Mark Lives in Ikea

by Mark Fogelberg

Having Swedish ancestry courtesy of my paternal grandfather (Fogelberg translates to bird mountain in English), I must admit a fondness toward IKEA. Their furniture filled my first NY apartment, they helped us gain the upper hand in the battle of toy sprawl across our house, and any trip to IKEA still means Shopping with a capital S. I have to admit, though, I may not be as big a fan of the big retailer as another Mark.

On www.marklivesinikea.com, comedian/writer/audience coordinator Mark Malkoff documents his week living at the IKEA in Paramus, New Jersey. When his apartment had to be fumigated, he could have stayed in a hotel or gone on a nice vacation. Instead, by taking an alternate route, Mark has developed a consumer generated outlet for showcasing that, yes, IKEA has everything you need to live your life.

The fact that the brand took the risk of letting Mark Malkoff crash at the store for a week shows the value of taking little risks on behalf of your brand. Who knows what the gang at Deutsch may do to help extend the message. Remember last year when they decorated bus stops, subway cars with 10 tons of merchandise?

Score: IKEA 1, Complacency 0

Comments

[MKJ]

IKEA is an amazing brand that takes risks with WOM.

[Maria Elena Duron]

I saw this on CBS's Early Show and marveled at their word-of-mouth prowess. What an absolutely amazing idea!