How Ikea was invented
Summary
TLDRA team brainstorming session starts off in chaos as they try to revamp their business model after a bad quarter. Initially dismissing superficial suggestions, they arrive at a quirky solution: turning their store into a DIY furniture experience with small, easy-to-pack products. The journey through the store is envisioned as a maze of showrooms, leading customers through different sections to discover new products. To keep men entertained, they plan to serve meatballs. Finally, they settle on a Swedish theme and name their concept 'IKEA.' The team's excitement builds, despite dismissing Todd throughout, only for him to inadvertently inspire the final idea.
Takeaways
- 😟 The team is struggling with financial performance and urgently needs to make changes.
- 💡 There's a push to cut costs and spend less money in the upcoming quarter.
- ✂️ A key suggestion is to eliminate a manufacturing line and allow customers to assemble their own furniture.
- 🛠️ DIY assembly is proposed, where customers would only be given an allen wrench to put together all the furniture.
- 📦 Smaller packaging and big warehouses are seen as a solution for more efficient storage and shipping.
- 🛋️ A showroom-style store layout is suggested, where customers walk through different themed rooms to find products.
- 🌽 The idea of a 'corn maze' concept store is pitched, where customers walk through product sections as if navigating a maze.
- 🍴 A plan to attract men to the store is to offer meatballs in the cafeteria, ensuring they spend money while their partners shop.
- 🇸🇪 Branding the store with a Swedish theme is suggested to make it feel foreign and trendy, even renaming everyday items with Swedish-sounding names.
- 🔠 The final name proposed is 'IKEA,' which the team agrees on after a brainstorming session, giving the concept a unique identity.
Q & A
What problem is being discussed at the beginning of the script?
-The team is addressing the fact that they were crushed last quarter and need to come up with new ideas to turn things around.
What suggestion is made regarding spending?
-The team suggests that they are spending too much money and propose that they should spend less money, possibly by cutting out a whole manufacturing line.
What is the innovative idea proposed for furniture manufacturing?
-The team suggests eliminating manufacturing altogether and allowing customers to assemble their own furniture, making it a DIY process. This would allow them to pack the furniture in smaller boxes, saving space and costs.
How do they plan to make the DIY furniture assembly more cost-effective?
-They propose providing customers with just one tool, an allen wrench, which can assemble all the furniture.
What is the idea for the layout of the store?
-The idea is to create a showroom where customers can see all the products before picking them up. They liken the experience to a maze, where customers have to pass through different sections to find what they want.
How do they plan to attract women to the store?
-They believe women will be drawn to the store because they enjoy shopping, though this statement is criticized as possibly being sexist.
How do they plan to attract men to the store?
-The idea to attract men is by offering meatballs in the cafeteria, assuming men would spend money there while waiting for their partners to shop.
What other food items do they consider offering in the cafeteria?
-They consider adding cinnamon rolls, hot dogs, pizza, soft-serve ice cream, and mashed potatoes to the menu.
What marketing strategy do they propose to make the concept appealing?
-They suggest branding everything as Swedish, using Swedish names for the products to make them seem foreign and exotic, which they believe will appeal to customers.
What name does the team finally settle on for the company?
-The team, prompted by Todd, decides on the name 'IKEA' for the company.
Outlines
🤔 Brainstorming Session Begins with Urgency
The team faces pressure after a disappointing last quarter and urgently needs new ideas. One member, Todd, suggests a focus group but is quickly dismissed, as the team believes they need bigger changes. The overarching theme is that the company is overspending, and a solution is needed to cut costs.
💰 Drastic Cost-Cutting Proposal
A team member suggests a visual representation of the company’s spending, showing how they can cut down on costs dramatically. The idea of eliminating an entire manufacturing line is floated, which is seen as a radical yet brilliant solution. This leads to the proposal that the company will no longer manufacture furniture but allow customers to build it themselves, embracing a DIY model.
🛠️ DIY Furniture and Minimalist Tools
The team explores the DIY concept, where customers assemble their own furniture using only an Allen wrench. This minimalist approach allows for smaller packaging, enabling more compact boxes and the ability to store items in a large warehouse. They plan for a showy yet efficient shopping experience that reflects this concept.
🛍️ Showroom and Maze-Like Shopping Experience
The idea of a showroom-style store layout is discussed, leading to a comparison with a corn maze. One team member suggests transforming the store into a product maze, where customers pass through various themed rooms (kitchen, bedroom, etc.) before reaching the items they want. This immersive shopping experience is intended to engage customers as they navigate through different product displays.
🍴 Targeting Men with Meatballs
In an attempt to appeal to male shoppers, the team comes up with the idea of selling meatballs in the cafeteria. The premise is that while women shop, men will enjoy the food and spend more money. The team brainstorms additional food items like cinnamon rolls, hot dogs, and pizza, but they ultimately land on Swedish cuisine as the central theme for the store's restaurant offerings.
🌍 Swedish Branding and Unique Product Names
To differentiate their store, the team decides to market the store as Swedish, capitalizing on the fact that many customers don’t know much about Sweden. They will use Swedish names for all products, such as calling a cup a 'flu boo,' to create an exotic and appealing shopping experience. This strategy taps into the appeal of foreign branding, making the store feel unique and intriguing.
🌱 Plants, Minimal Assembly, and Final Touches
The store will also sell plants, such as ficuses and ferns, although none of them will be real. These plants will be the only items that come pre-assembled, adding a humorous touch to the otherwise DIY-heavy shopping experience. The team acknowledges that all that remains is to come up with a fitting name for the store.
🔤 Naming the Store: IKEA is Born
After being dismissed throughout the meeting, Todd, who had been relatively quiet, suggests the name 'IKEA'—a suggestion that surprises the entire team. Everyone agrees it’s the perfect name, and the meeting ends with a celebratory tone as they head out for martinis. The team leader, in a humorous twist, compliments Todd for his unexpected contribution.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Focus group
💡Spending less money
💡DIY (Do It Yourself)
💡Allen wrench
💡Showroom
💡Corn maze
💡Meatballs
💡Swedish branding
💡Flat-pack furniture
💡Todd
Highlights
The team acknowledges they were crushed in the last quarter and need to change strategies.
One team member suggests focusing on spending less money, and they explore cutting out a manufacturing line to save costs.
A new idea is introduced: DIY furniture assembly to cut manufacturing costs and provide a unique customer experience.
The team suggests selling the idea of providing only one Allen wrench for furniture assembly, and people may dislike it, but the company loves the savings.
They discuss how packing smaller boxes for DIY assembly will allow for a larger warehouse and increased efficiency.
The idea of a showroom where customers walk through different rooms and setups (like a corn maze) is proposed.
They agree on setting up a product-based showroom experience where customers must pass through various themed sections to reach the items they want.
The team explores marketing ideas and potential target customers, focusing on how women may enjoy shopping through the maze-like store.
A humorous, yet strategic idea to attract men involves offering meatballs in the store’s cafeteria.
Expanding the cafeteria offerings beyond meatballs to include cinnamon rolls, hot dogs, pizza, and soft-serve ice cream is suggested.
The team dismisses the idea of fries as too mainstream and decides to emphasize the store's uniqueness by branding everything as Swedish.
They suggest giving all products Swedish names to enhance the store’s exotic and foreign appeal, making common items seem more interesting.
The only pre-assembled items would be plants, like ficuses and ferns, further enhancing the DIY experience.
The brainstorming session concludes with a humorous back-and-forth, leading to the accidental naming of the store 'IKEA'.
The group celebrates the final idea and decision-making, confident that their innovative approach will succeed.
Transcripts
all right guys we need some ideas we got
crushed last quarter
we have to change something how about a
focus group not now todd we need real
ideas we're spending too
much money we need to spend less
money can we get a visual for that okay
so right now we're spending
this much money what if we start
spending this much money what if we
spent
less money and only one line through you
cut out a whole line
manufacturing line that's brilliant no
manufacturing no manufacturing we won't
make any of the furniture we'll let
them make the furniture yes diy oh
people love diy
pinterest wait hold on no no because we
have to give them tools
one tool but we make it cheaper
an allen wrench one allen wrench puts
together all the furniture
people will hate it but we love it and
because they're gonna assemble it we can
pack it smaller
little boxes big warehouse all you need
hmm
yes oh wait but when they show up to the
warehouse they won't know which box to
get
showroom yes the whole place is just a
showroom at my last job
we would shut up todd please this one
helene i went through a corn maze
corn maze so i was in the corn maze and
i was like wow if there was just a
bedroom here
i'd really buy everything in the bedroom
we make a corn maze we make a corn but
instead of corn
it's products yes we have a starch and
we have a finish
so they go through and if they want to
buy curtains they first have to pass
through the kitchen
the kitchen before the kitchen the
bedroom the bedroom
before the bedroom the throw pillow the
throw pillows
yes yes yes yes yes
yes yeah yes
[Music]
women are going to love this because
what do women like to do shop correct
that seems a little sexy shut up todd
how do we get the men in the store
let me thank you
got it two words meat
balls meatballs
meat balls meat balls
meat balls yes yes write it down
meatballs todd write this down meatballs
meat balls yes yes meatballs
so while the men are annoyed that their
wives are over here spending money
they're in our cafeteria doing what
spending money okay
we can't just be meatballs though all
right what else can we have we can hire
that marketing team
todd please hold on let me let me call
my three-year-old what do you think hey
buddy what are your favorite foods
salmon rolls hot dogs pizza what's that
soft-serve ice cream what did grandma
say
mashed potatoes mashed potatoes mashed
potatoes
no one likes french fries todd todd this
is a mcdonald's
no one's gonna think this is a real
thing it's too new it's too different
what if we just say
it's swedish that's perfect no one knows
anything about sweet i know
like where even is it and we'll use
swedish words for all the products
this isn't a cup this is a flu boo and
people will be like
foreign cool yes yes yes
yes anything you can find in a house
will sell plants
ficuses and ferns but none of it's real
it'll be the only thing that comes
assembled
all we need now is a name we just need a
name
okay you know todd i don't know what
you're gonna say but i don't want you to
say anything okay
the grown-ups are doing good work over
here i need you to not say
anything okay what did you say what'd
you say
[Music]
standing and die say it again okay
ikea yeah whoa whoa whoa
really nice work guys todd excellent
work hey martinis on me let's go to
chili's
i think we'll make happy hour i really
like todd i think he's got a lot of
potential
keep her moving
you
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