Ikea

Problem:

People don’t like to make mistakes 

Insight: 

Doing things by yourself gives you satisfaction and confidence

Advantage: 

Ikea guides you through doing something on your own 

Strategy: 

Ikea can help you feel confident in your own abilities 

Strategy Story:

Ikea can help you build and feel confident in your own abilities

Ikea is known for cheap, reliable furniture you build yourself. Less labor cost for them, more work for you. But the tradeoff is worth it.

These days, we barely understand how most things work. Phones, cars, quantum mechanics. We have outsourced so many things to the point that we wouldn't know how to fix most things if they broke.

Ikea furniture is different. You open the box, see each and every piece (never without an Allen wrench), and follow the steps. And in a few years when the drawer accidentally slides off the track, you’ll be able to fix it because you built it. Building a crib or a dresser or a bed after a long work day does sound less than ideal, but what about the rush you feel after you have conquered something? And let’s not forget, for a cheaper price.

This matters beyond furniture. In a world that makes us feel like we need experts for everything, Ikea does something different. They assume you can figure it out. And when you do, even with something small, you prove to yourself that you're more capable than you think.