The old expression ‘loose lips sink ships,’ has taken on new meaning as Sweden learned over the past weekend.

The Nordic destination found itself defending against a disinformation attack overnight, when, on Saturday, US President Donald Trump mentioned Sweden in the context of countries which have suffered terrorists attacks.

The #lastnightinsweden event has bemused some, amused others, but it is an event to be taken seriously by the travel industry. It proves that even allies can cause problems, once a falsehood sparks fire.

These times require destinations to be sharp and always ready to address a new threat: disinformation, otherwise labelled as ‘fake news.’

For a country which went to bed on Friday expecting not much to happen, Sweden awoke to a digital storm.

Its first line of defence against disinformation was perhaps the most unlikely—and perhaps the most appropriate—defender of the national brand: school librarian Emma Johansson.

She was in charge of the @sweden Twitter account at the time of Trump’s speech in Florida.

Without missing a beat, Johansson put aside plans for a lazy weekend chatting with friends around the world and got busy answering difficult questions.

The @sweden account has found itself not only tackling new disinformation campaigns but also suffering from concentrated trolling by social media accounts (both real and bots). 

Fellow Swedes, and people from around the world, have jumped in to lend support for Sweden, with the bulk of the dialogue organised through the #lastnightinSweden hashtag.

There have also been more amusing twists on the theme like #JesuisIKEA.

None of them are official, but all of them working on the same message: everything is fine in Sweden, anyone who says otherwise is misinformed. 

Trump said that his statement was based on a report he saw on Fox news the previous night—a report which, according to established Swedish news sources, is itself an exercise in disinformation.

Then, on Monday, the President of the US doubled-down on his assertion that immigration is causing problems for Sweden.

Disinformation is More than ‘Fake News’ Implies

Sweden, like much of Europe, has been grappling with the rapid rise of disinformation in recent months.

On the day before Trump’s speech, a Swedish daily news outlet Eskilstuna-Kuriren suffered mass Denial-of-Service (DoS) cyberattack after exposing a disinformation “fake news factory” operated as the propaganda machine of a far right group.

The Swedish Institute, which manages the @Sweden account, published an official statement response to the “lastnightinsweden” disinformation event:

“SI denies that a major incident took place and stresses that Sweden is increasingly the subject of disinformation and alternative facts from international players in order to stain the image of Sweden.

“No country is free from challenge. But, perhaps more important now than ever is to realise that in order to be able to discuss these challenges properly, we need facts and perspective.”

The so-called ‘Sweden Incident’ may have started with Trump’s statemen but, it has snowballed into what should be a worrying threat for destinations.

News—both real and fake—spreads at the speed of light through social media and it’s important to react and clarify, without over-reacting.

Unfortunately, the nature of communications is such that once a message—even a falsehood—is embedded in the audience, its stain remains even after disproven.

In a post-truth era, facts matter more than ever before. Sweden has kept this in mind and continues to propagate positive facts.

Herding Cats

Handling a disinformation event on Social Media is a bit like herding cats: you won’t get them all and you are bound to be scratched.

Given all that has happened, Sweden has managed this situation remarkably well.

In large part, that can be attributed to open communication structures the country established when it wasn’t under threat.        

Sweden’s response can be distilled into a three prong strategy:

1) Address the disinformation directly and immediately.

2) Remain approachable and friendly, but tolerate no trolling.

3) Enlist friendly agents, and where possible maintain a healthy a sense of humour.

Having a roster of individual citizens manage the national brand account week to week may seem odd, but it’s characteristic of the creative approach Sweden has taken to international outreach.

This approach included The Swedish Number initiative last year which allowed people around the world to dial a single number and chat with a real Swedish person on any topic of interest.

The principle behind both these initiatives is the same: to reflect Sweden as a friendly, open, and approachable country.

If you want to know what really happens in Sweden, ask a Swede.

Having individuals ready to step-in and manage these unpredictable, unscripted events requires pre-planning and the establishing of a transparent and communicative culture at tourism boards, with support from national organisations.      

It also requires the recruiting and training of people who are able to think on their feet, act without direct guidance but within acceptable standards.

Individuals must also be emotionally and intellectually resilient, to handle what could prove to be aggressive trolling.     

While taking the threat of disinformation very seriously, it also helps to have a bit of fun. Likely everyone has seen the many memes which have propagated social media since “last night in Sweden” first entered the news cycle.

This comic relief which, originated organically from third-parties, has benefited the Sweden brand. Officially, Sweden has remained understated in its response, rather than escalating matters.

The understated tone and the humour are also very much aligned with the brand ethos and national identity of Sweden, representing values of reasoned discourse over bombastic showmanship. 

As Sweden tackled false claims about insecurity in Malmö on Monday, the World Economic Forum shared a very timely guide to dealing with difficult people.

It is recommended reading for destination brands as part of training materials when preparing to manage a disinformation event.