Dear Ikea, Sweden wants its product names back
“Bolmen”, Sweden wants you to know, is more than just a toilet brush. It is a sparkling, wooded lake in the south of the country known for clean water, boating, swimming and kayaking. But thanks to Ikea’s broad reach, where many products borrow their names from real Swedish sites, most people probably know Bolmen as a bathroom cleaning set.
Do not misunderstand me. When it comes to toilet brushes, this one has a nice, elegant design. But the Swedish Tourist Board wants that Other Bolmen come to mind when people hear the word. It has launched a marketing campaign called Discover the originals it’s taking back the weird Ikea product names for the places they belong to.
“Toftan, Ektorp, Voxnan, Hemsjö, Kallax … these are all wonderful places in Sweden. Still, most people associate these names with dustbins, sofas, bath towels, block candles and shelf systems,” says the tourist board. “It’s time for the world to know that these names belong to wonderful places in Sweden.”
The campaign focuses on 21 destinations, from Viking monuments to castles, silver mines and charming villages. Among the spots that stand out is Mästerby, which in addition to being one practical step stool is a historic site on the island of Gotland that marks a battle in 1361 between Swedes and Danish invaders. Then there is Järvfjället, a place in Lapland with hiking and cross-country skiing trails (and also a office chair available in dark gray, blue and beige). And Toftan, a city that is much more picturesque than Ikea trash can that shares its name.
The Discover the Originals campaign provides comprehensive background information on each destination, as well as ideas on things to do and places to stay. This is probably a good thing, because googling on many of the sites pulls up Ikea products before any other search results.
Ikea did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the PR push. But the campaign expresses appreciation for the ubiquitous multinational company that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture and home accessories.
“In Sweden, we are proud of Ikea and in a way you can say that they helped us make Swedish places world famous through the names they lent to their products,” says Nils Persson, marketing manager at Visit Sweden, in a statement. “Now we want to show the originals behind the product names with warmth and a twinkle in the eye and invite the world to discover the whole of Sweden.”
At a time when worldwide tourism has received a blow from covid-19, the proposed Swedish destinations look extra inviting – almost as inviting as an Ektorp sofa.