Expanding in all countries, IKEA, famous for its budget furniture in self-build flat packs, “has 338 stores around the world, of which 40 are run by external franchises” (Ringstorm, 2012). With such publicity in the global market, this company has been able to grow in a variety of diverse markets. The Middle-East, specifically Saudi Arabia, have been introduced to IKEA’s vast product line with various marketing strategies implemented by the company. Recently, IKEA has been scrutinized and criticized about their newly updated catalogue that was featured with no female figures in Saudi Arabia. This caused many people and consumers to start discussing about whether IKEA should implement marketing techniques that goes along the company’s value’s of gender equality. Being heavily populated by the Muslim religion, Saudi Arabians do not allow females to be heard or seen out of their homes without a male companion. Although this problem in the Middle-East has been getting better, IKEA states that it will figure out new ways of sticking with their value proposition and further increase the gender equality in the country through their marketing implementations. Clearly illustrated by IKEA, they promise “a correct content presentation from a values point-of-view” to ensure that the company’s value’s are met.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19697344
http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_JP/virtual_catalogue/online_catalogues.html
http://metronews.ca/news/world/389090/ikea-deletes-women-from-saudi-arabia-catalogue/#
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