Superbrand: Ikea

Think furniture, think ______ ?

I think Ikea.

Think Ikea, think _______ ?

I think meatballs.

Ikea has most probably lost its cause with me. Or am I suppose to think about homogenity, global infiltration, mega brand, or simply comfort and affordable?

To prove my point, my room is an almost Ikea showcase. (But not stylish enough to make it to the bedroom catalogues)


The mismatched table to suffice as a pillow when I fall asleep studying. The multi-functional lamp to hang bras too.



The bookcase to house almost anything but books.


However (here comes the big but(t)), Ikea had to come a long way before establishing its global domination. Ingvar Kamprad, founder of Ikea, richest man in Europe, sentimental boss, friend and colleague, alcoholic, alleged Nazi supporter and Sweden's National Association of Furniture Dealer's worst enemy and nightmare, admits the tremendous fiascos before scuplting his empire of affordable furniture. This multi-billion company prides in its humility as just one of the many attributes to its success. Staff travel on economy-class flights and executives don jeans and tear up cardboard boxes every once in while when having an exchange program in other departments. Cool huh?

To demonstrate another successful tip on how to spread your international reign over every household, a little drama has to be staged.

"Oh Ikea, Ikea, thou has possessed me! You've consumed my corners of my private space I call home. Ikea, Ikea, your grip is strong. You tickle my every sense when you send my a free catalogue on bedrooms, kitchens and annual ranges right to my very doorstep."

Free catalogues are just a magical marketing and PR tool. Honestly, it is just spell-binding. A visual feast when you're up for day dreaming.

Today, it's a crime to define Ikea to politcal borders. We can't do that now, can we? If we limit the Ikea fever, we wouldn't be half as entertained when you read the news about stampedes happening during the Ikea Sale. I mean, if Stella McCartney collaborated with Target and launched fanstastically cheap clothes which stirred a stampede, it's only understandable. You buy clothes more often than furniture. An Ikea Sale? A stampede? Even churches don't have that kind of power to incite their congregation.

So in conclusion, Ikea is just mega. If one day, we find our homes looking alike and more homogenous, we can't blame Ikea. We just have to accuse our cheapskate human nature.

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Flavell K. 2009. Ikea: Democratic Design. Marketing Magazine. 381667/00301. pp16-25.