Swedish people certainly know their brands. Sweden has blessed the world with brands such as IKEA, Volvo, Ericsson, H&M and so forth. We have also embraced foreign brands and made them our own. Swedes drink both Gevalia and Illy coffee, drive Volvo and BMW, fly Scandinavian and Ryanair, drink Pripps and Staropramen, so in that respect, it could be argued that Swedish consumers are, compared to many other nationalities, more rationalist than nationalist, and definitely not traditionalist. Most bang for the krona seems to be the rule: if foreign brand is better, we choose that brand. If the domestic brand is better, we choose that brand. If foreign and domestic are equal, we choose both.
That's why I'm a bit bothered.
I've discovered that there's a category of products and services that somehow fall short of the rationality principle. Let me illustrate this with an example:
For some reason, may it be barriers to entry or the profit potential, the global giants have chosen not to enter the Swedish market. This is peculiar, because the local brands are not really strong. Ask any Swedish person if they would miss Wayne's Coffee or Bokus and they'll most likely say 'nej'.
Brands like 7 Eleven and Ben & Jerry's have successfully penetrated the Swedish market, so there is definitely a case for American mainstream companies to try their luck here. Whatever the weather, I'm really sick of brands like Wayne's and Bokus.
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