Heated debate Monkey baby goes viral - but a marketing campaign divides the web
The story of the little macaque Punch, who was rejected by his mother after birth and finds comfort in an Ikea cuddly toy, touches hearts around the world. But a marketing campaign by Ikea Spain is now sparking a heated debate.
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- Ikea Spain renamed a plush toy after the abandoned macaque baby Punch and used the viral story for marketing purposes.
- Many users accuse the furniture giant of exploiting emotions for commercial purposes.
- Ikea Switzerland announced that it had contacted the zoo and would donate sales proceeds to animal welfare.
At Ichikawa Zoo in Japan, little macaque Punch was rejected by his mother shortly after his birth. The zookeepers then gave him a cuddly toy, which visibly gives him support. Pictures of the young animal, which takes the stuffed orangutan with it wherever it goes, quickly spread online.
The toy is the Ikea product "Djungelskog", a soft toy in the shape of an orangutan.
Ikea Spain reacts quickly
IKEA's Spanish subsidiary picked up on the viral trend. In the online catalog, the plush toy was temporarily renamed "Mamá de Punch". The campaign was clearly aimed at picking up on the media attention surrounding the little primate.
Real-time marketing is one of the most important strategies for major brands today. But not every quick reaction is met with approval.
Criticism: "Do you really have to capitalize on everything?"
Critical voices have been growing on social networks. Users accused Ikea of instrumentalizing an emotional story for commercial purposes. Comments such as "Do we really have to capitalize everything?" or "Capitalism in action" met with a lot of approval.
Others described the campaign as "cynical" or as "marketing on the back of a small animal". The debate shows how sensitively many people now react to the interplay between emotion and advertising.
Ikea Switzerland chooses a different path
While Ikea Spain focused on attention, Ikea Switzerland took a different tone. The Swiss branch announced that it had contacted the zoo. The aim was to donate the proceeds from the sale of the cuddly toy to the macaque's welfare.
Whether the marketing campaign will be perceived as clever or tasteless in the long term remains to be seen. One thing is clear: the little punch has long since become a symbol of the balancing act between viral trends and ethical responsibility in modern marketing.
