Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2011 | Page 11

Finns Do It Better
Granted, some of the hype was due to the
recent Newsweek study which declared Finland the best country in the world. On the
other hand, some parts in the presentation
simply did not ring true, such as Ollila’s insistence that in Finland we don’t really care
for putting out memos and reports; the Finns
want to get busy with the task at hand instead. (There are those who would argue
that producing various reports and other
lukewarm documentation is, in fact, a core
industry.) Nevertheless, Ollila’s team has
clearly taken its task seriously and the report deserves a closer look.
Over all, the branding team defines three central areas that can be used
to strengthen the image of Finland: functionality, nature and education. The branding team is the first one to admit that this
trio will hardly topple citizenry with amazement. But, then again, nation-branding must
be rooted on something real and familiar –
something that the people recognise and can
rally around.
Still, while no Finn in their right mind
would contest the notion that Finland possesses wonderful nature, not many of the
natives here realise the true relevance of
Mother Nature’s treasures. Pure Finnish water and agricultural produce are wonders
to behold, and in the Age of Climate Change, such sanctuaries
may become very scarce
indeed. The branding
team pushes Finns

to take the next step, to conquer the world
with organic superfoods and superior water expertise.

Teacher’s Pets
In addition to natural riches, the report places a lot of emphasis on nurturing young
minds. Finland is the star of PISA and boasts
the best education system in the world – and
is finally starting to look around to see if
there’s any way to capitalise on the success.
Finns have been hesitant to do this, because it is difficult to see one’s own educ