When your brand is as big and famous as Apple, people are going to make fun of you no matter what you do. That’s precisely what happened when Apple announced its new Mac Pro at the 2019 Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC). And fans couldn’t help but liken the offering to an overpriced cheese grater.
Despite its top-tier hardware specs such as a 28-core Intel Xeon processor and an Afterburner movie-editing graphics card, the new US$6,000 Mac Pro has been replaced with a rugged aluminum look that oozes industrial charm.
Did @IKEAUSA just take a bite out of @Apple. Many remarked that Apple’s recently released Mac Pro resembles a familiar kitchen appliance. In response Ikea put out this ad… A great way to capitalize on current events – or a bad joke? Comments please! #lindstromcompany #branding pic.twitter.com/mUMWFiji8k
— Martin Lindstrom (@MartinLindstrom) June 25, 2019
And to get in on the joke, the furniture giant, IKEA Bulgaria, together with an ad agency called The Smarts, has launched this cheeky ad for its own lookalike product. The prominent “Designed for Apples” tagline aside, the ad takes a dig at Apple’s Mac Pro in numerous ways: To start, Ikea’s iDEALISK grater is displayed with the holes facing forward, much like the Mac Pro’s 2019 design. iDEALISK features a lowercase “i,” which copies Apple’s branding for the iPhone and iPad.
It’s a subtle but smart piece of copywriting from the agency. And it’s all the more effective because thanks to this ad we now know that you can pick up a stainless steel cheese grater from IKEA for just 3,99LV (US$2.30). So if your budget won’t stretch to a Mac Pro, this could be a bargain way to get something of the same aesthetic.