Visit Småland
Category
Art Direction & Visual Design
Year
Hemma i Småland is a brand platform for Visit Småland built around the rediscovery of Smålandssången, a 109-year-old forgotten regional song. By inviting contemporary artists with roots in Småland to reinterpret the song, we created both a cultural moment and a long-term framework for regional storytelling. The first iteration with artist John Lundvik reached over 190,000 streams and views, revitalizing a piece of cultural heritage while establishing Visit Småland as xxxx.
My Role
Art Director & Visual Design
Production Company
Kentsdottir
Artist
John Lundvik
Created at
Passion lab
Outcome
★ Silver at Swedish Content Awards 2022 in the category Resor & Nöjen
★ Campaign of the Week in Resumé October 2021
★ Nominated for Gyllene Hjulet 2022 in the category Årets Individsponsring
Over 190,000 combined views and streams across YouTube (84,219) and Spotify (108,222)
Significant media coverage including SVT Nyheter, Expressen – Allt om Resor, Sveriges Radio, and multiple local newspapers
Significant media coverage including SVT Nyheter, Expressen – Allt om Resor, Sveriges Radio, and multiple local newspapers
Challange & Solution
Visit Småland, the collaborative tourism brand that promotes the historical Småland region in southern Sweden, needed a brand campaign to increase tourism in the region. They wanted something authentic and emotionally resonant that could establish their position in the market.
From the insight that many famous artists have their roots in Småland, we decided to use music as a way to get an emotional connection to the region. We created the campaign Hemma i Småland (At Home in Småland) as a long-term brand platform that could evolve over time.
Initially, we explored having artists write original songs about Småland. But through my research in the digital archives of Smålandsnationen at Uppsala University, I discovered Smålandssången, a 109-year-old regional song that had been forgotten.
This discovery transformed the concept: rather than creating something new, we could revive a piece of cultural heritage and give it contemporary relevance. By inviting artists with personal connections to Småland to reinterpret the song in their own way, we created both an emotional anchor and a flexible platform. Artist John Lundvik, born and raised in Växjö, was the first to bring the song back to life, describing his version as "Kristina från Duvemåla meets 2021".
