Baking course at Saltå Kvarn

The fact that Saltå Kvarn is one of my favourite brands you probably know from before. Last weekend I finally did what I've been longing to do for a long time. I went to a sour dough baking course with Manfred, the head of the bakery at Saltå Kvarn. I'm not going to bore you with the details of different sour dough starters, wild yeast, barley bread and measurements of ecological flour, but I'll proudly show you some pics from the experience.


Sour dough day 2.


Dough sample…


Rye bread in the oven.


Sample, ready to eat…


The shop next door. For all your flour needs…

If you think it looks tempting I can only recommend to contact Manfred.

Late night peer group special

Late last night I cycled down the street of Avenyn in central Gothenburg. It's a street known for its night life, its nasty bouncers and for hords of brats. As I passed by the mosts popular hot dog place (for those late night snacks…) I suddenly stopped. In addition to their usual range of burgers, hot dogs, tacos and vegetarian dishes, I saw this sign:



Fantastic! For a mere 5000 Swedish Crowns (equals to €500) you can, if you have the right manly size wallet, order a gold plated veal burger with an engraved metal plate… Such a nice idea considering the clientèle…

Obama + USA = a new and improved image?

On the topic of place branding, I just have one small thing to write today. I will call it the question of the day: What will Obama do for the brand of the US of A?
I'm sure we'll come back to this topic in the future.

A love affair.

I've got to admit it. I'm having an affair. It started that day in New York, in September 1999. A friend was getting married and I was back in town, invited to the wedding as a friend and entertainer (maybe it was those sweet love songs that inspired me).

It was in the Meatpacking District. I was hooked by the style – stylish, simple and yet so passionate. And one thing led to another. You know how it is… But time passes and lovers turn into friends. Other lovers come and go and the years pass on…

And then it happened again. It's when you fall in love the second time that you're really hooked. This time it was in Göteborg, Sweden, and there was nothing I could do. The revival was total. Both of us had grown up a bit – I suppose that's what life's all about. We found each other yet again and this time there's no turning back. The love affair is a fact and I admit it.

Which is why I couldn't resist it. I know I shouldn't have, but here it is, my latest addition to my traveling kit. The bag. The myth. The magic. My love.

Brand coincidence – a rude awakening.

One good thing about being based in Sweden is the easy access to skin and hair products with no perfume or unnecessary additives. And you don't have to pay a fortune for them either (thank you, Apoteket!). So I'm always welcoming new brands providing an even wider selection. And if the packaging looks decent, it's even better.

Last week I read about newly launched brand Estelle & Thild (the name derives from owner Mathilda Rönnberg's two daughters) in this article in Resumé (text in Swedish!). It's a line of ecologically certified (by Ecocert) skin and hair products for babies and children, and I could bore you with all the details about how wonderful they are, but I won't, since that's not my point.

What I'm getting at is this: A few days ago I opened the latest issue of Residence (Swedish edition), and found an ad about Estelle & Thild. Or so I assumed. When I looked closer it was an article. A coincidence? I think not. Don't get me wrong here, a magazine can chose to write about anything they like. Anything at all. But I'd like to think of some magazines as being a little bit more picky than to write about what companies feed them in press releases.

Ok, maybe I've been living in a bubble, but it's still a rude awakening. And that's coming from someone who deals with the brand thing all day long. I think I'll go tend to my sourdough bread instead.

(Oh, and if you want to have a look at the brand, here it is.)

When branding becomes personal.

What happens when branding moves into the personal level? If you used your own self and created a set of guidelines for how to be displayed in various situations?

A while ago I came across an interesting blogpost at johnson banks' "Thought for the week". The people at johnson banks had been sent a set of graphic identity guidelines. For a person. It was Sydney-based designer Chris Doyle (he works for Moon Group in Sydney) who was wondering how his personal identity would be documented if it were considered in graphic design terms.

Colour variations, formal, casual, what not to do, clearance space… It's all there. "Christopher Doyle™ Identity Guidelines 2008" was entered into a competition, where he also displayed himself live.

Does it sound weird? It's hilarious! I have to get my hands on this printed piece! If you haven't looked already, do so here!

Youth brands

Just a few days before Interbrand reveals it's Best Global Brands 2008 (22 September is the day it happens), Swedish The Tomorrow Story came out with Brilliant Brands, a survey among Swedish youth about the hottest brands in this target group. Surprisingly (apparently), both brands that aim for this segment in their advertising, as well as brands that don't target the segment at all, are among the highest rated.

So, here's the list of the hottest brands for 15-24-yearolds:
Jeans – Cheap Monday
Sneakers – Converse
Sport – Nike
Cell phones – Sony Ericsson
Operators – Comviq
Make up – Make Up Store
Drink – Coca Cola
Chocolate – Marabou
Chewing Gum – Extra

View the full list here!