IKEA Taiwan cops flak for introducing Golden Cake ahead of Hungry Ghost Festival

IKEA Taiwan has copped flak for introducing a cake designed to resemble joss paper ahead of the Chinese Hungry Ghost Festival.

According to IKEA Taiwan’s Instagram and Facebook pages, the brand names the limited-edition layered cake as the “golden cake” (金紙蛋糕), with its appearance resembling traditional Chinese joss paper - the sheets of paper commonly used as burnt offerings in Chinese ancestral worship rituals. 

The social post also comes with a caption: "Does your back suddenly feel a chill? Have the lights in your home dimmed unexpectedly? Quickly prepare this golden cake! It will keep you safe and secure, without any panic!"

However, the post has garnered mixed reactions from netizens, as media intelligence CARMA saw over 200 mentions related to IKEA Taiwan's new product over the past 10 days. Approximately 31.9% of the mentions were positive, while 6.1% were negative.

A large group of netizens indicated that, although the cake does not look appetising, it is creative and humourous, with some joking that it pays homage to Taiwanese culture, said CARMA’s HK GM Charles Cheung. "Conversely, some criticism arose from those who view the product as disrespectful to the deceased."

IKEA’s golden cake has captured netizens’ attention that, its Instagram post has received over 550 likes and eight comments. Meanwhile, its Facebook has received over 370 likes, 15 comments, and 30 shares. Some netizens said the cake is already sold out in nearby IKEA stores, while some said the concept behind the "golden cake" is humourous.

IKEA Taiwan has also leveraged engaging social media content to promote the golden cake. One post shows a staff member presenting the cake to a customer, who appears shocked to discover that it is actually the golden cake. Another post depicts a child looking up at the ceiling and giggling, with no ghosts present - instead, the child is playing with the ceiling decorations.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to IKEA for more information. 

Don’t miss: IKEA taps on uniquely Singaporean humour in hilarious National Day post

IKEA is known for trendjacking popular trends and topics on social media. Recently, the brand showcased its ability to connect with Singaporean audiences by creating a humourous National Day-themed post that tapped into the country's unique sense of humour.

In the post, IKEA features its KLIPPAN 2-seater sofa and its GLADOM tray table as well as its STOENSE low-pile rug. On the left, it shows the items in red and white with the caption, "me on 9 Aug". On the right, it shows the same items, but this time, in yellow, black and blue, some of IKEA's iconic brand colours. 

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