IKEA's Kitten "Experiment" - Viral Success

by Kyle David on September 15th at 9:43 am EST

IKEA is one of my favorite places on earth.  To me it’s the Disneyworld of Scandinavian living despite the fact that it is all made in China.  For those that have never been to IKEA, it’s a magical world where you can not only buy decent quality home goods, but also you can also get a true Scandinavian lunch for about $3… and it’s really good.  Where else can you buy a house full of furniture (matching) as well as everything to go with it for $299 and get a meal?  (For the purpose of my gushing man-love for IKEA, let’s look past the fact that you need a degree in mechanical engineering to put anything together.)

What has made IKEA successful is the fact that they are masters at developing and applying formulas.  Every product is formulaic and embodies the “IKEA spirit” of enthusiasm, thrift, responsibility, humbleness, and simplicity.  You are not always getting the best, but you are always getting what works and what is simple and useful.  That formula for success is what has driven IKEA and many successful companies to produce consistent results that people expect and love. 

Formulas are formulas they work.  That’s why it took 409 tries before one could get my bathroom sparkly clean.   And once a formula works, it produces predictable returns.  For example:

Television

Aimless college grads + copious alcohol + racial tension + promiscuity + too much free time = The Real World (For doubters, this formula has worked for 24 seasons plus countless more seasons from spinoffs)

Retail

Magic act + fresh linen scent = new air freshening product  (again doubters, realize over 100 different air freshener products are put on the market every YEAR)

Banking

Lying + Selling things that don’t exist = profit

Every Lil John Song

Synthesizer + Yeahhhh + Euphemism for doing it = Billboard Hit  (over a dozen in the top 100, with countless remixes)

--

In IKEA’s infinite wisdom, they took two formulas for success and made them into one: viral video success + reality talent contest success = youtube magic.

Viral Video Success

There is a formula for instant viral success on the internet and today I’m going to let the cat out of the bag (that will be funny in a minute).  You see, people have an instant like for squirrels on water skis , cats wearing sweaters, and laughing babies.  (If you have managed to not be side tracked by any of the preceding links and are still reading, don’t worry, you will be rewarded.)  What’s not to love about cute animals doing things that they shouldn’t ever be doing?

Reality Contest Success

The formula for a reality talent contest success can barely be called a formula at all.  You just need to have an unimpressed British judge.  There is something that we just love about that accent to the point where Piers Morgan will not only be the Simon Cowell of America’s Got Talent, but we’ll make him the Celebrity Apprentice as well for good measure.  Us Americans talk to someone with a British accent and we just want to give you IQ points.  Just like when we talk with a NASCAR driver we want to subtract them.

IKEA took these two formulas and made their own:

Kittens + British Accents = The motherload of all that is viral.

An IKEA store in the UK decided to have its customers bring in their felines and unleash them in the store “for the heck of it” (yeah, just like the t-mobile singers, not planned at all).  The results?  Almost two million views in 6 days and I have an odd craving for Scandinavian food.  Ahhhhh formulas.  Enjoy!