Koala’s ‘NÖFNIDEÄ’ billboard targeting IKEA cleared by Ad Standards
Sleep mattress company Koala has had its ‘NÖFNIDEÄ?’ billboard, which was place metres down the road from rival furniture company IKEA, cleared of inappropriate language by ad standards.
The billboard, which was located in Tempe and created by Koala’s in-house team, targeted IKEA with the tagline “no tools, no worries”.
The billboard in question
A complaint said the “language is offensive” and the ad should be “removed” because it is “rubbish”.
Responding to the complaints, Koala said the ad was “light hearted fun” aimed at the “Swedish monolith”.
“While the billboard doesn’t make use explicitly of profanity – indeed it uses characters not in the English alphabet – we recognise that a swear word may be inferred from the syntax.
“Similarly, given the design layout and obvious parody of Ikea’s well-known product names, we were confident that the advertisement in question would be received in the humour with which it was intended.”
Dismissing the complaint, Ad Standards said the language alluded to was not used in an aggressive manner and it did not contain the word ‘fuck’.
“The phrase is used in a light hearted and humorous way, and that there is no impression of aggression.
“The Panel considered that an obscenity may be implied, however considered that there is no actual strong words in the advertisement,” the Ad Standards board concluded.
Koala’s founder and co-CEO, Dany Milham, will be speaking at Mumbrella’s CommsCon about how and where good ideas start, particularly an idea that is nine parts brave and one part safe. Book your tickets here.
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