The new Swedish Institute

1
The new Swedish Institute

• Sharing Sweden with the world

2
The Swedish Institute 60 years of public
diplomacy

• Founded 1945 as a non-profit association public
  agency 1998
• 2006 Budget appr. SEK 220 million, staff 80
• Centre Culturel Suédois in Paris
• The work is carried out in collaboration with
  Swedish embassies and consulates around the world
• A center of excellence in the promotion of
  Sweden, focusing on analysis and strategy

3
Swedish Institutes activities in brief

• Putting Sweden on the world map through a broad
  set of public diplomacy/nation-branding
  activities
• Creating and sustaining relationships with other
  countries through exchanges in the fields of
  culture, education, research and public life in
  general
• Overall goal to promote Sweden. Special
  assignments within international development
  cooperation programs
• From information and exchange to strategic
  communications and relationship building
• Culture and education play a central role in the
  work

4
New strategy

• Concentrated activities for greater impact
  through
• More focus on our main task the image of Sweden
• Working from a brand perspective internally and
  externally
• Target group analysis and prioritized
  geographical locations
• Measurable goals and more efficient evaluation
• Better coordination with the Swedish Diplomatic
  Missions
• Being a centre of excellence for the overall
  promotion of Sweden
• Increased focus on PR/media
• Focus on attracting key talent from abroad
• Focus on activating Swedes

5
New organization

• One Institute, not three
• Focus on function, not area of expertise
• More concentration on analysis and evaluation
• Better coordination and cooperation with the
  Swedish Diplomatic Missions and the Council for
  the Promotion of Sweden
• Department for Branding and Coordination
• Department of Communications and Public Relations
• Department for Events and Projects
• Department for Intercultural Relations
• Department of Administration and Services
• CCS, The Swedish Institute in Paris

6
Geographic priorities 2007-2010
7
Background putting Sweden on the map and
creating relationships with the world

• concentrate our efforts where we have the best
  chance of having an impact in creating awareness,
  confidence and interest in Sweden
• where do we get the greatest effect
  (awareness/goodwill/
• relationships) for each tax krona invested?
• todays aim of working to affect everyone in
  every region across the world is unrealistic
  especially in view of the funds the Institute
  has at its disposal for this purpose

8
Geographic priorities - Targets

• By setting priorities and working long-term,
  there is an increase in the likelihood that
• we can achieve results,
• we can develop effective collaboration with local
  parties and development partners (especially
  locally with Swedish diplomatic missions abroad),
• we can develop our knowledge about local target
  groups and follow their understanding and image
  of Sweden,
• we can monitor, evaluate and present concrete
  results to a greater extent (to a greater extent
  with NSU and selected Swedish missions abroad).

9
Reaching the target group parallel processes

• Having a continuous global presence via the
  Internet
• Having a local presence through our collaborative
  partners, via Swedish diplomatic missions abroad
  or directly
• Both ways of working are important the mix
  has to be discussed, as does how they will work
  together it is crucial to give priority to
  proactive operations and work consistently with
  the progressive target group regardless of the
  channel and way of working.

10
Starting points

• To increase the impact of our activities by
  maximising our chances of creating a rings on
  the water ripple effect in order to reach as
  many in our priority target group as possible.
• To be where the "progressive target group" is or
  in the places it keeps tabs on
• To be where things are happening where there
  are clear advances in culture, the economy and
  science
• To be where there is a clear national, regional
  and global emphasis (in terms of the economy,
  culture, science and the media)
• Dynamic, global and cosmopolitan centres on
  which the eyes of the world are focused

11
Breakdown of SI operations collaborating with
Swedish missions abroad

• Basic level of operations /embassy service
  (more demand-driven)
• the web, information material (printed material,
  posters, CD-ROMs, mini-exhibits etc.) and films.
• SI as an expertise centre for promotion via the
  Internet (SPF) and SIs helpdesk.
• Levels given priority (proactive operations)
• active local efforts (projects, PR projects,
  study and media visits, customised tools,
  possibly new grant programmes etc.)
• active as an expertise centre/collaborative
  partner development of local expertise, joint
  analysis and evaluation, pooled media issues
  develop close, continuous collaboration

12
The Process

• Different surveys have been carried out
• Sweden Image starting points (SASU/NBI)
• Least awareness in regions farthest away
  (geographically and culturally)
• Low level of awareness low confidence low
  interest
• Potential comprehensive shift in our priorities
• Increased emphasis on Asia and strategic distant
  markets
• (Potentially greater focus on the Middle East if
  SI gets a special commission)

13
Criteria from the sample of cities

• SIs official brief Europe, North America,
  China, Japan, India and Brazil
• Sweden Image starting points (we will be where
  the need is greatest)
• Emphasis on the city (cultural, economic,
  scientific, media) in the region
• Degree of dynamics and openness
• Conditions in SIs budget (promotion/collaboration
  on development)
• Swedish representation locally
• Good geographic spread
• Number
• How many do we have the resources to work with?
• A decision will soon be made

14
Focus areas 2007-2010
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Focus areas the objective

• To make it easier to set mutual short-term and
  long-term priorities in choosing operations.
• This is a practical way of linking the
  Institutes operational focus to the main message
  of the communicative platform and to relevant
  present-day phenomena and areas in which Sweden
  currently has an attractive advantage or
  interesting experience to relate, from the
  perspective of the rest of the world.

16
Criteria

• base them on the strategic choices and messages
  of the communicative platform
• work well from both a one-year and three-year
  perspective (preferably longer)
• be up-to-date and at the cutting edge of
  development in culture, societal issues,
  education or science
• find an interesting Swedish phenomenon to show
  and tell people about
• find international interest in Sweden in these
  areas
• find relevant collaborative partners linked to
  areas both in Sweden and abroad
• Be able to link these to the focus areas of
  promotion at other organizations (IT,
  environmental technology, etc.) and other
  partners (culture/education)

17
Proposed focus areas 2007-2010

• Sustainability the environment, development and
  balance
• The sustainable society
• New creativity design, music and pioneering
  popular cultureThe young progressive Sweden
• Openness equality, freedom of expression and
  tolerance
• The open, inclusive, non-hierarchical society
• Development without boundaries technology,
  culture and science
• The borderland between culture, science and
  technological progress