Izzati HaronJust like how some of us have had enough of dealing with people confusing us with someone else, Sweden is on a mission to stop travellers from confusing it with Switzerland! Read on to find out Sweden’s new tourism board campaign and how the world is reacting to it.
Also read: Switzerland’s Newest Cable Car Crossing Lets You Travel to Italy in Under 2 Hours
The confusion that has been going on
Image credit (L-R): David Taljat via Canva Pro; swisshippo via Canva Pro
Citing a report by Euronews, a whopping 120,000 people worldwide can’t tell the difference between Sweden and Switzerland. But, let’s be honest; we can’t really be mad at people for getting the two countries mixed up. After all, both nations start with ‘Sw-.’ Plus, people from these countries are called Swedes and Swiss, respectively. Pretty close, isn’t it?
The mission they are on about
To clear up the confusion, Sweden Tourism Board has come up with a creative marketing initiative through its Visit Sweden campaign — dropping a satirical video to educate people on which country is which.
The clever campaign with a message that is “clear as day”
Image credit: Peter van der Meulen
The campaign is called Sweden (Not Switzerland). The hit video starts with a Sweden official representative standing on a podium calling out to all Switzerland leaders and citizens.
The official continues by telling them the reason they’re contacting the other side is to discuss their ‘mutual problem.’ In short, Sweden proposes they (Sweden and Switzerland) each take different things to own and claim as theirs.
Image credit (L-R): Joshua Earle; TaKeT Rooftop Bar Official Instagram Page
For instance, “Switzerland gets to talk about banks, and Sweden gets to talk about sandbanks,” says the official before continuing with the next brilliant point: “Switzerland will focus on mountaintops, and Sweden will focus on rooftops.”
After much back and forth, the video ends with the Swede official asking Switzerland reps to view and sign the Sweden (Not Switzerland) proposal and urging for this confusion to stop as soon as possible.
The outcome they didn’t see coming
Image credit: Philip Myrtorp
To their surprise, the ‘Sweden (Not Switzerland) campaign actually reached over a million people on its first day and has made headlines in more than 35 nations worldwide! What’s more, if the comments are anything to go by, a lot of travellers found the video to be quite entertaining and are now more eager to visit Sweden than before. Now that’s what you call good marketing!
Also read: 15 Best Airbnbs in Switzerland With the Most Amazing Views
Thinking of coming to Sweden anytime soon? Read our other articles on Sweden (not Switzerland) to learn more about this beautiful Scandinavian nation! Before that, make sure to check out the hilarious video here.
