Frekvens

Frekvens mixes the brand strengths of Teenage Engineering and IKEA

I can’t remember a time when I was as jazzed about line of audio speakers (yes friends, you read that correctly, audio speakers) as I am with Frekvens. The products are a mash-up of two of my favorite brands, Teenage Engineering and IKEA. It’s a synthesis of the unique design aesthetic of both brands.

These are two brands with their own distinct meaning and feel that blend into a new user experience. The Swedish-based Teenage Engineering already has a deeply invested fan base, namely, users of its OP-1 and OP-Z drum machines and sequencers. And as for the other Swedish outfit, IKEA, it remains one of the few retailers that serves as a destination where location doesn’t matter. People still flock to its stores.

So, the combination brings us Frekvens, which merges the simplicity of Teenage Engineering with the design of IKEA. Units come simplistically in small boxes. You can get a sub-woofer, tweeters, light units, Bluetooth components, you name it. All of these parts link together in whatever fashion you desire, just like free building LEGO. Yet with audio and lighting. Stands can be purchased, too.

“Basically, Frekvens is piggybacking on the IKEA brand, which isn’t a bad thing to do. The next step is to make Frekvens itself a brand that’s emotionally powerful enough to stand on its own.”

Frekvens still has one brand step to go

Interestingly, the Frekvens products can only be nabbed in-store. Unless you buy an up-charged set on eBay or Mercari, you’ll need to traipse into your nearest IKEA store. It’s a strategy to continue making IKEA a destination, a true rarity in the troublesome category of brick and mortar retail.

Basically, Frekvens is piggybacking on the IKEA brand, which isn’t a bad thing to do. The next step is to make Frekvens itself a brand that’s emotionally powerful enough to stand on its own.

Right now, it markets itself with the line of “Get the Party Started,” which does appeal to a specific audience. It tells you who it is for and who it is not for, the latter of which is key to a meaningful brand.

The brand position states how Frekvens is to be used, but it doesn’t emotionally identify who the Frekvens customers are. Once it does that, it doesn’t need IKEA or Teenage Engineering.