The latest ad from Ikea is quite entertaining and seems to strike a chord with audiences (2.5 million views in 2 days of its launch). People seem to love this satirical kind of humor that ridicules long-standing methods of advertising. People’s positive reception could probably be due to two relevant insights Ikea made good use of.
The first is people’s frustration with Apple’s recent new product launches. Apple seems to disappoint critics and fans alike as the company relies on incremental innovation to sustain its growth. The brand which has been built on disrupting category norms seems to struggle – and people are aware and watching. Ikea rides on this wave of skepticism. The second is people’s nostalgia towards, well, books. There seems to be a kind of saturation with technology as it stands. Many voices have sprung, especially lately, urging people back to basics, accusing social media platforms and modern hand-held devices of deepening the disconnect between humans. Whether this is true or not, people love to lament and throw blame (yes, they do). Ikea, again, rode this nostalgic back-to-basics wave of going– in this case, books.
This is all great. The anomaly is, however, that Ikea’s catalogue isn’t really a book and does not in any way compare to one. Ikea, also, is not a competitor to Apple. The question then, is, why would Ikea do this?
Answer one would be hype, of course. Ikea capitalizes on a couple of relevant insights to stay current and drive virality for its ad. Obvious. Answer two, however, is hidden behind the hype.
Ikea is trying to position itself as an innovative company, heightening the expectation for its new product developments, not surprisingly showcased in its catalogue. The Ikea model is built around rethinking the category’s approach to home design, giving practical value to space within the home. Its collections are curated from a select group of architects’ and designers’ work which is minimalist, disruptive and pragmatic. Behind these designs and ultimately Ikea’s brand is a qualitative value proposition that redefines people’s use of space in their homes. Innovation in this sense is a core company value.
But is Ikea reliant on technology to produce innovative products? At first glance, the answer would be no. People’s perception of technology is geared more towards machinery, microchips and lately smart devices driven by artificial intelligence. It would probably be a hard sell for Ikea to frame its products as innovation. Its products may at best be perceived as quirky and sometimes cool. Disruptive, groundbreaking, or innovative may be a stretch.
Looking at the definition of technology, however, we see that Ikea may actually deploy advanced technology in its production. Technology by definition is the application of scientific knowledge to create tools with practical purposes for society and perhaps this is what Ikea is doing. Ikea’s technological prowess lies within engineering, architecture, and design, which all yield mechanical artifacts that are, in fact, innovative.
By mocking Apple, Ikea is migrating itself into the same category that Apple is in, simulating its NPD launch behavior, using the same communication codes. So it seems that Ikea, just like Samsung, made fun of Apple to eventually be seen in a similar light.
It’s uncertain whether this is a long-term strategy for the brand or a one-off viral stunt, but it’s definitely a smart one.