Decoding the semiotics of the ikea 'shlomping'ad campaign
... But, we have been eventually won over and ikeas business boomed. The Ikea adverts are somewhat unconventional, but the ad executives at St.Lukes say that it is that way to convince customers that the Ikeas concept and philopsophy work. This marketing campaign is centred around the theme ‘Shlomping’. The campaign includes tv, print, outdoor, bilboards, direct and interactive (there is a shlomp-a-plompa game you can play on the internet) and address the relationship many people have with their furniture and humourously demonstrate that it is possible to create the life you really want at home with Ikea home furnishings. Shlomping creates a new way of thinking about your home. It is about putting aside the old ideas of how a home should work in favour of some simpler, happier less conventional and more imaginative answers. This advert pokes fun at our tendancy to hold onto our old outdated furniture and challenges us to break that tradition. This Shlomping advert continues the Ikea brand ‘Live Unltd’, the ethos of breaking peoples conventions when it comes to home furninshings.The Shlomping advert boldly depicts with images and words why it is so important to have in our lives, furnishings that truly fulfil our needs and best fit our style and personlity. It is stylish and exciting. With this advert we tap into the feelings and emotions that many people these days have about their furniture, Ikea makes you believe that it is affordable and easy to have a home where everthing in it brings excitement, functionality and joy. Ikea put this message across in a very unique, edgy and fun manor. The advert includes many different scenarios about how introducing shlomping into your life will “take the pressure off your spine as its the fun and free alternative to sitting!” Shlomping sets the stage for inspiring and motivating the audience to get Shlomping and live a better life. This is done by using humourously frank family and everyday scenarios that show room setting inspirations. The scenarios make you believe that it is easy to convert your home. This Shlomping advert is found in magazines. It is a fold-out mini book entitled ‘funsheet No.3’ even containing a word search game. Ikea have created this form of advertising so that the audience will want to keep the advert and refer back to it. This warms people to the ikea lifestyle making them want to own the furniture. This advert acts as a nice suppliment to their main catalogue which is the most distributed magazine across the world. The art directors have structed this advert so that there is more than just shlomping on show. In some of the sections the Shlomper is emersed in an Ikea driven environment which contains rugs, shelving, lighting and accessories. Even if the consumer does not warm to the advert they can be attracted to the products. The text in the advert is bright and repetative. It looks ike they have been stamped on; making it look like exciting and inviting. This backs up what Ikea have been trying to achieve over the last 20 years, to stamp their style over Britain, it is also inkeeping with with the fun theme of shlomping. The shape of the text frames the shlomping position of the lady. Denoting that it looks and sounds big, bounchy and comfy, thus making it endearing and making us want to join in with the shlomping craze. The term shlomping hs become naturalized with the Ikea logo. The Ikea blue and yello logo itself is a sign of Sweedish ingenuity as it is the colour os their flag and signifies comfy, contemporary , afforadble furniture.There are many different demographic groups featured in the advert ranging from a young couple, a family, a single woman,...