ErinIs.com

I stumbled on these pictures of an Ikea campaign they did in the Paris subway (hattip to @fjfonseca).

My initial reaction was a very positive oh well that’s cool and different. But then I remembered it wasn’t different. Ikea has done this in several cities before and really its a it old school. While it is a good little stunt to generate some PR and blog posts, how is it really elevating the brand or increasing brand sales?

The most obvious social additive would have been incorporating some QR codes on the physical items as well as the signage. A user could scan the item (or enter a code depending on the demo’s smart phone use). They would receive more information  (price, dimensions, other colors), the actual catalogue or web page or immediately be able to order it from their local Ikea.

To make it more social Ikea could have used those  special codes (either text or scannable) for use in Social Gaming. There are plenty of FB games that allow you to build and furnish your house, farm, etc and while I’m unsure of their popularity in France, I’m sure they have something similar.

Come on guys step it up…even just a little. Couches in the subway are cool but just not enough these days.