Ikea has gifted the simplicity of Swedish design to the world, yet, as a witty new ad campaign points out, the choice of names for its products may be doing its home country something of a disservice.

Created by ad agency Forsman & Bodenfors, the Discover the Originals campaign reveals that the names of many Ikea products – which the world has long struggled to pronounce – are named after real places in Sweden. It then encourages tourists to visit these tourism spots.

As well as Lake Bolman, which is situated not far from Agunnaryd, where Ikea’s founder, Ingvar Kamprad, grew up, the campaign highlights the places that the Ektorp couch, Ingatorp table, and Hemsjö block candle are named after.

“In Sweden, we are proud of Ikea and in a way you can say that they helped us make Swedish places world-famous through the names they borrowed for their products,” says Nils Persson, chief marketing officer of Visit Sweden. “Now we want, with warmth and a twinkle in our eye, to show the originals behind the product names and invite the world to discover the whole of Sweden.”

Credits:
Agency: Forsman & Bodenfors
Art Director: Johanna Hofman-Bang
Copywriter: Marcus Hägglöf
Writer: Elisabeth Christensson
Designer: Håkan Larsson
Production Company: BRF