There are many brands with a great tone of voice, but one of the better-known ones is definitely IKEA. The furniture company uses its brand voice expertly to stand out and create brand recognition. But how does IKEA do that and why is it so successful?
One of the reasons I chose IKEA for this tone of voice example is simply that everybody knows them. That means that when I say IKEA, you already have an image in your head. (Talk about brand recognition, right?)
Maybe you’re thinking about the blue and yellow logo or a humongous blue store appears before your inner eye. If you’re a foodie, your first thought might be of Köttbullar or the Hot Dogs we often reward ourselves with after a long shopping tour – and some of you may just have to turn their head to see their Billy bookcase.
Maybe you took today’s clothes out of your Pax wardrobe and are now lounging on your Pöang chair, enjoying the first cup of tea of the morning. On the wall above you, there’s a scenic Pjätteryd picture (so serene!) and you’re placing your Gladelig mug on your Lack coffee table while reading these lines.
Do you see it yet? 😉
The IKEA tone of voice
IKEA has done something absolutely remarkable here in Europe. The Swedish company managed to position itself as THE furniture store – for many, many, many people IKEA is the first (and sometimes only) choice when they need something for their home.
And even if you try to avoid the well-known furniture, decor and household items in your own home (is that even possible? No, really, I’m asking … is it? 😅) you can’t deny one thing: You still know IKEA and its products, don’t you?
The reason for that is – among other things – IKEA’s tone of voice.
Also called brand voice, the tone of voice simply describes the way IKEA communicates. It’s an essential part of any company’s branding; and since the tone of voice is crucial to how a company is perceived, there are usually clearly defined rules for a company’s brand voice.
Copywriters, translators and anybody else creating copy for IKEA has to follow that tone of voice, which guarantees that every person has a consistent and authentic experience with the brand. This, by the way, transcends marketing copy and is also true for internal communication. The tone of voice is as important for the employee experience as it is for the brand’s image.
The rules for any piece of copy are clearly defined in a style guide, and I think IKEA’s style guide contains some of these elements:
Undeniably Swedish
You can find references to Sweden in every aspect of the IKEA branding, so naturally it plays an important role in the brand’s tone of voice. Be it the classic “Hej” greeting or the interesting product names – IKEA is Swedish. And celebrates that. 🥳
Swedish naming
While the Swedish product names, which are omnipresent in the world of IKEA may just sound weird to English-speakers, they are often downright hilarious for us German-speakers due to the fact that German and Swedish share quite a few similarities:
- The spray bottle Tomat for example, keeps a British tomato plant just as fresh as German Tomate.
- The step stool Bekväm is a homophone to the German word “bequem”, meaning comfortable – wondering if it really IS comfy …?
- The stackable waste sorting bin Sortera makes it easy to sort garbage – in the UK as well as in German-speaking countries and everywhere else in the world.
When working on this case study, I was quite surprised that IKEA doesn’t use the special Swedish names for their sales I know from Austria: Here, the first sale of the new year is called “Knut Sale” and in June the prices drop for the “Midsommar Sale”, named after the Swedish midsummer celebration.
Hey IKEA UK, that’s a missed opportunity if I’ve ever seen one, don’t you think? 😅
Swedish cuisine
But IKEA found even more ways to celebrate its Swedish heritage: food!
Long shopping tours are exhausting and usually leave people starving, so it’s just good sense that IKEA also offers Swedish food, right? Apart from the iconic meatballs Köttbullar, fish is an essential part of Swedish cuisine. And if you’ve ever been to Sweden you know that crispbread, Daim and cinnamon buns are a must.
“Swedish” slogan
This example is taken from IKEA Austria, but I didn’t want to deprive you of this as it’s so genius!
In Austria, IKEA has a very successful tagline that’s very wrong linguistically speaking, but embodies everything IKEA stands for perfectly: #LebeSmårt (literally #LiveSmårtly).
The word smårt doesn’t even exist. It’s a combination of the English word smart with a “Swedish” twist by using the Swedish letter å (pronounced like o) instead of a regular a. For IKEA Austria, smart (or smårt) means all kinds of things: A smart solution (a small flat doesn’t have to feel crammed), affordable products (IKEA is for everybody), pretty designs (make your life pretty), or sustainable solutions (one product, various functions).
And even if the slogan “Lebe smårt” has only been introduced in 2022 and is only used in Austria, it makes one thing perfectly clear: IKEA celebrates its Swedish heritage wherever it can – and that makes the furniture company unique.
Warm and welcoming
I grew up with the IKEA slogan “Weil es dein Zuhause ist.” (because it’s your home) – and even if that one is quite old already (2007) and isn’t used anymore, it’s a perfect illustration of warmth in the tone of voice of IKEA. The UK equivalent in 2007 was “Home is the most important place in the world”, which has the same warm and cosy vibe.
Warmth is a very interesting example for a tone of voice element because it actually goes far beyond communication: warmth is also part of the brand personality of IKEA. If you’re interested in the correlation between tone of voice and brand personality, I have a blog post discussing that in more detail.
In the meantime, just know that warmth can’t be created through words alone, it also has to be part of the content a company publishes.
Just think about this campaign by IKEA Russia during the lockdown in 2020 to find out what I mean: The creative team of IKEA developed instructions for 6 different kinds of blanket forts parent could build with their kids using (IKEA) stuff they have at home: Höuse, Cåve, Wigwåm, Cåstle, Förtress and Cåmpingtent. (Notice how they, too, used the Swedish letters å and ö for a more Swedish feeling?)
And while this genius campaign hasn’t directly been used in other countries as far as I know, most local IKEAs published articles following the same idea of how to build a blanket fort online. Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, doesn’t it? 😉
And here are some wordings from the IKEA UK website that illustrate the warm and welcoming character of the tone of voice:
- Introducing the new spring collection: Hop into spring with TJÄRLEK collection
- Ikea Family: Everyone’s invited! Some clubs are for the select few, but IKEA Family is for everyone. Just by being a member, you’ll receive discounts on many products, fun workshops and events, and we even treat you to free tea or filtered coffee on weekdays.
- Last chance: It’s your last chance to buy these beloved IKEA products. Find furniture and home accessories that are leaving our range to make room for new products.
- Gift ideas for gamers: Video games aren’t just a hobby for today’s generation of gamers. They’re a way of life, and quality gaming gear is a big part of that. Keep your gamer on the cutting edge this holiday season.
Playful and humorous
One thing is clear: The tone of voice of IKEA is definitely playful. Rhymes, wordplays and lots of vivid, figurative description create a charming, humorous brand voice which immediately makes IKEA likeable.
IKEA uses an innocent, light-hearted kind of humour with a touch of class – it’s never crass or mean, which just makes the brand appear really, really nice.
Like in these Instagram posts by IKEA UK:
The left one is part of a series of pictures where IKEA products have been recreated using the trail option of a running app with the caption “the only way to get your steps in at IKEA”, whereas the second one is part of a Valentine’s day post where the lines reference IKEA products. Both really cute and playful, right? 😉
The playful tone of voice of IKEA also comes through in the billboards etc. of their OOH campaigns.
There are a few genius campaigns I remember seeing here in Austria, but I also found some cool examples of what IKEA does in the UK for billboards. Like the one below where emojis tell the story, or another campaign where the signs tell you how many steps and which direction it is to the newly opened IKEA (or which bus to take).
IKEA: great use of a great tone of voice
IKEA is a perfect example illustrating how closely the tone of voice and the brand personality are intertwined. And the Swedish furnishing company knows better than most here in Europe how to make the most of their tone of voice.
It’s safe to say that IKEA’s brand voice is a complete and total success! It makes us smile and creates a homey, warm feeling while we’re browsing. And that builds trust in a very low-key, charming way.
A cohesive, consistent branding has immeasurable power, which the example of IKEA shows undeniably.
So, be like IKEA and get a tone of voice.
Because your company is the most important thing in the world. (Okay, that might be taking it a bit far … but you see what I did there, right? 😅)
