Sweden reclaims spot names from IKEA

Sweden reclaims spot names from IKEA
(CNN) — Bolmen: your rest room brush. Toftan: your trash can. Misterhult: your bamboo lamp. Individuals unique-sounding names that IKEA presents your domestic goods are familiar words to Swedish speakers — typically, they’re named right after well-known locations.

And now, the Swedish tourist board is reclaiming those names in a new marketing campaign, designed to get men and women understanding the sophisticated originals, as properly as the knock-offs.

That rest room brush, for example, is named after Bolmen, a quite, tree-fringed lake in the Småland location of southern Sweden.

And that trash can? Toftan is another stunning lake — this time in the Dalarna area in the heart of the country. Misterhult, meanwhile, also in Småland, is an enchanting archipelago of 2,000 islands — or a lamp.

The campaign, termed Explore the Originals, has collated 21 well-liked IKEA items and matched them to their namesakes, in a bid to make the originals as iconic as the products which have nabbed their names.

Nils Perrson, chief advertising and marketing officer of Check out Sweden, said that he did not begrudge IKEA the names.

“We are proud of IKEA and, in a way, you can say that they assisted us make Swedish sites entire world-popular as a result of the names they borrowed for their items,” he explained in a statement.

But he extra that now was the time to “display the originals at the rear of the item names.”

Visit Sweden's new campaign is 'reclaiming' destinations from IKEA.

Bolmen is a beautiful lake, say locals, not just a bathroom brush.

Olle Kirchmeier

Not least because, such is the electrical power of IKEA, a uncomplicated on the internet look for for these areas will ordinarily pull up the products listing in advance of nearly anything linked to the area.

Kallax, for case in point, is a lot more than an IKEA shelf — it is really a gorgeous seaside place in Swedish Lapland, well-known for its particularly pungent fermented herring. And the forest of Höljes — regarded to IKEA supporters as a lamp — is in simple fact 1 of the the very least populated locations of Sweden.

There is certainly even a UNESCO-safeguarded area in there — Bodviken, a mountain lake in the secured Large Coastline region of northern Sweden. IKEA has it as a washbasin.

‘More than a rest room brush’

For the campaign, a indication reading through “Welcome to Bolmen: far more than an IKEA toilet brush” was erected on the lakeside.

A spokesperson for Pay a visit to Sweden instructed CNN: “The cities in the vicinity are pretty very pleased of this initiative to declare back the lake from currently being identified as an IKEA rest room brush and are thoroughly at the rear of it.” 

“We do value that IKEA has named a product for our wonderful lake… But now we would like to exhibit the world that Bolmen is so a lot far more than an item with which you clean your toilet,” said Magnus Gunnarsson, a local councilor, in a statement.

The campaign is promoting Misterhult, an archipelago of 2,000 islands.

The marketing campaign is selling Misterhult, an archipelago of 2,000 islands.

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“It is an incredibly attractive location, much cherished by us locals. We would like to invite the full globe to shell out time in our fantastic, unspoiled all-natural ecosystem, demonstrating the exact treatment we do and enjoying the crystal-distinct drinking water.”

A spokesperson for IKEA informed CNN: “It is surely time for some of the areas whose names are utilised for some of our most popular goods to also get some interest. They have gained it, to say the minimum.

“It is also great entertaining with an initiative that allows spreading the story guiding some of our merchandise names to the lots of persons.”

The 21 places Sweden is “reclaiming” from IKEA are as follows:

• Bolmen, a substantial lake in the Småland area of southern Sweden (or bathroom brush)

• Järvfjället, a mountain in Swedish Lapland (or gaming chair)

• Ektorp, a suburb of Stockholm (or a sofa)

• Skärhamn, a fishing village on the island of Tjörn (or door cope with)

• Stubbarp, a city 300 miles south of Stockholm (or cupboard legs)

• Kallax, a village in close proximity to Luleå in Swedish Lapland (or storage shelf)

• Höljes, a forest in the Värmland location (or pendant lamp)

• Hemsjö, a village in the Blekinge location (or candle)

• Toftan, a lake in the Dalarna location (or trash can)

• Mästerby, an historic battleground on the island of Gotland (or a stool)

• Voxnan, a river with waterfalls and rapids in the Hälsingland region (or shower shelf)

• Himleån, location of ravines in the Halland area (or bath towel)

• Laxviken, a really village in the Jämtland Härjedalen region (or cupboard door)

• Ingatorp, a historical village in Småland (or extendable table)

• Misterhult, a 2000-island archipelago near Kalmar in Småland (or bamboo lamp)

• Vrena, a village near the east coast in the Sörmland area (or countertop)

• Björksta, a village close to Uppsala (or image frame)

• Norberg, a little city in Västmanland region (or folding table)

• Askersund, a city in close proximity to Örebro in central Sweden (or cabinet doorway)

• Rimforsa, a tiny village in the Östergötland region of east Sweden (or function bench)

• Bodviken, a mountain lake in the UNESCO Entire world heritage space of the Superior Coastline in northern Sweden (or washbasin)