Ikea has enlisted a 76-year-old gaming-obsessed grandmother from Scotland to act as the face of its new range and appear in a film promoting the collection.
The Twitch streamer Cath Bowie, who is also known by her gamertag Grumpygran1948 is the new UK face of Ikea’s BRÄNBOLL collection, which has been specifically designed to meet the evolving and diverse needs of gamers and their families.
Bowie, who began gaming in 2017 after being introduced to it by her grandson, received sponsorship and recognition from professional streamers earlier this year and has been able to monetise her content. She hopes to create a welcoming community of likeminded older gamers.
Ikea’s collaboration with the gamer follows on from research from the retailer which revealed that there are at least seven million regular gamers over the age of 55 in the UK.
BRÄNBOLL product design developer Philip Dilé said: “At IKEA, we recognise that gaming has become a natural part of everyday life, evolving across different devices and spaces in the home. BRÄNNBOLL is designed to reflect this change, offering versatile furniture that adapts to how people live and game today, no matter their age or background.”
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Further findings from Ikea’s study revealed that almost half (49%) of gamers identify as female. Despite this, many still think the typical gamer is male (44%) rather than female (9%).
In addition, more than a third (35%) of gamers have children under the age of 18, with most of these parents (69%) seeing gaming as a good way to decompress. Likewise, a third of grandparents (33%) see gaming as a good way of bonding between family generations.
Ikea gaming core area manager Rebecca Deakin said: “Our research revealed what we at IKEA UK already knew – gaming is a shared experience for everyone. It brings a range of people together across a broad spectrum, all of who have evolving needs, which is the spirit behind the BRÄNNBOLL collection.”
“We believe that everyone should be able to embrace their passions without compromise, and having Cath as the face of our new range exemplifies that.”
