– Additional pressure on other companies – E24

Freya was interrupted by the Norwegian companies, before quickly relenting herself. In Sweden, the county is much broader. – Few counter-arguments were presented, says the Swedish expert.

In less than a week, ten famous Norwegian footballers decided to stop selling Freya products. Within a few days, however, the number of Freya’s slayers was reduced to seven, after Elkjub, Norgean, and Phedroy changed their minds.

But in our neighboring country, the province of Mondelez has gained a much larger foothold. In Sweden, authorities and politicians have gone to great lengths to call for a boycott, which affects Freya’s Swedish subsidiary, Marabou.

– The debate was relatively one-sided in Sweden. Few counter-arguments have been put forward, though it’s a relatively complex case with bigger ramifications in the future, PR consultant Niklas Turner Olofsson at Swedish communications agency Passion Lab tells E24.

– distinct

Earlier this week, the State Department here at home called a dialogue meeting with the business community on Freya’s case. The authorities chose not to take a position on the boycott. Nor did the Norwegian Parliament want to join the boycott.

In Sweden, it looks different.

– Some politicians joined in and called for a boycott of Marabou and Mondelez products, which is also cool, says Olovzon.

the The Swedish defense fell Marabou and Oboe, Foreign Policy Spokesperson for the Liberal Neighborhood Forsell He wrote a letter to the Swedish king Mondelez products are calling for the royal court’s supplier seal to be removed, Sweden’s Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson says she is Stop buying Mondelez products.

– I’m more suspicious of doing that now. Svantesson said in this regard: We must all help and make sure that the Russian war fund does not increase.

The Swedish department store giant IKEA confirmed on Saturday the opposite Gutenberg Post They are phasing out Mondelez products from their range.

Olovzon believes that politicians and authorities in the European Union and the countries involved should help consumers in the respective markets understand which brands really should be blacklisted in each country and why.

– At the moment everything is based on the interpretations of the blacklist for Ukraine, there are no sustainable nuances or analyzes that would be adapted, for example, for the Swedish and Norwegian markets.

Additional pressure has been added

Olofzon says Swedish companies and the media have reacted “quickly and instinctively” to the boycott.

This has put additional pressure on other companies, he says.

He points out that Marabou is Swedish made, and that this brand is the one most people focus on.

– This is despite the fact that the blacklist applies to many brands, and is likely to include more international parent companies in the future, says the PR expert.

In Norway, many companies have turned around and have not stopped selling Freya products. Among the companies still on the side of the boycott, you can find, among others, SAS and the train company SJ, which have head offices in Sweden.

– Do you think it’s a coincidence, or are Swedish companies more interested in reputation in such matters than Norwegian companies?

– I don’t know if it was a coincidence, but the trend in Sweden was the opposite. As some companies turned around and chose to boycott, Olofzon says, rather than the other way around.

Contact the authorities

The shift in Norway came after the foreign ministry said it would not take a position on boycotts on behalf of businesses and consumers.

NHH professor Frode Steen believes that many Norwegian companies faced a “buzz” that wasn’t positive when they chose to boycott, singling out Elkjøp.

– Elkjøp is the best example here, they have sold several large product groups owned by blacklisted companies. They had to consider whether to bring these out as well, but they didn’t want to, and so they hit the brakes.

When Elkjøp announced that it was abolishing Freia County, the reason was that the company sought advice and guidance from the authorities.

– We feel that the government’s response today is a signal that the right thing to do is to follow the EU sanctions list and this list only. said Linda Fred Andersen, CEO of Elkjøp Norge at press release.

– Be wise

Steen believes that Norwegian politicians have taken an orderly stance by asking consumers and individuals to figure it out for themselves.

– I think in many ways the Norwegian politicians were wise. They said they are linked to boycotts based on agreements, such as the EU sanctions list. They do not tell companies and individuals what to do, only they can decide for themselves.

– Do you think it is acceptable that the Norwegian defense did not call for a boycott?

– I don’t think much about it. It should be the same for private companies, the choice is entirely up to them. It’s very different for defense, so there can be a bit of a confusion between roles. It is much more complicated for a large government organization to initiate a boycott.