The IKEA: Key Idea.

Would you consider yourself to be part of a cult? No? Well, in a certain sense you are.
Ever since the rise of capitalism globally, a sort of cult-like promotion of products, and buying
and selling have been slowly but surely ingrained in the minds of any average person. Through
almost continuous and consistent advertisements targeting all aspects of everyday life, an
individual is more often than not pushed into wanting and longing for something that he/she
would normally not consider buying, had it not been for the five billboards and three
algorithmically endorsed advertisements. However, if one does not, in fact, turn a blind and
rather a critical eye to certain commercials then he/she is able to come out with an amused, more
global and in depth perspective of the inner workings that are poured into writing an ad. For
instance, an IKEA cheese grater can easily become the center of a critique essay. Through
delivering a satirical commentary on a contemporary issue, this advertisement is not only selling
a product but it adds to it an anecdote.
Within a week of the release of the new Mac Pro by Apple in 2019, IKEA Bulgaria
released an advertisement for the “iDEALISK grater.” The ad consisted of a white background
and tiled floor with the product in the very center, its silver luster reflecting on the floor. At the
very top center in bold, black text, it reads “Designed for apples”. Placing the name of the
product in the middle to the right of the grater, the creators even emphasized the cheap price of
3,99lv by bumping up the point size. To top it off, the IKEA yellow and blue logo lay on the
bottom right corner of the ad.
All advertisements generally have a particular objective and audience in mind and strive
to receive a certain amount of attention and acknowledgement from this audience. The Smarts,
the advertising agency, in the IKEA cheese grater ad had pounced on an opportunity and
marketing strategy that built on the popularity and heavy criticism of another brand: Apple. After
giving out great criticism over the 6,000$ workstation tower, which was released with the Mac
Pro reveal in July of 2019, people rather accurately but unflatteringly compared the device to a
common kitchen tool: the cheese grater. By referring to Apple’s downfall, the Smarts focused
not only on building on that momentum but also on feeding off of it. While the ad does not
explicitly call out the product, the designers rely on their target audience's knowledge of pop
culture, thus targeting a younger audience. By using the typical lowercase “i” in their product
name and the mention of “apples” in the slogan- both hinting at Apple’s trademark, the IKEA
team is advertising the product more so for its wits and satire than its actual purpose.
Visual indications and pictures in advertisements are not placed at random or without
much thought. In the iDEALISK grater’s commercial, many visual cues tend to promote the
ongoing analogy between technology (more specifically a laptop) and the kitchen tool. Firstly,
the luster and reflection of the gray grater resemble those of a laptop on a platform. The
minimalistic and monochrome scales and the rather simple font are a staple of the Apple brand.
The placement of the grater alone and enlarged grants it an increased importance and transcends
it from a simple kitchen tool to a more elaborate and advanced model, which is also reflected in
the complex name normally given to a piece of technology as opposed to a grater. The layout is
minimalistic as previously stated and very little is said about the item besides its name and price.
This lack of creativity and more muted advertisement once more has shown that it is not in fact
the product, in and of itself, that is being sold to the audience but rather the joke and wit that
comes with it.
 As the IKEA marketing team aimed to sell a story as opposed to a simple product, it put
an extra effort in creating a particular mood to their print ad. In particular through the long and
thought out analogies both visual and in the writing, the billboard gives a futuristic minimalistic
atmosphere that engages both the person's humour and his/her sense of grandeur. For instance,
projecting even a cheese grater as a technological must-have would influence buyers not to turn a
blind eye, regardless of the actual product. It is through this particular aspect of the ad, that one
can see the satire.
While this advertisement did receive much attention and praise for its humour, its success
is mainly due to its well timed display. Had it been released later, it would have not ridden the
wave of popularity and momentum that the Mac Pro had created. Even keeping it too long would
have ruined its appeal and wit, therefore IKEA correctly released and dropped the iDEALISK
grater. As a product, perhaps differently targeted advertisements focusing on the product more so
than the story would also promote sales. The contemporary time frame in which this ad was
placed in makes it especially unique and it did stand out among the many different and ever
changing commercials that surface daily. The wit that it has brought forth is refreshing and
thought provoking.
All in all, advertisements play a major role in everyday life. And while all publicity in a way is
good publicity, one must bear in mind the impact of the images and billboards he/she sees
everyday. The IKEA ad did not only engage the customer in a trade but it also presented him/her
with a story and an anecdote to tell. Advertisements are a dangerous tool that if used correctly
can create creative and beautiful conten;t however, if not, they can lead to a largely
disproportionate propaganda of ideas.