I stumbled on a commercial on YouTube (yes, I watch commercials!) – it’s a commercial from IKEA, world-famous Scandinavian-style furniture and accessories store, and – not like what I expect – it’s not promoting its new line of furniture. Instead, IKEA launches Emoticons app.
I’ve checked from the official page; IKEA Emoticons is basically “a communication tool to ensure universal love and understanding in your home” – via the use of emoticons – or emojis to be more precise.
Pretty interesting. The question is, why IKEA launches such app that is not related to their line of business?
From my non-expert observation, I see that the emojis used by IKEA relates to their business image and line of products. The Swedish meatballs emoji… the furniture emojis… all related to IKEA brand elements.
Coincidence? Of course not! IKEA understands that images can communicate better than texts (“a picture is worth a thousand words”) and IKEA knows that the emojis/emoticons will help enforcing the brand in users’ (subconscious) mind.
Going outside the box matters, and that’s what IKEA does with IKEA Emoticons. A smart move, in my opinion.
What do you think?
