the fictional character. Separate interest in animation from evidence of furniture demand or incremental retail sales.

Pause if the presentation misrepresents product function, implies a real person’s endorsement without permission or encourages viewers to mistake scripted fiction for autonomous interaction.