Forsman & Bodenfors Find the Soul of Swedish Telco with ‘Folknätet’

For a year, the creative agency Forsman & Bodenfors has been devising Swedish telecoms company Telia's new communication concept, based on the brief to find the brand's soul. ‘Folknätet’ is now being launched.

It’s nine years since the McCann-created concept ‘the Telia family’ was discontinued. Forsman’s new concept is long-term and, according to the brand’s marketing director, should serve as a starting point for the company's campaigns and customer experience for the next five-year period, at least.

“Telia believes that everyone in Sweden should have the same rights to communicate. The same rights to talk, listen, watch, read, think and send ❤. That’s why we created Folknätet,” reads an explanation on the Forsman & Bodenfors website.

“Folknätet is a network, a community and a responsibility. It’s a history and a future. It’s friending, binge watching, and scrolling. It’s all of that, and so much more. Folknätet is more opportunities for more people in more places. Folknätet is Telia.”

Folknätet is a whole new word in Swedish, but roughly translates as a portmanteau of ‘people’ and ‘network’.

The hero film looks back through the company’s history as well as ahead to the future of communication, showing the breadth of the role it plays in people’s lives. It is accompanied by Swedish singer-songwriters Sarah Klang and Titiyo's new interpretation of the folk song ‘Tula hem och tula vall’. 

The campaign will run across TV, outdoor, print and in digital channels. At Arlanda, Stockholm’s airport, Telia has purchased specific media space that allow travelers to be greeted by the message "Welcome home to Folketätet" when returning to Sweden.