In 2004, at a time when Stockholm was facing economic uncertainty and global cities were fighting harder than ever for attention, one bold statement cut through the noise: “Stockholm – The Capital of Scandinavia.”
It was more than a tagline. It was a provocation. A strategic narrative that helped reframe Stockholm’s identity on the world stage.
Twenty years on, we sat down with the mind behind it—Julian Stubbs, brand strategist and creator of the original proposition—to reflect on what it meant then, what’s changed since, and whether Stockholm still holds that title in the hearts and minds of people across the region and beyond.
What we discovered wasn’t just a story about one city, but a much bigger question: Does the idea of a “Capital of Scandinavia” still matter in a world moving toward regional cooperation and shared identity?
Here’s what Julian had to say.
Stockholm – The Capital of Scandinavia was created and launched in 2004. It has now been 20 years since you came up with that proposition Julian. For those who are not aware, what was the thinking behind it?
Well, in the early 2000s, Stockholm faced significant challenges, including the aftermath of the dot-com crash and issues with Swedish telecom giant Ericsson, which impacted the city’s economy. As globalization and the rise of the internet intensified competition from cities like Copenhagen, Oslo, and Amsterdam, Stockholm struggled. To maintain its global competitiveness, Stockholm needed to position itself as an international destination.
The solution was to create a brand positioning and identity that balanced its modern, high-tech reputation with its historic charm, symbolized through a mix of modern and classic fonts and colors reflecting the city’s water and Scandinavian heritage. In the end, we said that, "If Scandinavia was a country, then Stockholm would be its capital," which evolved into the positioning ‘Stockholm – The Capital of Scandinavia’. A bold, provocative and simple message that helped establish Stockholm as the cultural and economic hub of Scandinavia.
20 years have passed since the creation. Is Stockholm still the capital of Scandinavia in your view?
Good question. I think if you were to ask the Danes or the Norwegians, they would disagree. While Stockholm's role in tech, innovation, and sustainability may have grown in recent years, people in Copenhagen would likely have a nuanced view of this assessment. They may begrudgingly acknowledge Stockholm’s increasing importance but would likely also emphasize Copenhagen's unique contributions to the Nordic region in politics, culture, design, sustainability, and economics.
It may be the case that, rather than one city overtaking the other, the different capitals might have a more holistic view with a broader Nordic success story where each city has a distinctive and valuable role to play.
If we look 20 years into the future instead, which city will be the “the Capital of Scandinavia” or will that no longer be important?
Well, that depends on your perspective, I would think. If you are a place like Copenhagen, Oslo or Stockholm, place branding to attract investments and tourism will most likely be very important, so the association to “the Capital of Scandinavia” would still be very important. We should also touch on the importance of perception – which is different from fact. Even when we launched Stockholm as The Capital of Scandinavia over 20 years ago the large majority of people we polled, and the available research we accessed online, showed that the vast majority of people do not know about the difference of the term the Nordics or Scandinavia. However, they were vastly more positive to the term Scandinavia over Nordics.
If you are a company that wants to sell its products and services on the global market, being closely connected to a city or even a country has its definite advantages. However, an association to Scandinavia might be even stronger – it’s a fairly integrated economic and cultural region of over 25 million people.
Scandinavia is generally well-known around the world, and people tend to associate it with positive traits such as happiness, equality, sustainability, innovation, safety, and work-life balance. The region is viewed as a progressive, forward-thinking area that prioritizes well-being, both for its citizens and the environment, while blending a deep appreciation for nature and design. These qualities, along with its strong social systems and international success in various industries, contribute to Scandinavia's reputation as a model for modern living. Importantly, it also does not have a government or political bias that can cause any negative associations.
So, Scandinavia might just trump the individual countries that make it up.