My first encounter with the quirky charm of Swedish brand messaging was on a carton of Oatly oat milk. Upon my arrival in Sweden, I noticed that almost every milk carton had some odd print on it, like this one in my hand, which featured a snippet of a conversation:
— “I really don’t know where to start…”
— “Hi! Sometimes it can be hard to articulate thoughts and feelings. When your mind is cluttered or life feels overwhelming, it can be hard to know where to start. We’re here to help you untangle your thoughts. What prompted you to message us now?”
— “Going to class now, will chat later.”
It turned out to be a charity ad in collaboration with Bris, a Swedish children’s rights organization that offers free counseling to young people.
Often it’s just for entertainment. The packaging of the Swedish chocolate drink O’boy shows a child craving sweets, accompanied by a note: “If you have someone with you, take two scoops; if you’re alone, take six scoops.
Eventually, as I began to make sense of the instructions on streetcars and buses about tapping, things got even more amusing:
— “You have to tap? Everybody has to tap!”
— “Don’t feel like tapping? Tap anyway!”
— “Forgot to tap? Tap now!”
— “Already tapped on the last ride? Tap again!”
This seems to be the introverted Swede’s way of encouraging passengers to proactively buy tickets. If you still fail to pay, a fine is the inevitable consequence.