Bread lovers, your prayers have been answered.
Loafa is a new hyperrealistic bread sofa inspired by Mario Bellini’s 1970s Camaleonda sofa.
Designed by Estonian rapper Tommy Cash in collaboration with object-transformation artist Gab Bois, Cash unveiled the sofa on Instagram and asked followers to reach 10,000 comments to convince Ikea to put the Loafa into production.
Ikea has been silent, but Cash recently wrote: “Loafa is coming to your nearest IKEA söön.”
Cash worked with Adidas to produce the world’s longest Superstar and with Maison Margiela on a pair of “Loaf-ers,” so it’s not unrealistic that Ikea would eventually say yes.
And if you haven’t noticed, celebrity licensed lines are everywhere right now.
Here are just a few that come to mind:
- The Scott Brothers and Hooker Furnishings
- Ghostbed and Serena Williams
- Charli and Dixie D’Amelio and Simmons
- Kristin Bell and La A Boy
- Donny Osmand and Coaster
- Michael Amini (AICO) and Kathy Ireland
The list goes on and on.
But does it all work? Actually, yes.
Consumers are better able to recall products that have been endorsed by celebrities, according to one study. And that’s regardless of whether they like the celebrity or not.
Getting into the science of it, your brain recognizes celebrities as people we actually know. Likely because we know so much about celebrities’ lives through TV, online tabloids, and more.
So in the same way we tend to favor things our friends like—which is why word of mouth is one of the most powerful tools for businesses—we also favor things celebrities say because of how our brain recognizes them.
Not only do celebrities expand the reach of marketing messages for brands, but they can also increase trust and familiarity.
A recent study by the University of Arkansas and the Manchester Business School in London found that consumers (ages 18-24) “take on an active role in developing their identities and appearance based upon celebrities.”
That age group is more susceptible to celebrity brand endorsements than other age groups, as research by Nielson found that celebrity endorsements resonate more strongly with Generation Z (ages 15-20) and Millennial (ages 21-34) audiences.
So endorsements and licenses work—as if our brains were hard-wired to be susceptible to them. And whether Ikea picks up the Loafa or not, at the very least they got publicity from the stunt, which is what most furniture companies are looking for when they partner with celebrities.
If you could sell a sofa that looked like bread, would you?
