Seen+Noted: Sweden’s push to become the first country in the world to apply for Trademark

Did you know that there are eight places in the world called Sweden? Quite confusing according to Visit Sweden, who are now applying for trademarking their country’s name in new campaign, created by Forsman & Bodenfors.

In 2024, “dupes” has been a trending topic. But while fashion brands can protect their names through trademarking, countries can’t. Something that Sweden now wants to change.

This is not the first time Visit Sweden has taken a playful approach to clear up international confusion. Following the success of past campaigns – like their humorous plea to Switzerland to finally settle the “Sweden or Switzerland” mix-up – Visit Sweden once again attempts to clear up a potential mix-up.

“This campaign is our latest step in presenting Sweden as a truly unique destination under the concept ‘A destination of a different nature.’ It’s flattering to see Sweden’s name used globally – it speaks to the strength of our brand. But with every ‘Sweden’ out there, it gets a little tougher for travelers to find the real one. With this campaign, we hope to make it easier for the world to recognize the original,” said Nils Persson, Chief Marketing Officer at Visit Sweden.

The trademark application addresses a common problem travellers face with name-alike locations – with eight places around the world called “Sweden”, multiple Germanys, dozens of Americas, and 34 Londons globally, it’s not hard to see why a little brand clarity might be in order.

If successful, Sweden’s trademark could lead to clearer travel planning and fewer mix-ups in the future. With the online petition now live, Visit Sweden is calling on everyone’s support to help create travel harmony.

The campaign is developed together with the creative collective Forsman & Bodenfors and will be launched globally.

Agnes Stenberg-Schentz and Marcus Hägglöf, creatives at Forsman & Bodenfors, said: “We hope that this initiative will solve two issues in one blow: getting more people interested in visiting our country – and preventing further use of the name Sweden. With the current legislation, we could end up in a world where all countries are called Sweden, and that would be extremely confusing.”

The application reflects recent trends in protecting brand authenticity as people become more alert to “dupes” in fashion, products – and now, destinations.

Credits
Client: Visit Sweden
Chief Marketing Officer: Nils Persson
Head of Partnerships/ Project Leader: Kristina Nyström
Head of PR: Viveca Burkhardt
Project Manager: Frida Wallén
Head of Web & Social Media and Digital Production: Malin Careliusen
Digital Analyst: Louise Blomberg
Site Manager: Jenny Grundemark
Digital Producer & Coordinator: Emmie Bolmstedt
Creative Agency: Forsman & Bodenfors
Account Director: Ann Spennare-Bengtsson
Account Executive: Linus Larsson
Agency producer: Åsa Hammar
Art Director: Agnes Stenberg-Schentz
Copywriter: Marcus Hägglöf
Designer: Sara Lemchen
Strategist: Kaj Hettman
PR Strategist: Julia Sjödin
Producer: Lea Alexandersson
Post-Produktion: Jimmy Wulff
Produktionsbolag: BRF
Regi: Torbjörn Martin
Producent: Kith Hansen
Exekutiv producent: Martin Ronström
Produktionsledare: Andreas Hansson
DP: Daniel Takacs
Gaffer: Tobias Henriksson
Set designer: Pia Wallin
Grafisk design: Rikard Johansson
Stylist: Sara Edlund
Klippare: Ted Malmros och Torbjörn Martin
Ljudläggning: Felicia Holm, Ponytail
Grade: Joakim Rissveds
Online: Andreas Godwin
Music: Upright Music
Media agency: Mindshare
Client Manager: Linnea Åberg
Media Strategist: Marcela Rexborg
Media Executive: Julia Engvall
Client Director: Nils Wimby