Ikea Strategic Brand Management

When people talk about furnitures, the first brand which comes to mind is IKEA. Originating from Sweden, IKEA first open shop in 1958, then in Norway in 1963 and soon after, it spread throughout the whole of Europe and thus slowly making its way to the whole world. With their biggest market in Germany with 45 stores followed by United States with 35 stores, now IKEA have 313 stores in 30 countries. (Cult Branding, 2012). Known for its simplistic design which has maximum optimization, IKEA product ranges from not only furniture but also different furniture segments such as kitchen cabinets, build-in wardrobe and much other furniture. IKEA strategic brand management in making the brand such a craze among its customer and thus leading to a brand value which is important for IKEA’s entire product line making IKEA one of the most valuable brand in the furniture niche. A visit to IKEA for either shopping or leisure would reveal several factors on why customers come back over and over again for not only products from IKEA but also the shopping experience from IKEA. Comparing a visit to IKEA with any other furniture outlet is different as one gets the sense of belongingness as the layout of every IKEA store makes one feels homely. It is so that customers can visualize their homes when buying IKEA products. IKEA’s interior designing team designed the rooms or kitchens in a way that people could visualize how their homes will look like before purchasing the product from IKEA making a purchase from IKEA a worthwhile one. Adding to that, IKEA made things different as its furniture and home furnishing shopping is differentiated so well, consumers who wanted specific products from specific departments of the home. Another value added to IKEA’s brand is about the design of the products. Eventhough IKEA’s product design are minimalistic, the products presents itself in an innovative way in such that it does not take much space and yet still being able to function better or

References: Cult Branding. (2012). The IKEA Cult Brand Profile. The Cult Branding Company. Retrieved from http://www.cult-branding.com/ikea-cult-brand-profile IKEA (2012). Welcome to IKEA. Retrieved from http://www.ikea.com/