The voice sounds very American to European ears; not a single Swedish accent or wandering elk can be heard. After our report on 14 December 2020 that Ikea was cancelling the print edition of its catalogue, it is now also presenting this catalogue as a podcast, currently only available in English. Any listeners wishing to delve into the full length of this piece consisting of a prologue and 13 chapters will need four hours. A female voice describes the things that can be seen on the pages of the digital catalogue, from the incidental sunlight on a bed to the colour of the walls. There are also decorative and furnishing tips. Take for example the third chapter, “Nesting in Progress”, which says about a young family, “A dream, a lot of drive and a deadline: three essentials for any DIY renovation, as these new parents can tell you! With help from their friends, they turned their new one-bedroom rental into a cosy family home just in time for baby’s due date. Step inside to see how it turned out.” By releasing the audio catalogue, Ikea is responding to the changed media consumption patterns of its customers. The trend at the moment is for audio content which can be consumed anywhere and on the side, so the audio catalogue suits the company’s marketing strategy and its strong online focus. The Ikea audio catalogue is available on Spotify, YouTube and Audiobooks.
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