…And a Child Shall Lead Them

Swedes take special pride in the protection, care and development of its youth.  Its safe to say Sweden understands and values the premise that their children of today, will soon become the adults of the future who will ultimately run their country.  Swedes obviously believe in giving their young people the very best start in life to ensure successful futures among its youth population.  So it should come as no surprise that governmental policies require that:

• New parents  get a total of 13 months of paid maternity leave and the father is required to take at least 1 month of it following the birth of a child.

• All parents get 480 days of paid leave per child, which MUST be claimed before the child turns eight.

• There is a abundance of organizations that offer support services to help and protect the rights of Swedish children including a organization, Friends, whose mission is to stamp out bullying in school.

• School is basically free for all children

Swedish children, like most of the countries inhabitants, boast a high levels of Internet usage and engagement. It has been noted that Swedish children surf the internet as much as they watch TV, if not more often.  With two of the nine million people in Sweden being under the age of 18, I believe it makes perfect sense for any brand seeking to use social media to promote their products or services plan to strategically target the youth of Sweden in their efforts.

Many can arguably agree that children can be quite influential to their parents likes, dislikes and interests.   Even if  a brands product or service is not necessarily geared towards children, there can still be profound value in marketing to the youth.  Popular social media sites that Swedish children frequent  such as Facebook, lunarstorm, skunk.spray and hamsterpaj can be used to promote topics on everything from best travel destinations for soccer enthusiast to best ways to keep your pet environmentally friendly.

The children of Sweden obviously matter greatly in their culture.  Brands that seek to invoke engagement and peak the interest among Swedish youth will certainly appeal to the masses as well….And inevitably, those youth grow into adults who become and loyal supporters of the brand.

Going mobile with video in Sweden

Swedes love to share files. One blogger for guardian.co.uk claimed in December of last year that the country “could be considered the world’s unofficial home of internet piracy.” But a copyright protection law that went into effect in April landed file sharing website Pirate Bay founders behind bars and put a major dent in P2P activity, sending overall Swedish internet traffic tumbling by a whopping 33% overnight. Many feel that fear of being caught illegally sharing files will irrevocably change the nature of the web experience there. 

The CEO of a Swedish ISP feels “if this pattern keeps up, it means the extensive broadband network we’ve built will lose its significance.” This may mark the beginning of the end for illegal P2P in Sweden, but I don’t see it as likely that social media participants and infrastructure will now sit idle. May I suggest (based on the limited research done) that there is a timely opportunity for companies wanting to build their brands in the social media scene in Sweden. The idea should be obvious enough…provide high-quality sharable content (with a creative commons license) to fill the gap left by illegal P2P. 

One area in particular to focus on in the next year or two is the mobile arena. Sweden is a leader in mobile broadband already and will soon have a lightening fast 4G network. “We are now going to build the next generation of mobile networks and change the rules of the game for the Swedish mobile market,” said the CEO of one of the mobile companies involved. 

Perhaps more than anything else, fast mobile networks allow for a superior video experience. It’s worth remembering the first viral campaign using high quality video in the hard line environment to imagine what can be done in the wireless arena. In 2001, BMW posted a series of short-format web movies created by famous “big-screen” movie directors (you can watch them all here). Each featured actor Clive Owen driving a BMW automobile. Action or humor was used to advance each plot, but the car was the real story and the movies were essentially long-format ads. The campaign garnered huge word of mouth by email (this was pre-YouTube and social networking) and BMW succeeded in sharing their message of high-performance, luxury and safety. The high-quality video format, production value and “you gotta see this” plot-driven approach were noteworthy and made it go viral.

Image from http://www.telenor.com

The same characteristics should garner significant attention when introduced into the mobile environment, as they did eight years ago in the static setting. The major difference now is cell-to-cell (and social networking) would replace email as the viral connection medium. My recommendation for a corporate social media strategy in the Swedish market (and elsewhere where 4G is rolling out) takes advantage of the new mobile bandwidth to deliver hip, plot-driven HD video to tap the public’s demonstrated interest in sharing entertainment content.

A campaign could stop there and be successful. But to really leverage the benefits of 4G in Sweden, a company should create a stockpile of modular vignettes (that could optimally be constantly expanded) and be dynamically assembled to create customized and on-demand videos based on the specific location of a cell user, let’s say in Stockholm. Some outdoor advertising (billboards, public transport shelters, etc.) might be needed to get users to pull content for the first time. The idea here is to deliver “location contextual” video…that’s the power of 4G! A cell phone’s GPS data might be used to identify the correct geo-targeted video components to be assembled once the user is connected to the download server. 

Other factors that could influence the dynamic assembly and make the video even more customized could be that day’s weather (another location contextual variable pulled from a weather feed and then used to select rainy or sunny clips) or any information the company has on that specific user from previous interactions offline or online (for example, women see actresses and men see actors). The more the video could match the user’s actual real-time experience, the more it should resonate and build a connection with the brand.

Companies could even use a variation of the practice of product placement in the dynamic videos. An actor in the location contextual video might walk into an existing store where they would buy the company’s product. It would be part of the plot, but deliver a sales message at the same time. This promotional aspect is completely optional, however.

The core strategy is to create engaging videos with relevant storylines…videos that individual mobile users would want to watch and share with friends and family in their mobile or social networking circles. 

–Gregg Rapaport

Substance Behind the Style

As global environmental and sustainability awareness grows, we can and should turn to countries like Sweden to learn from them and model best practices. In the past, they have shown a willingness to further their environmental efforts beyond their borders, partnering with countries such as China on environmental issues. In just a few days (July 1), they will take over the presidency of the European Union (EU) for a six-month term, further expanding exposure to the country’s environmental platform on the world’s stage.

I love my Saab, thoroughly enjoy my semi-annual pilgrimage to IKEA and have been known to drool over Electrolux appliances. And like many women of my generation, I have also done my fair share of singing along to Swedish pop. But for all my consumption of Swedish goodness, I did not know much about the country’s stance on the environment and sustainability until recently.

They’ve been busy.

I was struck with how much Sweden has invested in sustainable development, not just in terms of resources, but in terms of ensuring its policies and public outreach reflect the government’s stance regarding the environment. While much of the world has only recently focused significant attention on figuring out how to handle environmental issues and implement sustainability practices, the Swedes have been at it for more than half a century. Sweden seems to be well on its way to accomplishing an ambitious agenda to meet very specific sustainability goals.

In 1999, the Swedish Parliament adopted 16 Environmental Objectives (EQOs), on which the country’s environmental policy is based, along with 72 interim targets. According to the government’s Environmental Objectives Portal, “the idea is to be able, by 2020, to hand over a society in which the most serious environmental problems have been solved.” (The date is 2050 for climate change.) The portal provides details on each of the 16 objectives, along with a progress report discussing additional actions needed to reach the goals. The report also discusses obstacles identified.

Named one of the top 5 tech hotspots in the world by Entrepreneur magazine in 2007, Sweden is a sophisticated, tech savvy country with a deeply rooted environmentally and socially responsible conscience. With Sweden’s penchant for technology and early adoption, there seem to be opportunities for brands to use social media to reach consumers there.

According to Swedish website The Local, “Sweden’s communication with the rest of the world is also changing. The country’s official website… has strived for increased interaction and transparency through a series of bold steps” including live-fed, no-delay comments at one point, in addition to blogs, RSS feeds, Twitter and Facebook. The Local adds that over 80 percent of Swedes are regular Internet users, and 70 percent of 55- to 64-year-olds browse the web regularly. Politicians have also been using social media to communicate with voters and constituents. Twitter is slowly catching on, with Swedes making up the 15th largest group of Twitter users worldwide.

Given its deeply ingrained social conscience, however, companies should remember to look at their track record on social and environmental issues before treading on Swedish soil, and remember the role of social media as tools in their overall marketing and communication strategy.

And if they need a reminder of the country’s abiding passion for the environment (and hints for areas to explore), they should only look at the Swedish government’s sustainability blog for a few quick facts:

• Svante Arrhenius (1859–1927), winner of the Nobel prize for chemistry in 1903, discovered the greenhouse effect. As early as the 19th century, he produced calculations that anticipated global warming.
• Swedish meteorologist Bert Bolin (1925–2007) was the first to chair the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). In 2007, the IPCC was awarded the Nobel peace prize, which Bolin shared with Al Gore.
• In 2007, Sweden beat the world recycling record. Eighty-five percent of all glass bottles and aluminum tins were returned.
• Sweden tops the green shopping list, at least in Europe. In a recent study by the European Commission, 40 percent of Swedes said they had purchased an eco-labeled article over the past month. The EU average is 17 percent.
• Interest in organic food is steadily increasing. In Europe, the organic food market is growing 5–7 percent a year, and even faster in Sweden. In 2007, two of the largest food chains in Sweden reported rises of 18 percent and 30 percent, respectively.
• Sweden is ranked eighth in the world in terms of ecological farmland, which now comprises over 7 percent of its total acreage.
• Sweden is one of the few industrialized countries to have reduced carbon emissions. Between 1990 and 2006, these declined almost 9 percent. Over the same period, the economy grew 44 percent.

Can Social Media Help Bypass Advertising Regulations in Sweden?

Do not accept jars from this bear.

As technology and Internet usage booms throughout the world, with more people using social media tools and going online for most aspects of their life, I always find it interesting to see how other countries stack up on time spent online. Upon researching social media in Sweden, I found the following fact on the official Website of Sweden:

“Young Swedes surf the internet as much as they watch TV. More than one in four 12- to 15-year-olds watches TV at least three hours a day. Just as many spend as long surfing the internet. Half of all five-year-olds and one in five three-year-olds have browsed the internet. Children aged 12-15 prefer to chat online, while 9- to 11-year-olds are more interested in playing computer games. The most popular game is The Sims. The most popular chat rooms are: http://www.facebook.com, http://www.lunarstorm.se, http://www.skunk.spray.se, http://www.hamsterpaj.se.”

Upon researching further, I found that Swedish children spend 4 hours more online than children in other countries (9 hours vs. 5 hours). Based on the countries surveyed, only Brazilian children spend more time at 13 hours. The relevance comes from further learning that “Sweden banned all TV advertising during children’s prime time in 1991. Furthermore, commercials featuring characters children are familiar with are prohibited until 9 p.m. during the week and 10 p.m. on weekends.”

So why does this matter? Because advertisers are missing out on a great opportunity to target children to sell their products, the possibility is opened that they could start turning to social media to reach children, who in turn will either buy the products or ask their parents for them. In other words, Facebook, LunarStorm, SkunkSpray, and Hamsterpaj can run strong targeted advertising campaigns on social networks to ensure that more children’s eyes are reached in a new way to compensate for the lost TV viewing.

For example, 25-year-old Swedish toymaker Playsam is new to Facebook, but is well-known to Swedes. They could begin advertising and reaching out more with their products. Playsam toys are pretty expensive, so a child isn’t likely going to ask his or her parents for a Playsam toy, but seeing ads for the toys could still help drum up business by

Playsam. These will remain on your shelf as "heirlooms"

getting stuck in children’s minds, which in turn leads them to tell their parents. Or the parents could be targeted online as well. Brio toys can do the same thing.  This toy company has been around since 1884 and has a good Website where you can order their products, but showing ads on hamsterpaj could again reach new eyes, just as traditional TV commercials would. Of course, this business opportunity isn’t limited to toys. Food, clothing and technology companies can all use the popularity of the internet to their advantage. Facebook already has targeted ads that run on users’ profile pages. These ads change based on your information and discussions. Often they change based on your IP address as well. So while Brio might not be able to put up an ad during a rerun of Bamse (the bear in the picture above), it can appear when the usual Bamse viewer logs onto Swedish Facebook.

Imagine the fun!

It does not appear that there is legislation regarding this type of targeted online advertising, meaning that the opportunity exists for companies to reach their audiences in a new way.

As a side note, while Swedish children spend a lot of time online, in a reversal of roles, one article stated that Swedish children are concerned about their parents’ web habits, feeling that they spend too much time online and view “inappropriate material.” All in all meaning that there is near unlimited possibilities for companies to hawk their wares in Sweden to youngsters and grown ups alike.

Sweden’s Social Networking Syndrome

Opportunities are plentiful brand online in the Baltic region; Sweden is one of the most productive users of connectivity.  Brands should consider respectfully and creatively influencing the 2 million people under the age of 18, who are active online users.  Many children start early in this progressive country with “half of all fire-year-olds and one in five three-year-olds have browsed the internet.” Children 12-15 are actively chatting online. If brands are considering what differentiates the Swedish market from others in Europe with social media usage, it is important for brands to focus on providing more local content rather than international content but the social network doesn’t have to be local as witnessed by Facebook dethroning the Swedish social network.   

Lunarstorm was once considered the Sweden’s social media behemoth and media darling.  In 2005 B.F. (Before Facebook), Lunarstorm was perhaps the largest online community with 1.2 million active members in Sweden. This audience was largely comprised of 90 percent of the country’s high school students, who spent over 25 minutes while suffering this on-line community.  Today, the average time spent of Lunarstorm 7 to 9 minutes.

In 2008, Lunarstorm traffic dropped by 50% compared to the previous year with just under a half million unique web user.

Facebook has kidnapped the Swedish youth as the leading social media network.  The social network site has held Sweden hostage with average person with nearly 24 minutes time spent surfing the site.  In March, the number of Facebook users in Sweden has almost doubled Lunarstorm’s active member at its peak with 2,097,840.  From December to March, Facebook participation increased by 23.6 percent.

PR Parlay for Swedish Politics

As political public relations strategists place their bets on outreach plans, we’re finding the plan must be a parlay linking together both traditional and modern outreach practices. The ultimate success of these plans are dependent on both practices winning together.

As the 2010 Swedish general elections are approaching, more and more emphasis is being put on building political party brands with communities. Popular parliament parties such as The Moderates and the Social Democrats have engaged in social media outreach and are leading political pr strategies in Sweden, however; there is still no formal political social media communication strategy in place for any Swedish political party.

Social media outreach is quickly becoming a matter of state as Swedish parliament is branching out from typical campaign strategies and adopting social media to build on their pr portfolio strategies.

The Picks.

The picks for the linked strategy include both traditional and modern outreach strategies. While digital strategies will help parties build communities online, in-person engagement and traditional outreach is still a necessity.

The Odds.

Win-win. Win-lose. Lose-lose. If one assumes that the success of each single plan is a coin flip and is expected to pay out at 1:1, the true payout should instead be 3:1, a substantial difference.

The Payout.

The benefit of this parlay of a political outreach plan is that there are much higher payoffs than executing one strategy over the other since the difficulty of winning with one strategy it is much higher.

Creating a political brand using both on and off-line strategies will equip each competitor with the ability to engage communities using an array of media. The strategy will be not to use these digital strategies – but to actually engage and build online communities through social media.

At the conclusion of the 2010 Swedish general election, it will be interesting to measure the value of each plan – plans encompassing a parlay of both traditional and modern strategies – and plans that encompass only one strategy.

The end result will help pr strategists across the globe determine which plan worked most effectively in Sweden and leverage lessons learned for future elections in Sweden and around the globe.

Recession Woes? Answer: Sweden.

Through my research and study on Sweden, I came across some information that I found very interesting.  As of this past December 2008, Sweden loosened its labor migration laws to allow for anyone from any country to be able to work in Sweden.  Sweet!  And, to top that off, Sweden is one of the few major countries with a sound financial system and public finances (not to mention the advantages of their national currency, the krona) remaining strong even through the current economic crisis affecting the United States, and in turn, the world.  Both Sweden’s minister for finance Anders Borg and professor of political economics at the Stockholm School of Economics (Handelshögskolan), Tson Söderströmare, are optimistic about Sweden’s financial future particularly during these hard times.

With the high unemployment rate only getting bigger every month in the United States (currently at 9.4% totaling 14.5 million Americans), Sweden’s newly revised labor migration laws for foreigners couldn’t come at a better time.  Although uncertainty surrounds the topic of when the recession will end, it is clear that it will continue to worsen before it can get any better.  Catherine Holahan from MSN’s Money Blog claims that the recession will end two months after unemployment reaches its peak; passing the 10% mark.

Part of what makes Sweden such an financially strong country during the current economic crisis is the krona.  Sweden never joined the euro, instead opting to stick to its national currency.  As reported by Jonas Fredén in the Business section of the Sweden website, “As demand for Swedish products falls, so will demand for the Swedish krona. The price of the krona, the exchange rate, then drops, making products cheaper for foreigners. And that brings demand back up. This automatic exchange rate cushion helps soften blows from abroad.”  Additionally, as reported on the same site which cites its source as the World Economic Forum’s global competitiveness rankings, in regards to technological readiness (the “ability of businesses and households to adopt new technology”), Sweden is the number one global leader.  They must be doing something right.

In short, if you’ve lost your job, want to change jobs, are experiencing a salary freeze, or if you’re just plain sick and tired of the effects of the recession here in the US … go to Sweden!  I’m not promising a recession-free country with lollipops and candy canes, but I can guarantee:

• At least 5 weeks of paid vacation (and if you get sick during your vacation, count it as sick, no problem!)
• At least 13 months of paid maternity leave (Dads, what the hey, take 1 month!) … and don’t feel rushed, carry it over for up to 5 years.
• Free massage at work (this should be a world-wide policy)
• Simplified tax forms
• Free child health care
• Up to 60 days of paid leave per year to take care of a sick child
• Child allowance up to age 16
• Housing allowance for young people without children
• Housing allowance for families with children
• And more…

Pretty cool, huh?  So, really, what’s so bad with Socialism?  Maybe Swedes are on to something.  Jon Stewart seems to think so in his clip on The Stockholm Syndrome.  Check it out.

Scuba divers know to look, but don’t disturb

From my early days as I scuba diver, I learned one valuable lesson: keep my hands to myself. Not only can coral cut, but our hands in all their human griminess can destroy the living organism. Shipwrecks can also fall victim to human destruction. There’s also the matter of not always knowing what’s lurking under the sand or in the tiny crevices or corners.

Danger! Don't touch!

This philosophy of “look, but do not touch” is followed closely by Sweden and its Environmental Protection Agency. The country allows for the right of public access, allowing citizens to roam the countryside and explore if they respect the landowners and anyone else out enjoying the views. It is even guaranteed in Sweden’s constitution! The Swedish belief in “Don’t disturb – don’t destroy” extends to their sustainability effort to solve the environmental problems within their country by 2020.

It is a bold goal, but as a recent press release from the Swedish council overseeing the process states, there is still a “major risk of irreversible changes to the environment.”

The marine environment is particularly threatened along the Baltic Sea. The official website of Sweden points out that 80 million people populate the sea’s drainage basin, joining industries and wastewater treatment plants in harming the water. As any good scuba diver knows, this means trouble.

Sweden now has an opportunity to educate its citizens and mobilize them to make a difference. Rather than throw their message out to everyone, Sweden EPA should treat the Baltic Sea as a “brand” and target their environmental message to the one audience that would listen intently to anyone speaking about the sea’s problems … Scuba Divers!

It may be hard to believe given the water temperatures, but there is an avid scuba diving population in Sweden. They might have to don dry suits and cut through ice to see what lies beneath, but they dive to explore flooded mines, caves, and pristine shipwrecks.

Diving a flooded mine, Photo: Nicklas Myrin, http://www.sweden.se

Divers are a close knit group, loving to trade stories about the deepest dive, most interesting find, or best wreck. They also trade the bad stories of damaged and dying coral and poor water conditions. These stories travel quickly among friends, spreading out through word-of-mouth, e-mail, and social media. Among Swedes (and other Scandinavians), a diving site called Dykarna allows divers to share their photos and dive logs, plus communicate with one another. Overall, the site has more than 19,000 members with most of them coming from Sweden. Dykarna provides a can’t-miss opportunity for the Sweden EPA.

Time for the EPA to start scouring their environmentally-minded employees for bubble lovers to start a conversation. That one diver will speak out on Dykarna, one more will join in the conversation, and another, and soon divers will unite! By taking this action, the Baltic Sea, a salty playground for Swedes, will be saved and meet Sweden’s environmental objectives

of zero eutrophication and a balanced marine environment.

US tries while Swedes lead on the Environment

As the United States is struggling to figure out how it will reduce negative impacts Americans create on the environment and climate change, one European country has already create their roadmap.

The first positive step happened yesterday when the House of Representatives passed a bill addressing climate change. The legislation seeks to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and American dependence on foreign oil. Proponents also hope this can be first step for America to become a leader in clean energy technology which will create jobs in renewable sources of energy like solar wind and geothermal.

This bill still needs to pass the Senate and is already being criticized for falling well short of Europeans standards to reduce carbon emissions. So back to the nation that is leading the world in setting standards to solve the worlds environmental problems and producing action.

You would have probable not guess that Sweden is that leader. In fact, with everything the country is doing, including breaking the world recycling record, Swedes don’t seem to even talk that much about the countries green success.

The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency has released 16 environmental objectives designed to help solve the major problems facing the world in one generation. Problem is not many in the world even know about these objectives and Swedes would rather talk about fashion where as Americans would rather watch really TV.

The objectives range from basic clean air and water to protecting the ozone layer and creating a rich diversity of plant and animal life. So how can Sweden spread the word to make their goal come true in one generation – social media.

Take this blog and the many before it. Swedes will need to create energy around the leadership they are showing to improve the environment and the most powerful way to accomplish this is word of mouth using the internet.

Sweden, Social Media and Subtlety

Sweden and its people are known for many things – music icons Peter, Bjorn and John, furniture superstore Ikea, automakers Saab and Volvo, environmentalism, high taxes and subtlety.  It does not require in-depth research for one to discover that Swedes tend to believe that outward displays of emotion are distasteful; children are preferred to be seen, not heard; and appearing to be reserved and even shy can have a positive outcome in business settings.

So why does this matter?

And what does it have to do with social media?

Yelp

Answer: the double edge sword of self expression by way of social media that usually advances companies and organizations in the United States can have a negative impact in cultural environments such as Sweden.   Therefore brands planning to use social media to reach targeted audiences as part of a larger marketing and outreach strategy must do so even more carefully and cautiously.  Brands must not appear to be boastful, vain or immodest but rather genuine, tasteful and informative.  Furthermore, they should utilize third party advocates such as Yelp, peer to peer bloggers, and relevant thought leaders to help spread messages.  According to Dave Fleet, who pens the blog www.davefleet.org, which explores marketing, communications and social media, outlines five lessons pertaining to social media and self promotion.  They include:

1. People react badly to over-self promotion

2. Base your claims on solid facts

3. Back-up your words with action

4. It’s not about you; it’s about others  

5. Help others and they’ll help you

While these tips may seem similar to social media “rules of the road,” they are especially relevant to countries such as Sweden that avoid public ostentation.

Make Sustainability Fashionable & Trendy

EKA (sustainable clothing in Sweden)

The Swedish are trendy.

They thrive on innovation, creativity and sustainability.

Social media conversations are focused on fashion, architecture, travel and global trends.

The Swedish also have a humanitarian culture where top priority is given to the quality of life and the environment.

Even though the Swedish receive a ton of credit for being eco-friendly, they do not spend a lot of time conversing about it online. To tap into the Swedish market, the first thing a brand

Bio-Hybrid Saab 9-X Air Convertible Concept

must be is environmentally friendly. Sweden is one of the few industrialized countries to have reduces carbon emissions and according to the European Commission, 40% of Swedes said they had purchased an eco-labeled article over the past month. Second, your brand has to be trendy and innovative. The Swedish are a proud culture and believe themselves to be leaders in innovation and creativity.

Last year’s idea will not suffice.

Now that you are positive your product or service is a match for the Swedish culture, the best way to tap into the Swedish market is to position your brand as a leader by making it the trendiest, most creative, innovative and sustainable product or service available to them. Find Swedish bloggers and social media mavens who write about products or services similar to yours and introduce yourself and your product. Don’t be aggressive or overly emotional about it.

Ecoist Handbag

The Swedes are passive creatures. Also, when you state your case, remember to back it up with data, as the Swedes are conceptual and analytical thinkers. It is also a good idea to market your product to several social media mavens using various social media tools, because the Swedes tend to make decisions by group consensus. Also, link your product or service to the Swedish EPA’s 16 objectives in whatever way your product advances those initiatives.

Urban Woods (FSC certified wood)

Finally, make sustainability fashionable and trendy. Some examples of products that have made their mark in that area are EKA fashions and NINII in Sweden, fashions designed with the purpose of creating high fashion for contemporary people using sustainable productions and environmental-friendly materials; Saab 9-X Air Convertible Bio- Hybrid; Ecoist, a sustainable handbag designer that makes fashionable handbags out of recycled candy wrappers, and Urban Woods, a sustainable furniture designer specializing in modern furniture made from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified wood.  Take your cue from these brands. It’s not enough to just be Eco-friendly, your product or service must also be fashionable and trendy to have staying power in the Swedish market.

Sweden-The Metaphorical Noah’s Arc

Sweden’s urgency to maintain its title as the most sustainable country in the world stems from its great care of Sweden children. The Swedish population is 9 million and of that 2 million are children under the age of 18. Sweden puts great emphasis on programs designed to help foster the growth of their children. The Swedish delegate an Ombudsman, which is an ambassador to the children of Sweden to ensure that they have proper programs and education needed. Parents are given money from the Swedish government that allow them to spend more time with their children and families. Additionally, parents are given 480 days maternity leave. All of these are examples of the investment put into the growth and development of Swedish children as well as families.

Many Swedish children spend a great deal of time on the internet and participating in social media, however, they are also encouraged to spend time outdoors participating in sports and learning about nature and the environment. The Swedish community have all been taught to respect the environment and treat it with great care. The environment is well taken care of for Sweden’s current children and generations to come. The Swedish have taught their children the importance of taking care of the environment in hopes that they will pass on this knowledge. As this generation becomes more internet savvy a social media campaign that targets this demographic and their parents would prove to be useful because the Swedish place such a high value on programs that are geared towards children. The campaign should be dual. There should be an element that appeals to children and allows them to be active in their communities. This campaign should also grow with the generation. As this demographic begins to grow the campaign should shift to match the generations maturation. If the Swedish intend to meet their objectives within one generation then the campaign should match those efforts by being designed around the growth of the generation. The campaign should also target parents so that it increases dialogue between parents and children. It should also be an incentive for parents to talk more about the environment not just with their children but globally. Swedish parents will participate in programs if their is an incentive for them to engage more with their children. This has been shown through the programs I have listed previously.

A campaign that highlights how the EPA’s objectives are most beneficial to the children are Sweden could be most effective *hint-hint*

Helpful links:

http://www.barnombudsmannen.se/Adfinity.aspx?pageid=85

http://www.naturvardsverket.se/en/In-English/Menu/

http://www.sweden.se/eng/Home/Quick-facts/Facts/CHILDREN-IN-SWEDEN-Growing-up-in-Sweden/

Children: An Untapped Resource

There are approximately nine million people living in Sweden, two million being under the age of 18. Swedish children use the internet just as much as they watch TV – with more than one in four 12-15 year olds watching TV at least three hours a day. These children are chatting online… why not use their voices to promote a brand?
With Swedish children being an untapped resource a brand could easily mobilize this generation to act as evangelists on their behalf. This is a tech savvy audience with Sweden being ranked eighth globally for broadband penetration.
Swedish children are avid users of:
• Facebook
• LunarStorm
• Skunk
• HamsterPAJ
Although most campaigns in Sweden would overlook this audience, they have to understand that for sustainability purposes engaging this generation is crucial. The Swedish EPA, for example, has chosen not to target children to push traffic to their site. Conversation peaks curiosity; if children’s interest can be peaked to the point of motivating them to speak out for a brand then their voices should be welcomed and encouraged.

One more thing to love about Sweden…

There are a lot of things to love about Sweden, to begin there is great fashion, great food, and great traditions (like Midsummer). It is a beautiful country with beautiful people.

On top of all of this, what truly has me excited about Sweden is its commitment to Sustainability and CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). I was already aware of Sweden as a leading example because of this article from Treehugger.com, which shares insight on a word the Swedish choose to live by.

“Lagom” which means, just enough is more than a word or saying it is a belief among Swede’s. This belief goes beyond its people and spreads to the government and corporations and it did not take long to learn that Sweden actually leads the world in CSR. I found several interesting articles  (here, here, and here) that detail Sweden’s commitment but here are a few highlights:

• Since 1979, Sweden has carried on a continuous dialogue with the social partners concerning corporate social responsibility (CSR), as a part of its work related to the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises

• State-owned companies’ sustainability reports adhere to global standards set by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) (Info on the GRI)

• Sweden was the first country to demand sustainability reports from state-owned companies’

• Statistics from the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth (Nutek) showed Sweden to be the world leader in terms of the number of environmentally certified companies per million inhabitants in December 2006/January 2007

What I find inspiring about the Swedish culture is that they have found a way to balance the “fabulous” things in life like fashion, frivolity and furniture with a commitment to sustainability. Often times, people view living green as making a sacrifice but the Swedish give us another way to look it.  It is interesting, that the people and the various brands that come from Sweden like H&M and IKEA don’t tout their sustainable business practices as much as they could.

There is great opportunity for Sweden to engage in a conversation on a global scale that would position them as a pioneering force for influencing sustainable and ethical business around the world.

I think the Swedish are a great example of the term “Global Citizen” because they actively do their part and do not view it as a burden – it’s just a way of life. As the world continues to globalize and our degrees of separation become less and less we can all learn from the best practices the Swedish have in place. They can and should become a model for other countries to learn how easy it is to adapt to a greener, leaner lifestyle. ^JT

Sweden: More than IKEA

(^MK) As our class literature Kiss, Bow, Or Shake Hands by Morrison and Conaway outlines over and over again, Swedes are very proud of their comprehensive social welfare system. The book suggests that this is part of Sweden’s Humanitarian Culture that has a very strong focus on the quality of life. Another top priority is given to the environment. Thus, also an information technology infrastructure is part of the “quality of life” in Sweden, as this week’s blog post reveals.

Today’s Question Of The Week is to highlight one key research insight on Sweden I found interesting and to explain what implications it has for brands wanting to use social media to reach an audience in the Swedish market. As I looked into Sweden’s communication infrastructure, I found some interesting facts: There are 5.506 million main telephone lines in use (as of 2007). This ranks Sweden #30 in country compared with the world. Besides that, Sweden is ranked #51 in the penetration of cell phones (10.371 million/2007). However, in terms of Internet hosts, Sweden ranks #20 compared with the rest of the world (3.579 million/2008). By way of illustration, the U.S. is ranked #1 with 316 million Internet hosts, Japan #2 (40M), Germany #3 (23M). In 2007, there were seven million Internet users, which ranked Sweden #35 in comparison with the rest of the world. These numbers are all retrieved from the CIA World Factbook. I was surprised and never thought that a northern European country had such a highly developed telecommunications infra structure. Sweden is among the leading countries for fixed-line, cell phone, Internet and broadband penetration!

What does this mean specifically for Social Media? Socialmediatoday.com reveals that there are 75,000 Twitter users in Sweden. According to a report from Sysomos, a social media analytics company (“An In-Depth Look Inside the Twitter World”), about 0.54 percent of all members on Twitter are Swedish: That makes Swedes the 15^th most active people on Twitter!

Besides the insight of Sweden’s highly developed communications infrastructure, I was also very positively surprised when I surfed the websites of Sweden’s government: Part of Sweden’s executive is the Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications and the Minister of Communications (!), Mrs. Åsa Torstensson. The Ministry has posted an IT goal list with the title An Information Society For All. It states that “Sweden must be a sustainable information society for all” and outlines how important Internet access, modern infrastructure and IT services are for public benefit. Again, the Ministry thinks a highly developed information technology infrastructure benefits the quality of life.

Summing these insights up, there are very important aspects for brands using social media to reach an audience in the Swedish market: 1) Social Media and Internet is a fast-growing medium in Sweden (even supported by the government). 2) Swedes, as explained earlier, are very environmentally conscious and 3) Swedes might judge things (brands, products) on how positively they impact their quality of life. As a conclusion, a social media brand strategy with a strong focus on corporate social responsibility, which highlights the brand’s benefits for society as a whole, could be very successful.

Sweden’s Hype for Skype

 The Sweden technology of today is evolving at a very rapid rate and the introduction of Skype in 2003 has only heightened the need to stay connected to each other through faster channels of internet communications.  As we engage in the digital trends that are affecting us today, it is important to stay abreast of how communications has grown into an industry of significant value to our everyday lives.

The digital world has bridged the gap of how we communicate from the traditional methods of phone-to-phone communications into various methods of PC to PC mobilization.  The result of digital availability in Sweden has provided various connectors to transcend how we communicate into essential tools to stay connected to the world, such as Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and now Skype.  With the 340 million registered users Skype currently has, Skype is quickly become the most popular voice communications service in the world. 

Skype continues to break the barriers of internet communications in Sweden.   With features associated with Skype such as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) it is now possible to communicate with national or international PC users with internet service, without paying any local or long distance fees or calculated minutes, as you would with mobile phone communications.  This essential component of Skype is creating a channel of cost-efficient productivity in Sweden through new communications for global organizations.  While Sweden organizations are challenged with the need to meet their audience’s expectations around every individual interaction, with the use of Skype they now have the ability to communicate their plan of action with various global partners through faster and effective tools of digital communications.  Every plan of action from advertising to market research can be discussed and integrated through the global reach that Skype provides for organizations and/or companies.  Remember, Oprah is using it in almost every show to increase her audience reach and viewership. 

Skype is changing the dynamics of how Swedish online audiences communicate with the integration of voice and video calling and IM (Instant Messaging) into one application.  While these features can apply to many online competitors, Skype understands that the reach of their 340 million users expands not only to their services but how well their services fit into everyday business and personal interactions.

Skype understand how useful presence is to a business interaction or even through personal communications.  For instance, if a colleague is unable to physically be present for a meeting, their presence through video conferencing allows the lines of communications to stay within reach for national or international organizations.  “That is why engagement, one of the biggest buzz words of the online space for sure, is seen as a way to create interaction and participation by an audience.”[i]

Competitors of the VoIP giant have also made it challenging for Skype as they continue their efforts to lead in the digital markets.  A trio of competitors such as Yahoo, Jajah, and Lycos all have no-cost or low-cost VoIP peer-to-peer solutions, attempting to threaten Skype.  However, for now, Skype competitors do not have enough of an installed voice base to threaten Skype, which is particularly strong outside of the U.S.  Also, eBay, the parent company of Skype, has a powerful marketing campaign which would make it difficult for competitors to override.  According to a report in the New York Times, Swedish and Danish founders of Skype are interested in buying back the IP communications company from eBay to increase the use of Skype in Swedish and other global companies. 

For Sweden, Skype has been the key to empowering a variety of exciting new technologies as it changes the face of the future.  They are clearly taking the world by storm with their free global telephony and how Skype is creating opportunities to develop radical new technology impacting telecommunications globally through the internet.  Skype is clearly establishing a record in the digital world that you can no longer afford to ignore, and the technologies are only making it easier as they continue to shape and improve our lives.

---

[i] Reich, Brian & Solomon, Dan. (2008). Media Rules

Just Enough

In a land of plenty, the Swedish mentality exudes simplicity. They are very socially conscious of their lifestyle.  Swedes make a very concerted effort to live, love, and share. They consume in moderation and value experiences rather than possessions.

The workspace is open and informal, with 5 weeks paid vacation.  It’s common to have flextime hours, coming in around 8:30 and leaving by 4.  The health care is practically almost fully financed and family extremely prioritized as number one.  Yet, the Swedish are not in the least primitive or technologically inferior. Their level of social consciousness leads to innovative, provocative, and forward thinking culturally.

The highlight of real Swedes through the “people-depicted” section on Sweden’s main page gave a unique revelation into their lifestyle. The video in particular that caught my attention was Deductible Karin. As a specialized chandelier cleaner, under new tax laws, Karin’s services are now deductible. In one scene she speaks to a client about her profession saying, “well I don’t do this to be rich, I never will be, I do it because I like what I do and I meet nice people – and spend time in fantastic surroundings. “ That’s just enough pleasure in a job that doesn’t seem to have that many financial perks. 

The consciousness goes beyond money especially when it comes to the environment. Swedes love fashion, design, furniture, and architecture However, in an eco-driven society, they are finding innovative avenues to let their creativity preserve the planet. For instance, Nigel’s eco store, a one-stop shop to invest in stylish and environmentally friendly products, like this cardboard iPod speaker dock. 

Nigel has you covered on the home/miscellaneous front, but I was completely mesmerized by MaxJenny Forslund, clothing line. Like the bold design to the right, she uses all sustainable materials for her creations.  Also featured on the Sweden’s main page she explained that, “Ecofashions cost the consumer a little bit more, but that’s okay. In Sweden, we’re willing to pay more if it can save the planet.”

That’s an arguable statement that at least one of the leading fashion chain Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) doesn’t have to make. The second largest European fashion retailer’s profit increased 6.4% in their second quarter. H&M known as the cheap and chic clothing line has made one of their corporate responsibilities the environment. They already invested in a 100% organic cotton collection and now are exploring other sustainable materials such as organic and recycled wool and polyester.

Needless to the say, the people of Sweden are thoughtful, sharp, and consciously plugged in. In order to tap into their market, one must have a creative idea that has a mission geared to preserving what’s valuable.

A Birds Eye View of Climate Change

Sweden often gets branded as the socialist extreme toward which the U.S. may be gravitating as Americans struggle with healthcare reform and environmental sustainability. The Daily Show’s two-part series The Stockholm Syndrome is an amusing spoof on this subject, highlighting just how extreme it really is in Sweden.  Taxes are between 50-70% of your income but among the benefits afforded the Swedes are free healthcare, education and five weeks of paid vacation. Employers are even required to provide their employees with massages.  Can it be all that bad?

Clearly our cultures are worlds apart but we increasingly share the same global priorities.  Many might argue that  Sweden has surpassed the US in addressing issues of critical importance like climate change. Swedes are sophisticated, forward thinking and online in high numbers.  And we know that by 2020, the Swedish EPA has set the remarkably ambitious goal “to hand over a society in which the most serious environmental problems have been solved.”  In contrast, tonight the US House of Representatives narrowly passed  complicated legislation that if signed into law will establish the nation’s first national limits to cap greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 to 17% below 2005 levels.   This climate bill faces strong opposition in the Senate so perhaps we should consider a novel approach in the form of symbolism to engage and sway public on opinion on this critical issue.  Here again, the Swedes have built one in the hopes that they will come.

Under development by a Stockholm-based architecture firm are several tree hotels – six cabins under construction that are slated to open to guests in 2010. These futuristic tree houses accommodate two people and provide a 360 degree view of the surrounding landscape in Harads, Sweden. The exterior panes on the structures have been equipped with clear ultraviolet shading only visible to birds to keep them out but the challenge is to build awareness of these accommodations so that humans will want to fly in for a stay. 

Swedes are known for conversing online about trend-setting fashion, design and architecture so this is one cool project that has started to create buzz on social networking sites, receiving coverage in several blogs.

These “rooms with a view” could segue from a novelty   to an icon of Sweden’s devotion to environmental sustainability. These structures provide a birds eye view of the nation’s biodiversity and climate change challenges and could prompt further thoughtful conversations in social networks about ways to meet the 16 goals established by the Environmental Objectives Council (EOC).

The design firm, Tham & Videgard Hansson, and the hotel management firm, Brittas Pensionat, might consider teaming with the EOC on a public/private partnership utilizing social networks like Twitter and those popular in Sweden like Lunarworks to drive both natives and tourists to these unique living spaces reachable only by rope swings.  By doing so, these companies could build their brands while marrying the innovation and visionary thinking Sweden is known for with the nation’s new environmental objectives. 

Most nations – especially the US – would do well to catch up with the Swedes on the issue of environmental sustainability.  These tree houses could captivate the imaginations of people online, planted one virtual seed at a time as the Swedes’ environmental objectives take root on social networks, going mainstream and connecting 21st Century “tree huggers” with those concerned with climate change all around the world.

YO HO HO, A PIRATE’S LIFE FOR ME

Many readers may recognize that lyric from Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean, but in Sweden a Pirates life has a much different meaning. A Swedish political party Known as the Pirate Party recently won 7.1 percent of the Swedish vote to claim one of the country’s 18 seats in the European parliament. http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/06/08/pirate.party.eu.win/index.html

“The clueless offline politicians are the problem, that’s why we decided to circumvent the politicians and address voters directly.”                                                                                                                              Pirate Party leader Rick Falkvinge

The Pirate Party which wants to legalize file-sharing on the Internet, was created in 2006 after Sweden issued controversial laws that criminalized file-sharing. According to their web site http://www.piratpartiet.se/international/english “The Pirate Party wants to fundamentally reform copyright law, get rid of the patent system, and ensure that citizens’ rights to privacy are respected.”

The Pirate Party has over 50,000 members and only has three issues on its agenda:
• Reform of copyright law
• An abolished patent system
• Respect for the right to privacy

 

 

All I can say is Wow. Sweden is well known for being a country of innovation, but this type of innovation is on another level. The Pirate Party was established in 2006 to and today it is the third largest party in Sweden in terms of membership. The parties swift rise and sudden popularity has given rise to parties with the same name and similar goals in Europe and worldwide. The fact that there is a worldwide movement beginning to sprout, which is dedicated to online issues is a positive signal for companies that want to engage in social media in Sweden because it shows that the country has a dedication and commitment to keeping the internet open and accessible for everyone.

In the Land of Midnight Sun, a World of Social Media Innovation

Despite being a nation of just 9.2 million people, Sweden continues to eclipse world superpowers such as the U.S. and UK in its use of social media to facilitate brand loyalty, and more recently, adoption of green politics.

Perhaps that’s why Miami-based Crispin, Porter + Bogusky paved the way for its European debut with the acquisition of a Gothenburg, Sweden-based digital agency, Daddy Sweden.  Daddy specializes in digital brand building and has a history of developing award-winning marketing campaigns rooted in social media.

Daddy’s viral Talk to the Plant campaign on behalf of Heinz was based on a simple premise – the human voice has a positive effect on tomato plant growth (i.e., talking to your plant will make it grow faster and taller).  The campaign was linked to the tagline, “No one grows ketchup like Heinz.”

During the six-week long social media campaign, 3,370 Swedish consumers logged on to the Talk to the Plant Web page and actually “spoke” to the Heinz tomato plant.  Millions more learned of the campaign through a combination of Talk to the Plant’s official blog, and Swedes’ personal blogs and tweets.

Daddy claims to have not spent a single dollar on advertising for the campaign.

The six most common words spoken to the plant (worldwide), were ”you” (5,538), ”grow” (3,414), ”I” (2,816), ”plant” (2,556), ”the” (1,569) and ”love” (1,529).

While Talk to the Plant was also successful in the U.S., it resonated with Swedish consumers more strongly than any other nation in the EU.

The test plant now resides in Palmhuset in Trädgårdsföreningen, a public green house in central Gothenburg.  Heinz claims that here, the plant will be taken care of by professional gardeners until the day it dies and “goes to tomato plant heaven.”   Swedes can visit the plant during weekdays (the garden is open between 10.00 and 16.00).

What made Heinz’s campaign so sticky with Swedes?  Daddy kept the message simple and made the experience both personal and fun for consumers.  The messages also worked (literally).  The Heinz plant had 153 cm growth over six weeks; the control plant, which received no encouragement, grew only 146 cm.

The Swedish government is utilizing a similar social media strategy with its online “Official Gateway to Sweden.”  The site features blog posts on the nation’s climate targets and a YouTube video on the “350 campaign,” through which the government hopes to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 40 percent until 2020.

If the government is able to leverage social media as successfully as Daddy, Swedes will be blogging about climate change with the same intensity that they talked to a tomato plant.  The Heinz campaign has taught us that Swedes, when given the proper social media tools, will rally around a fun and enterprising brand.

The government could supplement their climate change initiative with social media tools that make it easier for people to incorporate environmentalism into their daily lives.  For example, can Swedes upload public transportation routes onto their cell phones or use the AroundMe iPhone app to find the nearest recycling center? (It’s worth noting that AroundMe was developed by a Swedish company.)

Given Sweden’s status as a powerhouse of innovation and creativity, they will no doubt find a way.

Question Of The Week: Sweden

Every week the members of the class will answer a new question on this blog. Starting today, we’ll focus on a different region of the world for each week throughout the rest of the class.  Here is this week’s question:

Sweden as a nation gets a lot of credit for environmentally friendly policies and activities. The country boasts a high Internet penetration, a sophisticated and digitally savvy population and high rate of multi-lingual citizens (including English). When it comes to the online environment, it is easy to encounter discussions about everything from fashion to global trends to architecture to travel. The official government site (www.sweden.se) is a model that other governments would do well to recreate.

From your reading and research on Sweden, highlight one key insight or finding you found unique and interesting and discuss what implications it has for brands wanting to use social media to reach an audience in the Swedish market to promote their products or services.

Green + Innovation x Creativity = Success in Sweden

The Swedes have been generous with their contributions to the world – from the very serious Nobel Prize to fashion-lovers’ favorite Hennes & Mauritz, better known as H&M, comfort-lovers’ favorite the full body Swedish massage and the iconic furniture-lovers’ favorite and winner of PR Week’s Best PR Campaign 2009 award with ‘Man Lives In Ikea‘, Ikea.

Man living in Ikea is a winner!

For a nation of less than 10 million people, Sweden’s contribution to popular and consumer culture is impressive. In addition to the brands already mentioned, Sweden is also responsible for Saab,  Volvo, Draken fighter planes, and living legend of modern tennis Bjorn Borg.

Did I mention Abba?

Formed the year I was born, 1971

What most Americans may not know about Sweden is that this little European nation is a global leader on environmental issues. So seriously did the Swedish take recycling that one of their favorite things to do online was to share copyrighted material for free and apparently illegally! Their favorite site for downloading films, games and music (the aptly named Pirate Bay) was disrupted by the introduction of the IPRED law in April 2009. The law requires internet  service providers to name (and shame) to the courts users sharing files with others via their Web sites; threat of legal exposure led  to a dramatic drop of 40% in the volume of data activity online.

Swedish flag

Until the legal killjoys stepped in, free file-sharing by Internet users in Sweden was consistent with the business culture of deregulation and allowing business to innovate and thrive. Sweden is a nation of creatives with a commitment to extensive investment in R&D in multiple sectors; according to Entrepreneur magazine:

Sweden’s success as an innovative nation stands on a number of pillars, including a stable political context and sound macroeconomic policies. In addition, since the 1990s, Sweden has engaged in a number of activities to improve the microeconomic climate. A more dynamic competitive environment has emerged through the deregulation of telecom, transportation, energy and media infrastructure, privatization schemes and the opening of financial and currency markets.

Businesses who want to be players in the Swedish market can look to Germany for tips. Germany is the number one importer to Sweden with each citizen spending an estimated 2000 EUR annually on German products. The relationship between the two nations is one that the Germans take pride in nurturing but they also credit their own economic and political significance in Europe as key to making the relationship attractive to Sweden.

American businesses can also seek guidance and information from the Swedish-American Chambers of Commerce (SACC) Web site. SACC provides useful and mutually beneficial information on doing business in America for the Swedish and vice versa. SACC also provides valuable insights on emerging industries and right now, green businesses look like a good bet in Sweden:

Sweden boasts some 3,500 clean tech companies that together book roughly $14 billion in revenues. Exports, which make up about a quarter of their overall sales, have grown 75% over the last four years. To further boost the industry, the government is earmarking $590 million for environmental projects over the next two years, including $180 million to commercialize green tech.

It’s worth noting that Swedish businesses make up three quarters of the green market so a foreign business would have to come in with something pretty special to get a bite. However with over 80% of Swedish people using the internet regularly and 54% shopping online, my guess is that the American company that can come up with an innovative green product or service that is made available online via a creative, engaging and easy to use site can win big in Sweden. FYI: Sweden has been described as

… the most Americanized country in the world, with the possible exception of the United States.

Update 6/26/09: Michael Jackson (1958-2009) Stockholm 1992

Read more about the Swedish love for America here then start innovating in green!