IKEA Goes Public, Sorta
Alla and Alexander are on display. The couple is currently living in a 55 square-meter glass box outside an IKEA store in Moscow as part of a promotional campaign for the retailer.
The entire abode is decorated with items for sale available in IKEA’s new catalog and, understandably, the promotion is drawing a lot of attention.
Alexander (last name withheld) told Reuters, “You see someone standing next to the sofa and then you see it’s someone standing on the other side of the glass. That has been what is unexpected. But, we are trying to live and have a normal life.”
Living a normal life can be difficult, to say the least, when your life is not only on display for people walking by but is also being beamed out on the internet via a webcast. The rooms in the glass house are equipped with cameras and audio hookups.
Click to check out Reuters
video report: IKEA lifestyle exposed (1:28
minutes running time).
Discussion Questions: What do you think of the IKEA promotion in Russia? Should IKEA try it here? Why or why not?
They should combine this with the Ralph Lauren window-shopping technology and put the glass house somewhere they can’t get a store in. How about putting the glass house downtown somewhere, let people order items as they watch the couple using them/living with them, and pitching them on visiting the out-of-town IKEA warehouse for more great ideas for living?
This takes reality television and brings it closer, or you might say it’s a remake on the move “The Truman Story.” Certainly IKEA should do it here in the US. They could even make it a huge fund-raiser for a charity by having people pledge based on the number of days they stay in the unit.
They are unconventional. They do not try to copy the ideas of others. They focus on consumers and what they will respond to. They are not afraid to be creative nor to try new ideas, they are not afraid of failure. They do not rely on the tired, bureaucratic, traditional media oriented approach to marketing of the large international advertising agencies. IKEA rules!!!!
Yes. It should be done here as well, since we as Americans seem to be so curious. In fact, we seem to love watching other people, whether it be on the web or stuck on the side of the road. How else do you explain miles of bumper to bumper traffic to discover that a cop is giving someone a ticket? Some people watch a street corner on the internet for long periods of time, so why not this? Plus, it is something that will be talked about and written about and, as they say in the advertising industry, will cut through the clutter of the typical retail promotion. This promo also seems to fit in quite well with their current quirky television campaign.
IKEA continues to hit nothing but home runs in Russia. I watched the first store go up and observed an explosion in customer demand. I was told their first store quickly moved to a top volume store in the chain. The volume was so great they had trouble keeping up with demand. IKEA has built additional stores in Moscow and are now adding stores in other major cities. Russia has 11 cities with a population greater than 1 million people.
IKEA works hard to make shopping fun and enjoyable. They bring theater to the store. Having customers on display living with their products is great theater. All the free articles, pictures, etc. would cost millions to bring attention to the store. IKEA is proof positive that EDLP can be fun and enjoyable; one just has to think outside the box. Would it work here? Maybe, but it is not as likely to as successful. American consumers and retailers have too great of a deal addiction.
IKEA has been recognized for creative positive publicity. They were the first mainstream retailer to use a gay couple in a US TV ad (1994) which still gets them great publicity. Which would you rather have: free publicity about wage caps or free publicity about people living in your display windows?
Why not?…provided of course they cast Brad and Angelina or Britney and Kevin as Alla and Alexander.