Business Slogan 41: Screw Yourself
I have always maintained that sex sells in advertising. Still, I raised my eyebrows and grinned with great amusement when I first saw this business slogan. Imagine, a clean-cut, family oriented furniture mega store is using “sex” to sell it’s tables and chairs.
Just make a guess who has the cheek to shout it out loud and meant every word of it.
Well, Swedish furniture house, Ikea, swore by it in 2004.
Ikea provides everything you need in the store. You’ll see shopping lists, pencils, measuring rules and copies of loan catalogues throughout the store to make your shopping easy and convenient. At Ikea, you pick up what you want, take it home and assemble the furniture you want instantly. You do a little screwing and hampering work so that you don’t have to pay sometime to do it for you. And Ikea designed the furnitures such that they can be produced at a low cost, assembled within a short time. It’s the concept that you do your part and they do your part and together we save money.
So literally, Ikea provides the Ellen key and you go screw yourself.
Besides this creative and very memorable business slogan, Ikea has also used these:
- Not for the rich but for the wise (first slogan written by founder, Ingvar Kamprad)
- Unlimited Possibilities
- Life outside work
- Unboring
- You don’t have to be rich, just smart.
- Low prices, but not at any price
(Note: I understood that Ikea is getting rid of the screws. The 2008 catalogue said the flat-pack chairs require no tools and screws because “if it isn’t necessary, lose it”. “To tighten the price we got rid of the screws!” )
Check out more such slogans filed under “Famous Business Slogans” category. Learn from these world renowned establishments and see how you can create your own personal or corporate persona. Alternatively, I’m just an email away.
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January 12th, 2008 at 7:11 am
Wow, I had not yet heard this slogan (makes me realize I need to start paying more attention to overall advertising campaigns and less on the new media world! It’s hard to know everything…)
The slogan is definitely unique, effective, and memorable. And i feel that it fits with Ikea’s sense of humor. I still remember their ad about the poor little lamp that was put out in the rain. “It’s just a lamp.”
Great post! Thanks!
January 12th, 2008 at 8:36 am
Yes, I remembered the lamp. It goes to show that a memorable ad encourages high unaided recall.
January 12th, 2008 at 11:05 am
Ikea has always been in the forefront of great advertising slogans. The layout of their ads are also very nice, clean and consistent - an Ikea advertisement is unmistakable. This makes them stand out from the truckloads of highly forgettable furniture shop ads which mainly tout price without any focus on style, branding or theme.
Great example!