---
title: "Why are our Swedish neighbours winning the brand game?"
description: "Swedish companies spend 2.4 times as much on digital marketing per person as Finnish ones. Sebastian Östman asks if Ostrobothnia is too humble."
image: "https://generogrowth.com/app/uploads/2026/10/why-sweden-is-winning-the-brand-game-featured-genero-1024x572.png"
url: "https://www.generogrowth.com/why-sweden-is-winning-the-brand-game/"
language: "en-GB"
translations: {"fi":"https://www.generogrowth.com/fi/miksi-ruotsi-voittaa-brandipelin/md/","sv-SE":"https://www.generogrowth.com/sv/varfor-vinner-sverige-varumarkesspelet/md/"}
modified: "2026-10-31T09:34:25+00:00"
---

# Why are our Swedish neighbours winning the brand game?

🇸🇪 vs 🇫🇮

I’ve spent 18 years navigating the business landscape in southern Finland, but moving back home to Ostrobothnia has made one thing clear: we produce world-class quality, we have a high work ethic and good morals, but we are quiet about it.

## Sweden invests more than twice as much

When we look across the sea, the data is eye-opening.

According to IAB Europe’s latest AdEx Benchmark, in 2024 Sweden’s digital ad market was worth €3.4 billion and Finland’s €751 million. Per person, that is about **€323 in Sweden and €133 in Finland**, or 2.4 times as much.

![Bar chart: digital advertising spend per inhabitant in 2024 was about €323 in Sweden and €133 in Finland.](https://generogrowth.com/app/uploads/2026/10/digital-ad-spend-per-person-sweden-finland-2024-1024x576.png)

And the gap is growing. In 2024, Finland’s digital ad market grew by 1.3%, the slowest of the 30 European markets IAB Europe tracks. Sweden grew by 8.5%.

![Bar chart: digital ad spend growth in 2024 was 12.5% in Europe (excl. Turkey), 8.5% in Sweden and 1.3% in Finland.](https://generogrowth.com/app/uploads/2026/10/digital-ad-market-growth-2024-europe-sweden-finland-1024x576.png)

## An investment or a cost?

In Sweden, marketing is seen as an investment in the brand and future sales. In Finland, and specifically here in Ostrobothnia, we still too often treat it as a cost that can be trimmed.

## What I hear from over 30 CEOs

After meeting over 30 local CEOs and entrepreneurs lately, I see the same pattern:

- **The product is king, but the brand is invisible.** We have the best technology and the best craftsmanship, but if the world doesn’t know about it, we lose to a “louder” Swedish competitor with a potentially weaker product.
- **Safety vs scale.** We are masters of “playing it safe”, but to reach Swedish levels of international success, we need to dare to invest before the growth is fully realised.
- **Marketing is strategy.** In high-growth Swedish firms, the CMO or marketing director sits next to the CEO. Marketing isn’t just about brochures; it’s about business development.
- **Marketing = growth.** The purpose of marketing is to deliver growth, both short and long term. This means marketing should also play a key role in the board of directors. Which it rarely does.

## From best-kept secret to growth region

Ostrobothnia has all the ingredients to be a global success region. We have the grit, the honesty and the delivery. But to take the next step, we need to stop being the “best-kept secret” and start investing in our growth with the confidence our neighbours do.

**Are we too humble for our own good?**

## In short

 €323 

 Digital ad spend per person in Sweden, 2024

 €133 

 Digital ad spend per person in Finland, 2024

 30/30 

 Finland’s rank for digital ad growth among European markets, 2024

## Let’s talk growth

If you want to talk about what investing in growth could look like for your company, get in touch. We’re happy to help.

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### Sources

- IAB Europe: [AdEx Benchmark 2024 Report](https://iabeurope.eu/wp-content/uploads/IAB-Europe_AdEx-Benchmark-2024-Report_FINAL.pdf) (digital ad market size and growth by country, 2024)
- Statistics Sweden: [Sweden’s population 2024](https://scb.se/en/finding-statistics/statistics-by-subject-area/population-and-living-conditions/population-composition-and-development/population-statistics/pong/statistical-news/swedens-population-2024--population-changes2) (10,587,700 at the end of 2024)
- Statistics Finland: [Preliminary population statistics, December 2024](https://stat.fi/en/publication/cm0njmwfzjbik07w2ll48li7f) (5,637,214 at the end of 2024)
- Per-person figures: Genero’s calculation, market size divided by population.

![Sebastian Östman, co-founder, Genero](https://generogrowth.com/app/uploads/2026/10/sebastian-ostman-genero.jpg)

About the author

#### Sebastian Östman

Sebastian Östman is a co-founder of Genero and an investor. He works on growth and AI-driven commercial development, and lives in Ostrobothnia.

[Follow Sebastian on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastianostman/)

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