There was that old rumor that IKEA doesn’t know how to do business in Russia — you see, they have no experience in bribing. And now IKEA website published a picture of women in colored balaclavas, like that of the imprisoned dissident rockers Pussy Riot, and angered the country’s owners.
The caption, which reads “New life at home”, was provided by IKEA. Not planed by the grrrls, but just perfect in terms of delivering the message. The casual yet menacing posture of the models is excellent too
The offending picture was entered the contest for a new catalog cover by somebody who goes by “Starovoitova” in Yekaterinburg. After nearly a month online, the picture was replaced with the message “Photo removed. IKEA is a commercial company and acts outside politics and religion. We cannot allow our advertizing to be highjacked for propaganda of any kind.” Oh, I don’t know about that “any kind” bit. I think the good Swedes would allow some political and religious content.
Anyhow, this is what the contest page looks like now:
As you can see, the Pussy Riot photo was winning, although as of today it’s likely to be overtaken Klechko on lower left, who is doing some sort of fun dress up gimmick. They were previously in 4th place, but now boasting 1407 “likes”
Good luck to “Starovoitova”.
