Home furnishings giant combines nostalgia and comfort.
Nostalgia is in the air of late. Companies and corporations of various stripes are looking back in order to go forward. Old is new again as the public seek reassuring comfort in the familiar over the (frankly) less-than-interesting ‘fresh’ content.
Old Is New Again
Whether it be television, movies, confectionery, household items, clothing, and even music, people are reaching back to what they know best and are comfortable with. Rebranding has become exercises in nostalgia… and it’s actually working if financial reports are to be believed!
A recent poll study by Spiralytics found that 90% of those questioned often think of the past in positive terms. The corporate world has cottoned on to this tendency toward nostalgia and have actively tried to exploit it in what is now called Nostalgia Marketing; new rebranding of a product or content by returning to an older design or intellectual property.
Nostalgia Marketing
Such prominent examples of this recently were the return of 24 to television in 2014 (four years after it initially ended its eight-season run) to critical acclaim and solid ratings, and subsequently every studio thereafter has been busy digging up older popular shows for revivals. Another example is games giant Nintendo re-releasing their classic NES console from the 1980s back onto the market, complete with 8-bit classic games included such as Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros, and Pac-Man. Another further example (and we could go on for days with example after example) is Coca-Cola reintroducing its soft drink Surge (discontinued in the 1990s) back to the market after a grassroots social media campaign urged the company to do so.
So clearly nostalgia is not only a compelling marketing tool but also a veritable cash register for commercial enterprises looking for new and lucrative angles. Swedish home furnishings giant Ikea has heard this clarion call and responded accordingly with the return of several in-house products not seen in stores since the 1960s and ‘70s.
Ikea Gets Into The Nostalgia Game
In honor of its 80th anniversary, Ikea have reintroduced such classics as (among other items) the Krypkornell sofa pattern, the Domsten stool, and the Bondskaret coat rack. But the real jewel in the crown of the Swedish institution’s nostalgia trip is the return of the very popular Dyvlinge anti-stress chair. Originally introduced in 1967, the comfort chair has a unique design and aesthetic which saw it sell in heroic quantities and now has been given a slightly modern spin without sacrificing the nostalgia rush.
With its low frame, comfy plush cushion, backrest section, and sturdy five-legged base, the Dyvlinge is sure to be as perennially popular as its illustrious predecessor.
Retailing at a cool $199 and coming in striking green or black colors, the Dyvlinge is sure to provide any household with maximum funkiness in addition to a twist of nostalgia that will have anyone happy as Larry, comfy, and stress-free.
God bless those Swedes!
