IKEA an Example in Relationship Marketing
Posted by: Cheryl Clausen in marketing, tags: marketing, relationship marketing, sales marketing coachingWow, who would have thought something as seemingly trivial as a font change could unleash a torrent of complaints. But that’s exactly what happened to Swedish furniture maker IKEA.
Unlike most large companies with either indifferent or down right hostile customers IKEA has fans. So many fans in fact, they have an online community with forums where users can talk about their furniture, products, stores, and share ideas.
According to IKEA they have the most frequently printed catalog in the world. Previously IKEA used the font Futura in their catalog, BUT someone in the company decided to change the font to Verdana.
Now at the risk of setting off a fire storm I’d like to at least put in a good word for the poor person behind the decision. Verdana is a preferred font choice for text that will be viewed on line because most viewers find it easier to read than many other fonts.
However, what was overlooked was how this seemingly itsy bitsy teensy weensy change would impact IKEA’s beloved fans. They love the company so much and feel so much ownership they felt insulted when the company to decided to change their experience without asking them. Uh-oh!
Now the rest of us would be jumping up and down doing the happy dance if we had such a fan club. What we can learn from this example is the power of relationship marketing and why it’s so important to think relationships first sales second in our marketing efforts.
We want our clients to feel a part of our business too. Even it that means they get mad at us for changing something seemingly insignificant in our business. If we can generate that kind of emotion over a little change then we know we’ve done the best job we could do developing a relationship with our clients.
Kudos to IKEA I admire what you’ve been able to accomplishment. I’ve no doubt you’ll get yourself out of this sticky wicket all the better for it.
For the rest of us I wonder what about our business creates a feeling of relationship with us… And more importantly what could we do to better create relationships?
Any examples that particularly stand out for you of a business doing a good job developing relationships with their clients and potential clients?
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September 14th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Great example,
I hate to shop…but I love IKEA, it’s like they know me so well and they have the perfect product at the right price for me.
They have done the upfront work in understanding their buyer’s and our needs…the step most organizations skip.
Mark Allen Roberts
September 15th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Wow! Great story! I LOVE LOVE LOVE IKEA!!! So I am definitely one of their fans. I lived in Virginia and they had a store just basically down the street from me. Oh, how you don’t realize what you have until it is gone! I now live in Colorado and they have no IKEA here. But I already know that they are in the plans of building one here in 2012. Now, how many stores have fans that anticipate the building of a local store for two years? wow! That is so amazing to realize that!
Having just started a sales business myself, I wish that my friends (fans) would so anxiously anticipate me bringing my “store” to their neighborhood as IKEA fans anticipate the opening of a new store in their neighborhood.
Ha! What a great vision! My friends with cash in fist awaiting for me to sell them my products. Relationship marketing….the way to go.
Thanks again for a great blog.
September 16th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
This move is just similar to using Times New Roman instead of Calibri. Being a catalog for modern home furniture and accessories, the font used should be both in style and readable. I don’t see problems with the present font “futura”. And verdana seems to lack style for the magazine.
Setting the issue aside (we don’t want to fume much about that, right?), I, and everyone should agree with your point. IKEA would tell to themselves “Who’d notice, anyway?” but that’s wrong. It’s safer to keep current clients than risking some for nothing.