Etude de cas IKEA

Correction TD IKEA

The catalogue serves as a pre-shopping advertisement, an in-store sales aid and interior decorating guide. Many consumers shop with the catalogue in hand. Since the catalogue is such an important marketing tool, it is crucial for it to accurately reflect the color and appearance of IKEA products, also in local cultural circumstances.

1. Advantages:

- The IKEA concept (the concumer as producer, i.e prosumer) reflects standardization on a world basis in all parts of the mix makrting

- scale of economies: printing + products worldwild

Disadvantage:

• The concept cannot reflect cultural diversity

2. The catalogue serves as a pre-shopping advertisement, an in-store sales aid and interior decorating guide. When the furniture is bought, the consumer functions as an assembler (pro-sumer/”ikea effect”) of the furniture. In some cultures, there is no tradition for the consumer to play this active role in decorating the home. Maybe, most would prefer architects to play this role. In such cultures, the effectiveness of the catalogue as a marketing tool wuld be less.

3. The IKEA illustration reflects the Chinese one-child policy (two children are shown in the Danish illustration).

- The apartment in the Danish illustration seems to be larger, whereas the Chinese illustrationshows smaller room, indicating a smaller apartment, which is normal in many parts of Asia

DANISH KLASSIC

The idea behind the new brick packaging is excellent as seen from a  technical/objective point of view. The cream cheese will remain healthy for a whole year production – even if it is not kept under refrigeration, because no oxygen will reach the cheese in this packaging. This would also mean lower inventory costs

However, the problem for the Danish Klassic-management is to change eating habits. The people in Saudi Arabia are used to taking the cheese from glass packaging and suddenly a mysterious Danish company comes and changes that.

The brick packaging can be difficult to open and take cheese from.

According to the family photo, it seems thath the product is more targeted towards the modern families in the cities since the clothing of the woman would never be acceptable in a traditional Muslim family.

It appeats to be a risky affair to sell products under a Danish image, as only a minority of Saudi arabians will associate anything with Denmark. Also the special spelling of Klassic seems to be  a little strange, because some people might think it was a mis-spelling (Classic). It is only an attempt to create some kind of brand awareness

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