Yes, in 2018, I had a show titled 'U [can] 2' during which I launched the WILLIAM bookcase - 'when you take a BILLY bookcase and you hack it, you elevate it and make into a WILLIAM bookcase'. In fact IKEA steals not only that concept, but also the 'growing up portion'? No way! I can easily prove that it exactly the 'growing up' portion is *** stolen too ***. Billy to William is a natural transition - it indicates growth, maturity, prestige. Yea, I'm exactly as old as the Billy bookcase!
You know what? I'm flattered. I agree - it is the cleverest way to change the name BILLY, and it was me and not your marketing department that came up with that - shit over luck! AND! AND! That's just a fucking awesome IKEA HACK! You hack the name and you hack the product. In my books, you just can't top that. That's clever.
So yes. Pretty please - while the new catalogue is not printed yet - don't change the name of the BILLY bookcase to WILLIAM bookcase. It belongs to me, and is very dear to my heart - there is a whole philosophy behind it, other than your new marketing of it - could it be the ultimate personalization? - yes, but you are not the first ones to create that notion.
Don't steal IP! You know it is unethical.
*edit the next day - theoretically we could just narrow this spat down to a monetary transaction - that's as basic capitalism as we get, and we can't escape that. I am willing to license my WILLIAM name to you, IKEA, as a concept - so you can own in its entirety and profit from it ---> the start with a BILLY, the hacking portion, and the final ultimate 'personalization' WILLIAM/BILLY - 5 cents per individual unit sale - you can have it. Look, I can be bought and sold too - especially when an idea is good or great, and there will be larger positive implications.
We can go at length on 'what is' and 'how to' about hacking but given the market response [the ultimate gauge of successful implementation, DELAKTIG for one] including yours [choosing to steal my name] I say I am in the right and you are in the wrong. There is no stopping human creativity and Peak Furnishings is here to stay. Get used to it. Is it going to affect your business? For sure!
Hey! And let me offer some comment on your new name and campaign. So the only info I was able to find is that it is IKEA Canada that has changed the name BILLY to WILLIAM. It is unclear from the website if the change is a permanent re-brand, or a temporary promotional move. There is a hashtag 'ItsWilliamNow' and the visual branding has the name BILLY crossed out and written in WILLIAM. First off, as a huge fan of BILLY, on a personal level - I don't like it. There is certain simplicity to BILLY that the name espouses and I really like that. Just from a linguistic perspective, and even a bit of a 'cultural overview' - the name BILLY is wonderfully ambiguous - I hope you made that observation and noted its appeal. Now marry that ambiguity to a visual campaign and you have exactly what your marketing department came up with. *** Now, the name WILLIAM - that sure is man.... middle aged.... British? Holy cow! You really can't escape that imagery - especially in the Western World. Is that how BILLY customers should see themselves?
Now, how is my WILLIAM bookcase different from your WILLIAM bookcases? In every aspect - my WILLIAM is a well thought out decision, a conscious creative intervention - it is sophisticated. It is not minimalist is that oversimplified sense - because the strength of the original BILLY is its simplicity. Yes, I am upset.
