Think About It

"YOUR NEW 2007 IKEA CATALOG IS INSIDE."

Emblazoned on a field of bright yellow, this headline screamed out at me from the bag wrap of my Sunday newspaper.

"You should be very excited," the paragraph of copy began. I read on:

Why, you ask? Because of all the new products and lower prices inside. And because this catalog is the only catalog we'll send you all year. Why, you ask again? Well, we don't believe in being wasteful. Junk mail in particular makes us upset. Steam-shooting-out-of-our-ears upset. Other companies send you different catalogs every week. Actually, they're the same catalog, but with different covers to make you think "Golly gee-whiz! Something new and fun and exciting!" But it isn't. We make one catalog a year, not twenty. This helps us save on paper. Savings we then pass on to you. Savings like more affordable EXTORP sofas and PAX wardrobes. Savings like more trees. Savings like less junk mail and less steam shooting out of your ears. So celebrate. You're holding the solutions guide for a better everyday life. Keep it handy for great ideas and inspiration to improve your home throughout the year. Today is a very exciting day.

I read every word on that yellow bag. When I was done, I tore into the newspaper and rifled through it until I found the catalog. This, despite the fact that I've never shopped at IKEA. And despite the fact that I don't have the first clue what an EXTORP sofa is. Frankly, the phrase "EXTORP sofa" makes me think of Judy Jetson sprawled out, watching holographic television and popping a few after-school snack pellets. And yet, there I was, digging for this catalog like it was buried treasure.

How could IKEA make its catalog so irresistible to someone like me, who has no relationship with its brand?

1. It created a sense of urgency. It's now or never. Find and save the catalog inside this bag - or be without one for the whole year.
2. It established value. IKEA doesn't classify its catalog as a price list. No, it's "the solutions guide for a better everyday life."
3. It used humor to establish a rapport. Although I didn't know the first thing about IKEA, its personable language and comical phrases ("steam-shooting-out-of-our-ears upset") made it the retail equivalent of Chandler Bing - someone clever and fun that I'd like to get to know.
4. It provided a brand introduction. Using resources wisely and protecting the environment are among IKEA's top corporate ideals. By raising the issue of junk mail, IKEA gave me insight into its values while making its "one catalog a year" message believable as more than a marketing ploy.