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The Magic of Print – IKEA Gets It – and Makes Us Laugh Too!

Books and catalogs are marketing magic

Common Sense – In Furniture and Marketing

Leave it up to a company that has successfully made knock-down furniture, hex key wrenches and one-word names packed with Nordic accent marks stylish to not only get what makes printed communication important, but to make it sexy and desirable too. Taking a jab at the hype surrounding the upcoming fall releases of new products from the high-tech world, Swedish furniture purveyor IKEA has decided to call attention to all of the positive and user-friendly aspects of its printed catalog.

Experience the Power of…a Catalog!

IKEA’s launch video for the latest edition of its catalog has already been hailed for parodying the style of tech giants like Apple. Its dry humor presenting a traditional printed piece using terminology common to technology has made it a viral smash. But it also strikes a chord for marketers who know that printed communication is still a vital part of their promotional mix. While it may be funny to see a catalog being described as if it were an iPad; it brings awareness to the fact everything that digital media has to live up to was, and still is, based in good old-fashioned print. IKEA definitely gets it – print and digital communication can not only live side by side, they can drive one another as well. Check out the video below.