Professor Weighs In On IKEA Marketing Strategy

CENTENNIAL, Colo. (CBS4)- IKEA finally opened its doors Wednesday morning to lines of excited customers. The Swedish furniture store has a following for affordable, stylish furniture that customers construct themselves.

A local marketing expert appeared on CBS4 Morning News to discuss why IKEA's strategy works.

"This is public relations at its best," said Metro State College Assistant Marketing Professor Darrin Duber-Smith."They are generating a huge amount of publicity. It is obviously a huge global brand. The publicity started two years ago, when the building was still being built."

Watch Duber-Smith's entire interview below.

"What IKEA is very successful at is bringing kind of the modern style of home furnishings, furniture, to the mass market, to the mainstream customer, and that's usually done through pricing," said Duber-Smith.

He said IKEA saves money by keeping everything under one roof.

"They are a retailer and a distribution center, so rather than have a distribution center, or a warehouse that trucks items to the retail center, they are kind of a two-in-one type situation. They do a lot of online sales as well, a lot of direct sales," said Duber-Smith.