But that was just the Swedish meatball on top of the Enquirer's don't-miss-a-single-angle coverage. Consider this jaw-dropper: Ikea installs huge sign. And the lede didn't disappoint: "A huge sign towering over I-75 in West Chester went up today for the new Ikea furniture store, slated to open March 12."
Now, check out the screen shot, above, from the paper's website. In a brilliant bit of product placement (way to transform that annoying Chinese wall, Publisher Margaret Buchanan!), the paper's online collection of 17 Ikea stories is tricked out in the official yellow-and-blue Ikea corporate colors.
How do you say in Swedish, pimping for a major advertiser?
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I don't work in Cincinnati, but I was born and raised in the Midwest and I think you're being a little harsh here, Jim. This is a part of the country where we don't have Apple stores on every corner, so when a hip and trendy retailer comes to town it's sort of a big deal. I don't fault The Enquirer for its extensive coverage. Any other opinions out there from journalists in the Heartland?
ReplyDeleteAs a journalist, I agree with Jim.
ReplyDeleteI've lived and worked in Arkansas, Idaho and Kentucky. I give folks in the middle of the country a lot of credit: They want to know about new businesses like Ikea, but they want objective, arms-length coverage, too.
ReplyDeleteLove of Ikea might be a Gannett thing. When Ikea announced they were coming to Tempe, AZ, the Arizona Republic flew a reporter to the nearest Ikea store (in Orange County, CA) to report on the Ikea experience. Mind you, this was just for the announcement.
ReplyDeleteWhen the store finally opened it was covered like it was the second coming. With teams of reporters and photographers. Luckily, this was pre-video so we sere spared the countless bad Ikea videos.
This is the same Arizona Republic that can't find it in itself to cover McCain adequately.
It's totally a Gannett thing. The Detroit Free Press went berserk when Ikea opened a store in a Motown suburb. Their shopping reporter wrote what felt like MILLIONS of column inches about the opening. The paper profiled an "Ikea family," etc.
ReplyDeletethe coverage is missing the "advertisement" disclaimer. total breech of ethics. why didn't the paper just go the whole way and report how much Ikea will set them up with ad buys for the next year. this should be a case study in j-schools on how NOT to cover an event. sickening. jesus, i hate gannett.
ReplyDeleteIt's the damned out-of-control publishers. Anyone teach these people real ethics? We routinely cover what advertisers want, write stories about them, let them use art shot for editorial use in advertisements... Keeps getting worse and worse.
ReplyDeleteHow do you say in Swedish, pimping for a major advertiser?
ReplyDeleteThat would be:
"hallicken för en större annonsören"
Anon@8:28 LOL!
ReplyDeleteAs a resident of the Cincinnati area, I saw first-hand what happened when Ikea opened here last week. People lined up around the building in the middle of the night and 11,000 people walked through the doors in the first hour.
ReplyDeleteI agree with those who think that it's nothing more than a European Target store, but many, many people in this part of the Midwest thought this was a big deal.
Everyone is complaining about nothing. So what? The newspaper was excited about IKEA. I can assure you it had nothing to do with advertising revenue. IKEA barely advertises at all in any local media. Stop looking for conspiracy where there is none. Let the people in Cincy be happy about IKEA.
ReplyDeleteHmmmm. Are the small, independent furniture retailers in Cincy "happy'' with the paper's over-the-top Ikea coverage? Or would they have liked to see a bit more balance? Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteThis is a repost of a comment that didn't go in the first time, so if the other post shows up that's why there is a duplicate.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a fun topic because it illustrates interesting points about Cincinnati, so I'm going to chime in.
I work in Cincinnati, and although I personally felt much of the coverage was kind of silly and amusing (and I wasn't involved in any way, shape or form), from the sidelines I concede there are these points to remember:
1. IKEA's opening was a big, symbolic story. This is a region that has a noteworthy sense of self-doubt, inferiority and even shame (it's a Catholic / Germanic / Cincinnati thing; you wouldn't understand unless you're from here) -- especially since the race-related civil unrest of 2001. Cincinnati is sensitive about its image and locals saw IKEA coming here as more than just a retailer arriving -- it was a message that said "you don't suck quite as much as you thought you did"
2. IKEA's opening had a big impact on a key area in the community, on a major thoroughfare: the I-75 corridor and West Chester, already facing traffic challenges. It was crazy: Police everywhere directing traffic, three GIANT parking lots with shuttle service to the store, etc. Like, when was the last time something like that happened with a retailer's opening? Never.
3. IKEA's opening was FUN. Not much fun/interesting was going on. Everyone was talking about it. Either they loved it or hated it or didn't care, but it was the topic around the water coolers. If you were a married man you had to go with your wife and her mom. If you were a single guy you had to go with your GF or would-be GF -- and, yes, folks were going on dates to IKEA. If you were gay obviously you were going, along with your SO and friends. If you were well-off you were going because IKEA is cool. If you were low-income you were going to save money.
4. Web traffic was great. Like it or not, that's a barometer of what people read and want. When views and views per visits and reading times for those stories all go up simultaneously, you typically know that's a topic that people want to know more about. While that should not guide too much thinking, it is an informative indicator that should not be ignored.
5. Local media covered the IKEA story with as much fervor, as they also covered (and as did The Enquirer and other daily media) the iPhone launch last year. Not sayin' that's good or bad -- just a fact.
6. Most everyone under 35 in this town knows at least ONE person who has taken a van to the IKEA in either Pittsburgh or Chicago.
I'm not defending, praising or condemning the coverage. I just wanted to point out that the significance of this development is "a Cincinnati thing" that, like so many other Cincinnati things, you just might not understand if you're from here.
Cincinnati's inferiority complex is a topic worth writing a book about.
Also, so is the impact of things like IKEA. Folks love IKEA but is it so different from WalMart in terms of wiping out local retailers? Only time will tell.
I'm 1:52 PM and I was hoping my post would start a converation with Cincinnati blog readers, or former Cincinnatians, about Cincinnati's "psychology." Do you agree the place has the Catholic / Germanic sense of self-doubt or inferiority or something? I've found Cincinnati to be unlike any other place in certain respects, but I'm trying to figure out why/how. i wish there we some other place to have that conversation, which is a perfect example of why local media web sites need forums!
ReplyDelete1. IKEA's opening was a big, symbolic story. This is a region that has a noteworthy sense of self-doubt, inferiority and even shame (it's a Catholic / Germanic / Cincinnati thing; you wouldn't understand unless you're from here) -- especially since the race-related civil unrest of 2001.
ReplyDeleteThis is the one comment I agree with. I thought the IKEA coverage on the local news was a bit of overkill. But then I folks of all ages and races, standing in line, smiling and grinning. One black guy put his arm around this white dude he had met in line and they were both hoping for a free chair.
I am for anything that even remotely promotes racial harmony in Cincinnati. If IKEA can do that for one day, I'm happy.