International branding of the Nordic region

Abstract

Communicating the concept of “Nordic” or ‘Nordicness’ seems appropriate, since private and public organizations and politicians, both in the Nordic region and in the rest of the world, already refer to the geographical ‘Nordic Region’ as if it were a brand. But can five countries and three autonomous territories really be bundled together under a common brand? Why, despite the variety of images of the Nordic region, does this notion of a shared Nordic identity keep cropping up? This article examines the background to a historic strategy for cooperation on international branding of the Nordic region. The Nordic Council of Ministers, the official inter-parliamentary body for cooperation in the Nordic region, developed the strategy, in close collaboration with national stakeholders and with consideration for the countries’ own branding programs. The strategy is interesting in itself because it is a completely new area of cooperation between the Nordic governments, and it is also quite unique in an international context. This article aims to identify some of the opportunities afforded by this type of collaboration, but also considers the challenges involved in gathering a relatively large geographical area and a number of nations under a common branding identity.