Elite Designers Against IKEA

IKEA is my wife's favorite shop. I go along with her on her IKEA outings on the condition that I get to stop in at their restaurant and have a plate of Swedish meatballs. Anyway, the Elite Designers Against IKEA site pretty much describes what it is in its title. According to their manifesto: "We design profound and beautiful furniture for those with wealth and taste. Which is why IKEA makes us furious livid and angry." I'm assuming this site is part of an advertising campaign for IKEA itself.
Update: This definitely is a hoax, and it may be backfiring on Ikea (oops. I mean, IKEA). Here's a blurb from PR Week about the ad campaign:


Ikea has opened a can of worms with its hoax PR campaign to ban the furniture brand, spearheaded by the flamboyant sham-designer Van den Puup, who believes design should be exclusive and expensive.
Cooke & Brand PR set up an email and phone line for the phoney character and, flooded with responses, has found it difficult to differentiate those who have been taken in by the ruse from those enjoying the interaction.
'Huw Shooter' probably got the joke when asking for Puup to design his second guest suite in a fusion of 'Byzantine and Spanish Rococo' styles, but Stef Wheway felt compelled to write: 'It seems we av (sic) a mutual disliking for Ikea! But what's with your prices? Are they for real or is it a joke to take the piss out of Ikea?'

Websites

Posted on Mon Oct 11, 2004


Comments

Looks more just like one of those sites that exist so that someone can sell t-shirts and merchandise.
Posted by David  on  Tue Oct 12, 2004  at  02:20 AM
Definitely an Ikea campaign, the TV ads are already out in the UK
Posted by jag  on  Tue Oct 12, 2004  at  05:31 AM
I've never seen an IKEA.
Posted by Maegan  on  Tue Oct 12, 2004  at  02:11 PM
jag you forgot to capitalize all the letters.
Posted by john  on  Tue Oct 12, 2004  at  04:20 PM
How can anyone really like IKEA? It's complete build your own garbage furniture! I've seen these stupid ads for weeks now in the UK.
Posted by Dawn  on  Wed Oct 13, 2004  at  06:47 AM
I'm writing a dissertation about elite vs. mass design and IKEA couldn't make me a bigger favour with this campaign. I think they are taking the piss about all those 'empty style over substance' designers. They hit the right spot, as many "intellectual" designers give absurd reasons behind their creativity force when they know people just buy them because their name is a brand.
Ikea took the figure of Philippe Starck and made a parody of him with Van Den Puup. Good Pr based on Spinal Tap.
Posted by alvaro  on  Tue Nov 02, 2004  at  05:44 AM
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