week 13, post 1, hair cut prices

When walking in the city center, one might notice the big amount of hair salons that the town has similar to any other big city. While the hair styles tend to me more toned down across the board and few to break barriers with colored hair or extreme hairdos, there is still a big market due to the Swedish consumers interest in keeping their appearance up. There is something a little different about getting your hair done in Uppsala, because it matters not that you are a man or a woman, but how long your hair is. I went into a salon to inquire about prices for services and the price was determined by my 'shoulder length' hair, not the fact that I was a woman. In the States, regardless of whether my hair is one inch or one foot in length, I am charged the woman's price for a haircut, which is usually more expensive than a man's. While this might seem just a small difference, it is in support for what Sweden stands for regarding gender. The public also conveys a gender-neutral stance that I have spoken of in previous entries about mens and women's sections of stores and unisex bathrooms. By stripping haircuts of gender, the hair salons in the town do not force a consumer to choose which gender to identify with. The businesses act as supports for Sweden's widely known image of being a country that is more gender neutral for its government implemented social programs. By offering a gender neutral pricing menu, the customers can live their day-to-day life upholding these ideas as well.

week 12, post 3, world food

With coffee ads being prevalent in this country, it is interesting to see how different companies approach their product for advertising. After researching this company I have found some interesting information, first being that the company started in Sweden and was later sold to Kraft foods. Gevalia coffee is sold in North America through internet sales, but is mainly sold in stores to Scandinavian customers. With so many coffee ads in Sweden, creativity and differentiation is at its highest with ads in this category. The advertisement pictured makes the brand seem foreign, which is an interesting platform to take during a hot political time in Sweden concerning immigrants. If I knew nothing about this history of this company, I might guess that it is from another part of the world given it's authentic looking design and packaging. This particular coffee seems to target younger customers with the open minds about worldwide products and a concern or interest for the world outside Scandinavia. This ad was spotted very close to Uppsala's own coffee roastery, Lindvall's. Lindvall's is the opposite of what Gevalia does:

Lindvall's features pictures of Uppsala on their packages, making it seem very 'hometown' to its consumers across Sweden. It can be clearly seen what drinking Lindvall's compared to drinking the new Gevalia worldly flavors could say about a person. The experience visiting each of the companies websites are vastly different as well. When visiting lindvalls.se, one is brought to a homepage with Swedish captions with the option of continuing in English. The products, in the picture above, are featured on the first page with their distinctly Swedish packaging. It is also notable that the company chose to have a '.se' domain rather than a '.com', which is what Gevalia did. Gevalia's website is in English and seems more for an international audience than the Lindvall's website was. It is interesting to compare these two drinks the way Americans compare Pepsi and Coke, relating them to political affiliations and beliefs. When googling 'coke vs. pepsi', this image was a result on just the second page:

It is interesting to see that the same things happen across international borders with competing product companies, and it shows that advertising is virtually the same no matter where one travels, it just comes through in different products to cater to different audiences.

week 12, post 2, saving food

These ads, like many, were photographed for their high amount of repetition in Uppsala. Sprouting up just around the holiday season, I had to wonder what exactly they were trying to convey. From my understanding, the advertisements are for a recipe book with creative ideas about what to do with leftover food in one's refrigerator. The timing of the ads is great for the people here because holiday celebrations are soon coming with the Swedish Julbord and its many dishes that involve a variety of ingredients. Leftovers can be an issue in an environmentally and resourceful community such as Sweden, so the product proves to be very useful for the people here. In America, I am sure a product like this would be very popular among middle class families around the holidays as well, but food is much cheaper therefore I feel it is wasted more. Overall in America, waste is not as conscious as it is in Sweden which trickles all the way down to whether or not a product such as this one would be successful. In the category of books, this is the first advertisement I have noticed and it is interesting because the author is not considered a celebrity or even pictured in the ads. In American ads, the author is always a big part of the presentation and often is just as important as the personality and the context of the book, such as Rachel Ray:

Rachel Ray's '30 Minute Meals' recipe books and TV shows are just as much about her personality as they are about their efficiency. Thus far, the focus in Swedish advertising has been much more about products as it has been about spokes persons. Overall when considering this product and what it does for the Swedish consumer, it differs with its ability to save energy and waste rather than save time and money. While both American products such as Rachel Ray's cookbook and this book about saving leftovers, both focus on 'saving' but each caters to what the consumers are most concerned about- in Sweden's case it is sustainability, and in America's case it is time. 

week 12, post 1, Extra ad

I would normally not document a simple product advertisement as an example for a cultural study, but there are some elements of this ad that stick out if one takes a minute to look longer than a simple glance. The elements that make this ad speak specifically to Swedes are the cinnamon rolls, the coffee, and of course, the gorgeous model with a great appearance. By using cinnamon rolls and coffee in this ad, the company speaks directly to Swedes rather than taking an American ad and just translating the words to the  Swedish language. If the advertisement had a piece of chocolate cake, it would not work or speak to as many people as I believe it is doing now. I think the main point that this advertisement conveys is something I have noticed as a big difference in Sweden from America- good self presentation. Self presentation is highly regarded in this country, and it is expected that one should maintain their looks and dress well in public. As an American student here, I often felt underdressed when wearing what I normally wear to class at my home university- a sweatshirt and running shoes. The model in the ad has a similar look to American models, yet speaks to the middle class here rather than the 'fashion conscious' it would at home. The model displays the need for this everyday product to enhance one's self presentation and be acceptable to other people. Seeing less advertising than usual for brands that make everyday food products shows that in Sweden, the game is different with advertising. The Extra ad proves that creativity is key in reaching the Swedish consumers, and by putting distinctly important Swedish values into an ad, it becomes 'Swedish'. 

week 11, post 3, coffee advertisement

I photographed these ads specifically because of the amount of space the company bought throughout Uppsala. Overnight, the ads seemed to be pasted everywhere in the town, with little traffic routes to avoid them. The advertisements are simple, and use design and graphics well to get their point across about something Swedes take very seriously- their coffee. With Sweden being one of the top coffee drinking countries in the world, this is a product that is high in competition, similar to fast food restaurants, sodas, and beers in the States. It could be said that coffee is one product in Sweden that is highly consumed yet unnecessary, aside from alcohol and tobacco products. Fast food is not a major player in advertising here, neither is soda or snack foods. Through the observations I have made it seems that coffee and cell phone contracts are similar to snack food and beer/soda in the states. The placement and amount of advertisements that this particular product is using has me wondering what it is about coffee and cell phones in Sweden that cause such consumption patterns. One thing comes to mind- communication. In Sweden, communication is highly regarded not just through cell phones, but at cafes as well, which is where the coffee comes in. In the U.S, similar communication is made through highly advertised products as listed previously, more often taking place on the couch with some snacks and sodas over a TV program than at a cafe. I have made a mental note of the use of television as a social factor among college students in America vs. the way cafe's work as means of social communication in Sweden. It seems that both of their corresponding products are advertised in similar fashions.

week 11, post 2, anti smoking advertising

Sweden's anti-smoking efforts

American anti-smoking commericial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_56BQmY_e8  (The Truth anti-smoking ad)

It is hard not to notice the big difference in advertising between tobacco use in the U.S compared to Sweden. Pictured on top is a pack of cigarettes with a message on it to deter tobacco users from smoking. This method of advertising is the only type I have seen for smoking while in Sweden, which is very different from the messages we get in the States. Smoking is a big topic of debate in the States,  with some states such as Illinois establishing laws to prevent smoking in public restaurants and clubs. I have noticed that in Sweden, smoking is more common, but less looked down on. While some people seem bothered by smokers here, it doesn't seem as commonly talked about as being a serious health risk or a negative personality trait. However, both forms of advertising use similar guilt methods. By expressing how harmful smoking is for not only yourself but others around you, both of the ads show a selfish side to being a smoker. The content of the ads differ slightly, but both use a similar tactic of catching the consumer off guard and kind of sticking a fact in their face that they are sure to remember. While these efforts are so different from each other, they are very alike and show that Sweden's creativity can be similar to Americans when it comes to advertising. 

week 11, post 1, where are all the drug ads?

When also considering what is missing from the Swedish categories of advertisements, I notice a gap in the drug category. There are little to no ads that I have seen that have anything to do with prescription drugs or even over the counter drugs. I have talked with a couple of locals about this matter, and the idea of seeing an advertisement for a drug seemed odd to them, although quite normal to me. With Sweden being known for its long life expectancy compared to other countries, especially the U.S, the placement of drug ads becomes interesting to see missing. In the States flipping through a magazine can guarantee seeing something of this sort:

With a different healthcare system, the case in America is that drugs have become a business just like any other that need advertising in order to sell products. Many of the ads call on potential customers to ask their doctor for more information, often leading to the sale of the medicines. It is very common to see commercials for depression medication and sleeping aides. The commercials often evoke a questioning of oneself causing the wonder of "can this drug improve my life?", or "can this drug solve my problems?". The presence of the commercials often have one wondering if they are living their life to the fullest, or if they have problems that need to be brought to the surface. The absence of this idea of 'checking oneself' can be attributed to many structural differences in Sweden, the most apparent being health care. The healthcare in Sweden is set up in a way that if everyone was taking every prescription they themselves wanted rather than the doctor prescribed, it would not work well. The system might soon become overused, and might result in raised prescription prices. While Sweden might be trying to limit its services since they provide them at almost no cost to their people, it could also be the fact that Sweden is not an outgoing country. Sweden, on the other side of life longevity, is known for its high suicide rate. This has long been attributed to the weather and the lack of openness in their culture to talk about feelings of depression. With an overall cultural difference of a closed off personality and increased privacy, Swedes don't seem to have as much of a way to cope with sadness and depression as Americans do. Especially considering the darkness that Sweden experiences starting in November and lasting throughout the winter, perhaps if Sweden started to show more ads for medications, the suicide rate would see some change. However, if Americans toned theirs down a bit, it is possible that health care costs would be less of a concern in our country than they are now.