I hate this kind of marketing -- the blatant cooptation of progressive politics for the sole purpose of pushing consumerism... gross. Overconsumption is part of what has hobbled our economy (aside from, well, massive corporate fraud, subprime mortgages, predatory lending, bungled bailouts, etc.). But the idea that we are only as good as the stuff we have, only as happy as our credit limits will allow us to be, is also a cause. And the long history of advertisers attempting to repackage activist instincts into just another marketing campaign is hideous. Read Anne Elizabeth Moore's book "Unmarketable" for more, or Jean Kilbourne's book "Can't Buy My Love: How Advertising Changes the Way we Think and Feel."

well, i like the idea in a way. many times people diss ikea b/c it's cheap, but sometimes cheap is the most responsible.

jplee,

You do understand the purpose of this web site, don't you?

I work in advertising, and from a professional perspective, this campaign is excellent for many reasons. And given that Ikea is a destination retailer (people will drive 5 hours with a uhaul to go shopping at Ikea, and they know it), a store within an hour's drive of the ad placement is excellent.

It's a new year, a new administration, and we're in an economic recession. The message speaks to most people's desire for a fresh start with a fresh year. Because Ikea products are budget minded, it can be argued that the product also suggests fiscal responsiblity. That is to say, if you were going to buy, buy Ikea and you'll save some money while helping to energize the economy.

Remember WWII? Buy bonds! And be conservative with your resources. The "Feed the Pig" campaign is excellent for the same reason -- the message is not don't spend, it's save first, then spend. Ikea's value proposition includes sustainability (products made out of recyled materials), geat design, less packaging, DIY, etc.

I also think that piggybacking on the new administration is a kind of political speech intended to connect Ikea's demographic with a feel-good progressive idealogy. The message says "you can feel great about buying from us because we're like you -- we have the same values as you." There's no overt endorsement, rather, the buyer layers their own emotions about Obama or Bush over buzzwords like "change", "reform, and "home".

How do I feel about it personally? It's a bit visually overwhelming, but it's also witty. And it works... I normally don't consider iKea because I prefer higher quality. But I've been considering them for small purchases like office lighting, teenager's bedroom, as well as big purchases like kitchen cabinets.

*chuckle* to davidasposted :-)

I think jplee's points are good. Ikea's advertising that marries mass market goods to principles is just as phony as the political ads it trades on.

I see these ads every day in the Farragut North station as well, and I've been really annoyed by them. I personally agree with jplee on the matter, although maybe not quite as extreme. To me, a Swedish furniture store really has nothing to do with politics, but if they are going to put the ads anywhere, DC would be the place to do it.

Potomac, Virginia is an extinct town formerly located in Arlington County, annexed by Alexandria. The IKEA is in Woodbridge, adjacent to Potomac Mills Mall (formerly in the mall).

Not a comment on the IKEA ads, I know, but if you're going to blog in/about the area, at least get the area names right.

Clever of Ikea to use the latest buzzword in order to sell furniture. Hate it or love it, you have to applaud them for their creativity. It definitely has people talking...which is the whole idea...right?

Like suzy8track said. I can't really vote on whether it's hot or not -- it's a clever, timely ad campaign and can't be faulted for that. The day we declare ads "hot" is the day we surpass capitalism and rocket into some transcendental consumer sphere from which there is no return until the stock market crashes. Again. Or something.

Green line to college park metro station bus 17 to ikea. college park maryland is like 15 minutes from DC people...do you live in the area.

I think this is a great ad camaign...at the right time...at the right place!

I think it is a great idea to piggyback on the times and the atmosphere in DC, but i'd like the ads to be classier. These look so cheesy and usually IKEA has clever ads.

Just because there is not an IKEA in DC, the other two are considered the DC Metropolitan area.

I know so many carless people who take a zipcar out there and load up. I'm in NOVA and it is still a good 1/2 hour for me to get there and I have a car. I'm thrilled that there are two plus the Baltimore store that I can find items at, if one of them is sold out.

The IKEA in College Park is about 15 minutes away from Northeast DC and is quite close to the red line. And no, there is no Potomac IKEA location.

I think they meant Potomac Mills twitteringbirdie :) There is one down there.

Fiscally responsible, environmentally IRRESPONSIBLE!

If the campaign is about Change, then why, oh why is IKEA planning to trot out a limousine and 2 SUVs loaded up with IKEA furniture on top in a 'mock motorcade'? THAT's the part that's definitely NOT HOT.

You'd think that a retailer who has a slogan Yellow Blue=Green would be more environmentally responsible. Pffftttt!

Let's not forget that Ikea paid the metro a whole lotta money for those ads, thus (hopefully) freeing up some government subsidies to go somewhere else in these uncertain times!

It's a fairly typical site-specific campaign. I find it more DC-specific than Obama-centric.

(but ragging on IKEA's faux-torcade one day publicity stunt is just silly, imho)

I think it's funny, and totally appropriate for Washington, D.C.

But then, I have a sense of humor.

I don't care for the aesthetics of the ads- they look cheap. They remind me of those huge 'going out of business' signs that guys on the street get paid to prop up at intersections. Ikea's ads tend to be more clever and eye appealing. Also, they should be careful about touting the 'change' campaign line. The non-Obama supporters tend to find the whole 'change' idea to be a joke and may shy away from a company who is shamelessly trying to jump on the bandwagon.

Yeah I saw those on my way to work yesterday and I was put off. Sure, it brightened up the station (a lot) with all that yellow, but it seemed like they bought every available ad space. The first one I saw was clever, but then everywhere I turned, BAM! another one. I do love IEKA, but this is a bit much.

Wow, they sure went all out!

I think it's kind of funny! The ads are very IKEA, just the colors and font would alert anybody familiar with the brand. Since I am an IKEA fan, I approve!

And as an Obama fan, I approve of furthering the ideas of fiscal responsibility and change, too.

Well, like it or not, an ad campaign's job is to get noticed, and to get people talking...which is exactly what is happening here.

The entire campaign has also drawn attention from basically every major US and international news source. Probably one of the biggest (if not the biggest) PR push in IKEA history.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/advertising/2009-01-13-inauguration-advertisers-brands_N.htm
http://www.nbcwashington.com/around_town/the_scene/Ikea-to-Build-Oval-Office-Replica.html
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99398676
http://www.nypost.com/seven/01172009/news/nationalnews/tiger_to_tee_up_for_bams_bash_150580.htm
http://www.adweek.com/aw/creative/ad-of-the-day/article_display.jsp?creativeId=269975
http://www.brandweek.com/bw/content_display/news-and-features/retail-restaurants/e3i6ae6fc5050e3cd8b6f9d569b58a2b5d7?imw=Y
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/content_display/news/out-there/traditional/e3i4b1f65d434686899e9f2ae8bb65fb04e
http://www.culture-buzz.com/blog/Ikea-Redecorates-the-White-House-2010.html
http://www.gotaccesssecrets.com/cnn-highlights-pepsi-and-ikeas-obama-inspired-ad-campaigns/
http://www.adrants.com/2009/01/ikea-wants-the-white-house.php
http://info.xinhua.org/eng/txt_detail.jsp?doctype=2&libid=4&primarykeyvalue=124369427&channelid=3&cid=3_14
http://www.good.is/?p=14658
http://digg.com/odd_stuff/IKEA_To_Decorate_The_Oval_Office

or just search yourself.
http://www.google.com/search?q=ikea embrace change&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a