Our weekly wrap of good things, strange things, funny things and other things from inside the intertubes.
Browsing: Ikea
With a print run of 220 million copies, the Ikea catalogue has a distribution level that any author would be proud of. And it’s only fitting then that legendary German literary critic Hellmuth Karasek should be given the opportunity to analyse the pages and share his opinion on the narrative development, characters and language used in the book. Over the course of about five minutes, the critic pages through the catalogue, delivering a very dry analysis.
It seems that many aspects of life are crossing over to the digital realm these days down to the way we communicate, work, shop, read – the list is endless. Ikea has taken this idea one step further, offering an online virtual wedding service.
Ikea Singapore is not afraid to scare the crap out of its customers with a tongue-in-cheek ad out just in time for Halloween. PLUS: a few other branded tricks and treats.
While the rest of the world is intent on trying to come to grips with what the digital world offers, Ikea seems satisfied in sticking with the comfort of the conventional. This was seen recently when the high-end furniture company re-imagined its annual catalogue as a state-of-the art bookbook. But working in a conventional channel doesn’t always imply simplicity. Recently, in an effort to celebrate the opening of its 30th store in France, Ikea constructed a nine-metre-high climbing wall in Clermont-Ferrand.
The proliferation of digital technology has introduced countless features and applications. And with this progress has come a new vocabulary to describe everything that these digital innovations bring to the table. So, for the launch of its latest catalogue, Ikea has unveiled arguably the most ground-breaking innovation to hit coffee tables: the bookbook. At first glance, it might seem like nothing more than a print edition of the fancy furniture store’s annual catalogue, and this would be correct. It is simply a book. But in describing the latest edition in an over two-minute video, Ikea uses language that would be more suited to the latest rendering of the iPhone.
Ikea and German agency Thjnk have turned to RGB to make the best use of a nine square metre billboard and show how home owners can make similar space saving decisions. It’s a geeky but cool concept to advertise the furniture retailer’s small space solutions.
Some of us like to ask friends and family before we buy something, others spend hours browsing websites and catalogues before they hit the shops. Now furniture retailer Ikea has an alternative with an app that uses the Chinese signs of the Zodiac to make recommendations.
Canterbury development shop Mogeo – run by a trio that came together shortly after the February 2011 quake – has followed in Ikea’s footsteps with an app similar to one recently released by the European giant to help furniture buyers.
Apparently there’s a lot of porn on the internet. As all the staff at StopPress are pure as the driven snow, we’re not sure if this is true. And we’re also unaware if Hotmalm.com, which takes a unique approach to showcasing Ikea beds, is modelled on the content and headlines of certain adult sites.
Quite possibly the funniest bloopers you’ll ever see; cats get their cream—and their milkmen; you’ll never see more passionate bus lovers; Mad Men gets Rick Rolled; driving with the dogs; hey, pass me a beer; Grandads have the best tricks; Ikea embraces colour—and the power of dance; some smooth agency self-promotion; Intel follows up the Museum of Me with the musical of you; Facebook isn’t manly; the search for the Higgs Boson; how going slow is a good business model; Simpsons chairs; and more billboard tomfoolery from St Matthew in the City.
The organisers of the 58th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, which kicks off on June 19, just couldn’t wait until the start date before handing out the first accolade, so they’ve given IKEA the prestigious Advertiser of the Year Award for distinguishing itself through inspiring innovative marketing of its products and embracing creative work.