The most-shared online video of September 2014 promoted a book. Not a digital book or an ebook, but an actual, hold-in your hands, paper book.
Ripping a page from Apple’s marketing playbook, home furnishings giant IKEA created a parody of the computer company’s advertising which studiously describes the details of its new products. Focusing solely on its 2015 print catalog, IKEA describes and demonstrates the features and benefits of the paper book.
As of the end of September, the IKEA video had attracted more than 5 million viewers. By the second week of October, more than 12 million viewers had checked out “Experience the power of a bookbook.™”
Even at the end of its video, IKEA sticks with its message about the value and utility of the paper catalog, eschewing the obvious opportunity to provide guidance on how to easily access the catalog’s online version.
But then, there really was no need to do anything more to promote curiosity. IKEA had already captured attention by skillfully hijacking Apple’s concept, spoofing it, and raking in the viewers and a lot of publicity. From there, it was a pretty sure bet that many people who could not immediately get their hands on the paper catalog would be heading over to check it out online.
Pretty cool and awesomely clever.