IKEA, Courts & Scoot’s Ads Referencing Recent Bus Stop Bench Theft Are Marketing Done Right

We all know that IKEA’s especially quick on the uptake when it comes to viral trends in Singapore.

S-Hook zehzeh go viral? Make an ad.

Market a product that they already have and throw in the reference: T-Shirt not included.

Yeah, everybody knows they’re referring to this T-shirt.

So we’re not surprised when IKEA jumped on the high-profile theft of a bus stop bench in Singapore recently.

But Courts and Scoot too?

A bit of context for those unfamiliar with “bench man”

On 14 Jun 2017 at around midnight, a man decided to steal a metal bench from a bus stop at Braddell Road.

22-year-old Tan Ke Wei reportedly wanted to model his house after an integrated bus stop (taste, my friend, is subjective).

When he saw the metal bench, he found it “nice” and wanted to bring it home to “check its dimensions”.

He meddled around with the bolts and managed to unscrew all eight bolts holding the metal bench to the ground.

He placed the metal bench in a trash bag and took a taxi home.

He was shortly tracked down by the police and placed under arrest but that’s not what netizens are focusing on.

When the Land Transport Authority was shown the metal bench, they said the bench belongs to them and is worth $1,500.

That and the fact that he can reportedly unscrew all the bolts with just his hands.

IKEA, Scoot & Courts Jumped On “Bench Man” Bandwagon

On the same day news broke out about a man stealing a bench from a bus stop, Scoot posted an advertisement on their Facebook page about cheap prices.

It would fit their normal M.O, except this is what their ad looked like.

It didn’t hurt that there was a $1,500 price tag in flying after the bench as well. Cheeky, Scoot. Cheeky.

Their caption read: Get off the bench and hop on board to your next holiday! 

And they remind users that you can buy their seats but you “can’t take them home”.

Did you read that, Mr Tan Ke Wei?

Courts Joined In The Fun Too

They posted this ad of their bench with the caption: So now you can focus only on taking the bus home.

They’ve also added measurements for the bench so you don’t have to bring one home to “measure the space”, and emphasised that their benches “Comes with no detention”.

Add in the fact that they’re Courts. You know, like the criminal court trying criminals? It makes the “no detention order” a bit more legitimate.

But really, we’ve left the best for the last.

IKEA, the King of Ads

While the other two businesses focused on the detention order as well as the crime, IKEA focused on how it’s done instead.

They have a bench. It’s light grey, and the best part? You don’t have to unscrew metal bolts with your hands before you can bring it home.

Well played, IKEA, well played.

Like one netizen said it best: “It’s safe to say the Ikea marketing team is not just… sitting around…”

Come, IKEA…come…