Love in the time of IKEA
“Is IKEA china playing love games with its local competitor? IKEA opened
its first store in China in 1998. AIKA, one of its biggest local
competitors, uses a brand name that is disturbingly similar to that of
the Swedish giant.
Things get even worse when looking at the two companies’ local
brand names. IKEA’s Chinese name is YiJia (宜家), meaning something along
the lines of “a proper home”. AIKA’s Chinese name is AiJia (爱家),
meaning a “loving home” or “love home”. It sounds almost the same as
IKEA’s YiJia, but adds the “love” element.
A few weeks ago, IKEA opened a new store in Beijing. The campaign to
promote the new store features a new catchphrase – AiDeXinTiYan
(爱的新体验). The official English version is “more to love” but the literal
translation is closer to “a new experience of love”. Some may see this
as IKEA’s jab at AIKA, trying to appropriate the local competitor’s
signature emotion…”
Bilingual brands: Love in the time of IKEA
By Dror Poleg
DANWEI
