Sweden—more than Ikea!

Sweden is more than Ikea, you and I both know that. But others in North America are also finding out.  

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  “For most Americans we (Swedes) remain different,” says Alex Holmén, also at brand agency Essen. “We have high taxes, are out of the way geographically and have corny ideas.” Nevertheless, Sweden is branching out: No longer are we known ONLY for furniture you put together yourself, but for our artists also. Here: Swedish singer/songwriter Lykke Li.

• Sweden is more than Ikea, you and I both know that. But others are also finding out. (Besides, Ikea has gotten a lot of... hmm, comments, about its corporate decision to replace all well-known Swedish and Scandinavian brand names with generic private label Ikea Foods items.)
  Recently Spotify, the Swedish music streaming service, was launched in the U.S. and clothing chain H&M has opened more doors for consumers. Also coming up is the American version of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” with Daniel Craig (most recent James Bond) cast as investigative reporter Mikael Blomkvist. And in literature, "The interest in Swedish crime is still nothing short of enormous,” said Linda Altrov Berg at Norstedts in a recent interview - Hungry for Swedish crime
  It’s been a good year for Sweden when it comes to making a name for itself in the U.S. But the biggest stars were the Swedish artists: Avicci (Tim Bergling), Lykke Li, Robyn, Swedish House Mafia, The Sounds have gained popularity throughout America by climbing the billboard lists.
  It’s a Swedish dominance on the music scene that we haven’t experienced since the days of Roxette and Ace of Base, according to news channel CNN. Songwriters such as Red One and Max Martin continue to pump out mega hits to stars like Lady Gaga and Britney Spears. According to Anton Gårdsäter, designer at brand agency Essen, several factors add up to why Swedes are in focus now.
  “One would think that 100 years of peace has added a certain receptiveness for change. We’ve also had a long time of openness in our society and we’ve been ahead in the digital revolution. Add to this a fertile ground for creative and innovative ideas. But we have no concept for success. The day we claim to have that, will be the day our success is over.”