211–220 of 342 posts
> Every possible product name is carefully checked to avoid undesirable meanings in other languages, political or religious affiliations and fit into our global profile If I remember correctly, they had a desk named "JERKER" in early 2000s.
This procedure does not always work: https://adland.tv/whats-name-case-2351-ikeas-gutvik-bunk-bed
For a Swede it must seem kind of strange to understand the product names. You see an ACORN toy, a NIGEL bookshelf, and the CROYDON sofa... which sounds like it belongs in a council estate flat. Definately more fun would be the Polish version. How many people can pronounce the BYDGOSZCZ sofa, the PRZEMYSŁAW bookcase and the PSZCZOŁA soft toy?
As a Swede, I always enjoy Ikea product names. Many of them are based on their actual function or category. Some are wordplay related to this. For example: Rinnig - a kitchen towel called "runny" Skaftet - a series of standing lamps and lamp stands called "the shaft" Fejka - plastic plants literally called "to fake" Knöckla - A garbage bin called "crumple up" Some I don't get but are still funny Ostbit - wooden servi…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Imagine an alternative reality where a KALLAX is a ԿԱԼԼԱՔՍ and the stores have pushy salesmen with impressive amounts of visible chest hair.
the joke is a bit too hairy to my taste, and yet I can't help but imagine how good would be the restaurant in that reality!
> In other parts of the world, they are basically incomprehensible, but fun! For some reason unknown to either of us it really pisses off my wife when I refer to our IKEA furniture by the Swedish names. I think it stems from a deep seated disdain she has for flat pack furniture. Me: where’s the thing? Wife: in the white cupboard Me: which white cupboard? There are 6 Wife: the white cupboard opposite the piano Me: the…
Similar conversation I've had with my partner in the past few hours: Me: it's beside the piano Her: Which piano? Me: The Ensoniq upstairs
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Funnily enough, there are quite a few IKEA products with Finnish names. (Most are place names from northern Sweden, where there's a significant Finnish minority.)
The Tornedalen people are kinda their own group with their own language (Meänkieli). To an outsider it might sound like Finnish, but it's not much closer to Finnish than Yiddish is to German.
As a Swede in London, it's annoying that IKEA staff don't understand you when you pronounce the names correctly. You have to change letters (e.g. å is not a with an accent. It's a different letter) and read it like you don't know the language.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
If the goal is something that reads weird for most Europeans, then try picking names from Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian, or Welsh.
Imagine an alternative reality where a KALLAX is a ԿԱԼԼԱՔՍ and the stores have pushy salesmen with impressive amounts of visible chest hair.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Funnily enough, there are quite a few IKEA products with Finnish names. (Most are place names from northern Sweden, where there's a significant Finnish minority.)
The Tornedalen people are kinda their own group with their own language (Meänkieli). To an outsider it might sound like Finnish, but it's not much closer to Finnish than Yiddish is to German.
> Did you know that we name around 2,000-3,000 new products every year? I find this surprisingly high; I guess it’s _products_ and not _names_, meaning that five colors of the same product count as five new products but only one name.