Ollila: creating positive image of country requires self-esteem

“No reason to be behind other Nordic Countries”

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Finnish decision-makers hope that in 20 years, children who are now in the sixth grade in school will have been working for some time.
      A group of sixth grade pupils had the opportunity on Monday to have some impact on their future, when a delegation on improving the image of Finland, led by Nokia Chairman of the Board Jorma Ollila, visited the Meri Rastila elementary school in Helsinki.
      The group had been working behind closed doors, but now the aim is to open some doors.
     
On Monday, members of the delegation sat in the school library in chairs that were two sizes too small, listening to how the future builders of Finland answered the question “What is Finland?”
      “The strengths of Finland were well thought out: education, security, and the fact that things generally work are very important factors”, Ollila told Helsingin Sanomat in the same library.
     
Some time ago in a comparison of national images, Finland placed 18th out of 50 countries. Iceland was the only Nordic country to fall behind Finland.
      But why should a Finnish nuclear family standing on a beach in Mallorca care about how their country is perceived, or worry about a possible "reputation-gap"?
      “Every nation cares about it. This is actually a self-esteem project. A Finn who experiences his or her nation, background, and identity in the right way finds it easier to confront the world”, Ollila says.
      Ollila insists that creating an image of the country is not the same as marketing the country as a tourist destination.
     
“We need to look 20 years forward to see what needs to be done so that we might improve the Finland image. Our starting point must be that Finland as a nation is experienced correctly”, Ollila says.
      The question involves the basic structures of society. To a large extent it is about keeping the good features in mind, strengthening them, and informing others about them. Bad aspects need to be fixed, whenever possible.
     
Symbols are also important. Olila notes that the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao has significantly changed the image that people have about the Basques.
      Ollila says that culture has a very important role in the establishment of a national image, and the image established by culture is long-lasting.
      There is something symbolic that Ollila, the chairman of the boards of Nokia and Shell, is sitting in the library of an elementary level comprehensive school. He is thinking about the Finland of the coming generation.
      Where will Finland place in the country image study 20 years from now?
      “There is no reason why we would be behind the other Nordic Countries."
     
One of the reasons for the establishment of a working group to look into the image of Finland is the sense that the country is better than its international reputation, and that that international name is based on lack of knowledge or false assumptions.
      Whilst it is not about tourism as such, everyday decisions are made based on images associated with a country.
      Do we buy a Finnish product or a German one? Do we go skiing in Åre in Sweden or in Ylläs in Finland? Should that congress be organised in Copenhagen or in Helsinki?
      Such decisions inevitably affect the economy and the well-being of the society in general.


Links:
  Mitä Suomi on? Discussion (in Finnish) on Finland and Finnishness
  This is Finland

Helsingin Sanomat