According to a recent WSJ story, that couch catching your
eye in the 2013 edition of IKEA's new catalog may not be a couch at all.
It is likely the entire
living room was created by a graphic artist. In fact, much of the furniture and
settings in the 324-page catalog are simply a collection of pixels and polygons
arranged on a computer.
Privately held Ikea is
swiftly moving toward replacing real-world production in its catalogs with 3-D computer-generated
graphics to fill the pages of its catalogs, brochures and web site.
This year, 12% of IKEA's
content will be “virtual.” Next year, they say that number will more than
double.
The head of photography
at Ikea says - "It's a clever way to save money.” Sure, but
how will he feel when his job is eliminated because there is no photography?
What worries me is actually
several aspects of what I hope is not too much of a trend. First, as a
consumer, I’d like to know that I’m looking at a photograph of the product I’m
considering purchasing. Using pixels, I would think marketers would be tempted
to create images that put forth a false representation of the fit, finish, look
and feel of their products. Photo-realism is something that certainly can be
manipulated, but at least it starts with a photo of the real product!
Next is the economic impact. We all know that photographers
like to get paid for their work. Most don't work cheap, but we also know there are a lot of photographers out there. To save money, Ikea could just modify their
photography purchasing procedures. But under this plan, this whole
category of work could be offshored to India or who knows where, again allowing
Ikea to increase profits at the expense of how many domestic jobs.
The WSJ story states, “The company cut prices an average of
2% to 3% every year during the last decade while expanding aggressively, and
still manages to squeeze more profits from the operation on a yearly basis.”
Sound familiar? Sorry, Ikea. I don’t think I’ll be shopping for a flat-pack RTA
room setting any time soon. Instead, I'll be doing business with companies that use technology to enhance the creative process, not replace it.
