Mark Malkoff, a comedian best known for patronizing each of Manhattan's 171 Starbucks in a single day, needed a place to stay while his apartment was fumigated. Since his friends had no extra space in their tiny apartments and hotels were too expensive, Malkoff decided to spend his week of temporary homelessness at his local IKEA. "My apartment is 80 percent IKEA anyway," narrates Malkoff in the first video documenting his experience. "It would be like living at home."
The premise is a bit thin. But whether a skunk works brainstorm from IKEA marketers or one comedian's inspired self-promotion, the series of videos collectively known as Mark Lives in IKEA are a win-win situation for all involved.
- IKEA gets lots of free press and product demonstrations from someone who appears to be the ultimate customer evangelist. (There seems to be no official support from IKEA, and Malkoff claimed he wasn't paid.) Additionally, the Swedish company's bemused cooperation reinforces a good-natured image.
- Malkoff has a viral venue to audition for a larger role on The Colbert Report, where he currently works as an audience coordinator.
- Viewers are entertained—and, perhaps, slightly appalled—by someone with the chutzpah to brush his teeth at the self-serve soda fountain and toss a used towel back on the shelf. All of this, meanwhile, is set to a diverse soundtrack that runs the gamut from Herb Alpert to Mötley Crüe.
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