A new ad for Ikea catalogues parodies formulaic tech company gadget advertising, showing all the advantages print has over ebooks and tablets.

The tongue-in-cheek TV ad presents the 2015 catalogue as a bookbook – a device ‘so simple and intuitive, using it seems almost familiar’.

The 2.5 minute video shows Ikea chief design güru Jörgen Eghammer, in plain dark t-shirt against minimal backdrop, talking through the catalogue’s features while inspirational music plays.

The features include eternal battery life, expandable display and navigation based on tactile touch technology that you can ‘actually feel’.

Each page loads in crystal clear high definition, with no lag, no matter how fast you scroll.

There are no cables, and if there is something you want to save for later, you can simply bookmark it to easily find it again, even if you close the application.

“At only 8mm thin, and weighing in at less than 400g, the 2015 Ikea Catalogue comes pre-installed with thousands of home furnishing ideas,” a voiceover says.

Despite the campaign promoting print, no Australian printer directly benefited because the catalogues were produced overseas.

[Related: More catalogue news]

Print and paper advocate Two Sides says the commercial is a great backer for print, having reached more than 11.1 million hits on YouTube so far.

Executive director Kellie Northwood calls it ‘an amusing parody which also delivers some great messages in regards to the power and effectiveness of print’.

“I do like this analogy of paper and digital when we point out the strengths of paper – portable, tactile and without lag,” she says.

“In this video print’s strong characteristics are clearly identified for marketers making important budget decisions.”

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