I am a nerd for commercials.  I actually miss watching them sometimes and when I’m alone with my remote and a taped episode of “The Real Housewives” or “Life Unexpected,” I sometimes let them play rather than zip through them with the FF button.

 

As an admitted emotion-whore, I bestow L-O-V-E on commercials that evoke tears or outbursts of laughter.  To me, those are the very top of the tops.  I haven’t put too many spots in the “awesome” category.  Not because I’m picky or high-maintenance or judgmental, but because most TV commercials suck and they are SO not funny.

 

You know I’m right. 

 

The exception that set me off on this rant is the IKEA commercial where the husband and wife use sports analogies to praise their kitchen appliances.  This spot is LAUGH OUT LOUD funny.  They are high-fiving and hip-checking.  The wife gives an “ass-slap” to a utensil drawer and the husband chest-bumps the refrigerator.  I cackled with laughter the first time I saw it. 

 

I can’t point you toward IKEA’s brilliance because when I went looking for the commercial online, I couldn’t find it.  In fact, I went to Ikea.com, Youtube, Ikea’s Facebook Page, and did a Google search with no success.

 

This is a customer relations #FAIL. (favorite Twitter trend)

 

Why?  Because I would have posted it, sent it, endorsed it, and watched it over and over.  (I told you, I’m a nerd for commercials.)  If a brand is going to take the time and trouble to produce a clever, well-scripted commercial, why on earth wouldn’t that brand leverage it on every consumer touch-point imaginable?  The idea is to break-through the cluttered media landscape, no?  Why not give your brand message a fighting chance by employing a blend of media?  Companies need to cast their consumer net both broadly (TV) and deeply (Interactive).

 

Social media offers a way for consumers to opt-in to, talk about, and “Like” engagement with your brand.  But if they can’t find what they want because you forgot to employ some SEO to support your marketing efforts or can’t be bothered to refresh content on your website and fan page, you both lose. 

 

The opportunity to become part of an organic conversation with consumers is lost.  The content which could have added depth and character to the brand’s online identity is relegated to a one-way medium.  And most importantly, the company causes frustration by not providing findable content for a consumer’s search.

 

The consumer loses the chance to be funny, show off her taste and connections, and maybe influence the purchase decisions of her 600 or so closest friends.  If her friends are a representative sample, half of those will be planning some kind of remodeling on their homes this year.  Multiply this by the 69K fans IKEA has on their Facebook page and we are talking about a boatload of kitchens. 

 

IKEA, Are you picking up what I’m laying down?

 

The basic concept of Triangulated Marketing is leveraging each consumer touch-point to influence, promote, and grow the next.  The social component of Triangulation is where momentum happens.   

 

So, the moral for IKEA?

 

Don’t be so square.