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IKEA's brand manual draws inspiration from Kamasutra

The furniture company known for its quirky designs, has released a new manual based on the world famous Kamasutra. This manual is called Kåma Sutra.

Look where our post lunch cyber-slacking on social media led us today. We found Kamasutra-inspired posts and images on IKEA USA's social media pages.

IKEA's brand manual draws inspiration from Kamasutra
The IKEA Kama Sutra

It's actually about a brand manual called The IKEA Kåma Sutra, which features its products alongside puns on various sex positions. It is inspired by the Kamasutra, an ancient Indian text on sexuality and eroticism... although, we really doubt the ancient book includes 'doggy style' in its list. Never mind...

IKEA's brand manual draws inspiration from Kamasutra
The IKEA Kama Sutra ad film

A video is part of this campaign too. The advertising copy in the film, which is all about the furniture manual, starts out with a cheeky line: "Are you getting enough satisfaction in your bedroom?" Talk about hooking the surfer's attention in the first three seconds of your creative, eh. That's pretty thumb-stopping.

The campaign has been crafted by Ogilvy's New York team. In the ad, an IKEA sofa invites people to "switch from work to play", and promises that "it can fit up to three people".

In a media release, Sue Slominski, consumer and customer engagement manager, IKEA USA, says, about this quirky effort, "While popularly known for intimate positions, scholars have characterized the original text of the Kama Sutra as having a larger theme – the art of living... We believe that the art of living a better everyday life at home starts in the bedroom – after all, it's where every day begins – and this light-hearted manual gives people some added stimulation to experiment with and enjoy their private sanctuaries."

Here's what the manual looks like:

IKEA's brand manual draws inspiration from Kamasutra
IKEA's brand manual draws inspiration from Kamasutra
IKEA's brand manual draws inspiration from Kamasutra
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