BBH Singapore Pokes Fun at Apple with IKEA's 'Bookbook'

The annual IKEA Catalogue launch has been a cornerstone of the Swedish furniture giant’s marketing for a long time.

But in a world where devices have largely replaced books, it’s harder to get excited about a printed catalogue.

So for the 2015 edition, BBH Asia Pacific set out to launch the IKEA Catalogue in the manner usually reserved for much-anticipated tech devices.

The IKEA Catalogue campaign invites you to ‘Experience the power of a book’, and rediscover ‘The Original Touch Interface.’ Amazing features are celebrated, like ‘Eternal Battery Life’, and pages that ‘load instantly, with zero lag’. 

The campaign will run in Singapore and Malaysia using the full range of media, from full page newspaper and 6-sheet outdoor, radio and cinema, to a sleek 3D animated microsite experience complete with user demo video, showcasing the features of this ‘life enhancing devise.’

All of this is to remind consumers of IKEA’s range of 2015 home and furnishing ideas that come pre-installed in next year’s catalogue, for easy browsing, bookmarking and ultimately, buying. 

Said Tinus Strydom, Creative Director, BBH Asia Pacific said: “To be given the opportunity to launch such an innovative content delivery system is a once in a career opportunity.” 

Yeong Tze Kuen, Regional Marketing Manager, Ikano Retail Asia said: “Like we say in the campaign, at IKEA we feel that technology that is this life enhancing should be in the hands of everyone. We invite you to download one from your mailbox. The one you open with a key. Or you can upload yourself to the IKEA store and find one there.”

In a review of the IKEA 2015 Catalogue, Seow Tein Hee, online editor, Stuff.tv Asia said: “When a device is this intuitive to use, the technology can seem hauntingly familiar, as if somehow, you've used it before... eerie."