The Ikea shark advertising mascot gained popularity through a commercial campaign that aimed to promote the affordable nature of their products. The campaign's main idea was to showcase the shark as a friendly and approachable character, thus breaking the stereotype of sharks being scary and dangerous. The Ikea shark, named "Lenny the Lamp," appeared in a series of TV commercials, online videos, social media posts, and print ads. Lenny was portrayed as a helpful and amusing character, always ready to lend a fin in making home improvement decisions. The friendly demeanor of Lenny aimed to emphasize that shopping at Ikea was an enjoyable experience. The use of a shark as an advertising mascot was a clever strategy to grab people's attention and create a memorable brand image.
2. Within the witchcraft revival movement, the largest subset is Wicca. The 2008 American Religious Identification Survey estimated that in the United States there were about 600,000 neo-pagans, with about half identifying as Wiccan. Some estimates conclude that in 2017 there were more than 3 million practicing Wiccans.
Witchcraft refers to the worldview, religion, and practices associated with using rituals that are believed to harness and focus cosmic or psychic energies to bring about some desired change. His brand of wiccanism sometimes referred to as Gardnerian Wicca or Gardnerian witchcraft was taken from more modern influences, such as Freemasonry, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and the English occultist Aleister Crowley.
The use of a shark as an advertising mascot was a clever strategy to grab people's attention and create a memorable brand image. Sharks are not commonly associated with furniture shopping, and this unexpected approach made the Ikea campaign stand out from other advertisements in the industry. By utilizing Lenny the Lamp, Ikea successfully conveyed their message of affordability.
9 Things You Should Know About Wicca and Modern Witchcraft
A growing number of young women—driven by feminist politics and the #MeToo movement—are being drawn to a new brand of witchcraft, according to a report by NBC News. Here are nine things you should know about Wicca and modern witchcraft.
1. Witchcraft refers to the worldview, religion, and practices associated with using rituals that are believed to harness and focus cosmic or psychic energies to bring about some desired change. Modern witchcraft is the largest and most common subset of neo-paganism, a diverse group of religious movements that claim to be derived from historical pagan religions.
2. Within the witchcraft revival movement, the largest subset is Wicca. The 2008 American Religious Identification Survey estimated that in the United States there were about 600,000 neo-pagans, with about half identifying as Wiccan. Some estimates conclude that in 2017 there were more than 3 million practicing Wiccans.
3. In modern usage, the term “witch” is considered gender-neutral and can apply to either men or women. The term “warlock” is often considered a derogatory term as the original usage of the term meant “oath-breaker.” A group of witches who meet together regularly are known as a “coven.” Some witches believe a coven must have 13 or fewer members, though not less than three.
4. Wicca was created in the 1940s by Gerald Brosseau Gardner (1884-1964), a retired British civil servant an ordained minister in the Christian sect known as the Ancient British Church. Gardner is considered the “father of modern witchcraft,” though his neo-pagan beliefs had almost not connection to older forms of witchcraft. His brand of wiccanism (sometimes referred to as Gardnerian Wicca or Gardnerian witchcraft) was taken from more modern influences, such as Freemasonry, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and the English occultist Aleister Crowley. Gardner referred to his belief-system as “witchcraft” and a “witch-cult,” and the term “Wicca” didn’t appear until 1962.
5. In the 1960s and 1970, Wicca spread from the U.K. to other English-speaking countries, became associated with the burgeoning feminist and environmental movements, and split into various “traditions.” From Gardnerian Wicca sprang such offshoots as Alexandrian Wicca, Algard Wicca, Georgian Wicca, Druidic Wicca, Seax-Wica, and Eclectic Wicca.
6. The U.S. government first officially recognized Wicca as a religion in 1985. In a court case involving a prisoner (Dettmer v. Landon), the federal government argued that the doctrine of the Church of Wicca was not a religion because it is a “conglomeration” of “various aspects of the occult, such as faith healing, self-hypnosis, tarot card reading, and spell casting, none of which would be considered religious practices standing alone.” The court noted that the government was essentially arguing “that because it finds witchcraft to be illogical and internally inconsistent, witchcraft cannot be a religion.” The appeals court ruled that, “the Church of Wicca occupies a place in the lives of its members parallel to that of more conventional religions. Consequently, its doctrine must be considered a religion.”
7. A commonly shared core belief of Wicca (as well as other forms of modern witchcraft) is the acceptance and practice of magic. The Wiccan view is similar to that of Aleister Crowley, who defined magic as “the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with will.” As Wesley Baines says, “Many believe magic to be simply another law of nature, albeit one that is poorly understood and written off as fakery. As such, magic is not supernatural, but just as natural as gravity and wind, and often involve a combination of invocations, movement, music, meditation, and tools.” And as one Wiccan site explains, “Magick [sic] is another word for transformation, creation, and manifestation. Wicca magick is a tool we use to act on the subtle—or energy, or quantum—level of reality. The quantum level is the causal realm. It is the subtle influences at the quantum level that decide which way reality will go.”
8. Aside from a belief in magic, there are few beliefs that all Wiccan traditions share. The belief most commonly associated with Wicca is a variation of the Wiccan Rede (“rede” is from the Middle English, meaning “advice” or “counsel”). Believed to have been formulated by the Wiccan priestess Doreen Valiente in the early 1960s, the Wiccan Rede is stated as, “An’ it harm none, do what ye will.” Variations on the rede include “That it harm none, do as thou wilt” and “Do what you will, so long as it harms none.”
9. In its older forms, Wicca holds a duotheistic belief system that includes a female Mother Goddess and a male Horned God. As Wicca has became more influenced by feminism, though, it has become more oriented toward goddess worship. As Jone Salomonsen concludes, “Witches perceive of themselves as having left the Father’s House (Jewish and Christian religion) and returned ‘home’ to the Self (Goddess religion) with a call to heal western women’s (and men’s) alienation from community and spirituality and to become benders of human and societal developments.” This flexibility in excluding/including deities has, as Michael F. Strmiska says, “allowed people with interest in different deities and religious traditions to customize Wicca to suit their specific interests, thus enhancing the religion’s appeal to a broad and growing membership.”
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The shark's presence in the commercials was used to demonstrate that customers could find great deals and products at Ikea, just as they unexpectedly found a shark in their midst. This clever comparison between the unlikely discovery of a shark and the pleasantly surprising affordability of Ikea products helped to solidify Ikea's reputation as a budget-friendly furniture store. The Ikea shark advertising mascot helped to make the brand more relatable and approachable to a wide audience. By using humor and an unexpected character, Ikea was able to connect with consumers on a personal level and create a positive association with their brand. The campaign received positive feedback and contributed to increasing brand awareness and sales for Ikea. In conclusion, the Ikea shark advertising mascot of Lenny the Lamp was a successful strategy that allowed Ikea to showcase their affordability and create a memorable brand image. The friendly and helpful shark character helped to break stereotypes and connect with consumers in an amusing and relatable way..
Reviews for "How Ikea's Shark Mascot is Bringing the Fun Back to Furniture Shopping"
1. Sarah - 1/5 stars
I found the Ikea shark advertising mascot to be annoying and ineffective. The whole concept seemed forced and did not resonate with me as a consumer. It felt like Ikea was trying too hard to be funny and relatable, but it came off as desperate and off-putting. I would have preferred a more genuine and informative advertisement that showcased the products and their benefits instead of relying on a silly mascot.
2. John - 2/5 stars
The Ikea shark advertising mascot is a complete miss for me. It seems like Ikea was trying to create a memorable character, but it just ends up being strange and irrelevant. It's hard to connect the shark with the brand or its products. The mascot does nothing to enhance my understanding or interest in Ikea. I would have preferred a more straightforward and informative approach to advertising.
3. Emily - 2/5 stars
I found the Ikea shark advertising mascot to be confusing and distracting. It felt like Ikea was trying to be too quirky and eccentric, which ultimately overshadowed the message they were trying to convey. The shark character seemed out of place and did not add any value to the advertisement. I would have preferred a more focused and concise approach that highlighted the products and their benefits instead of relying on a gimmicky mascot.
4. Michael - 1/5 stars
The Ikea shark advertising mascot is a complete flop in my opinion. It's overly cheesy and fails to make any kind of impact. The shark character is not funny or engaging, and it just ends up being annoying to watch. The advertisement feels disjointed and lacks a clear message. I would have preferred a more professional and straightforward approach from Ikea.