The history of Pantamera is presented below, along with an account of how TV advertising has changed over the years.
Promoting awareness of the deposit system and inspiring more people to return their cans and bottles is a key part of Pantamera’s mission. Marketing in various forms is at the heart of our operations, covering everything from school competitions to music videos on TV.
TV advertising had become firmly established across Sweden by the 1990s. Returpack aimed to reach as broad an audience as possible with its advertising, targeting every beverage consumer in Sweden. That made TV a natural platform for communicating the importance of using the deposit system and inspiring more people to take part.
One ad focused on the new deposit system for PET bottles and featured two guys chatting in a bar.
Cleaning, washing up, PET-ing, cleaning, washing up, PET-ing … What do you get for that? Half a krona?
This was followed by the ‘crime scene’ ad inspired by Swedish crime thrillers. A bin bag at the water’s edge had been found to contain something truly awful – cans and PET bottles that nobody had bothered to return through the deposit system! Returpack was aiming to highlight how a huge amount of packaging simply disappeared without trace every year, urging viewers to help track it down.
The name Pantamera is familiar to many people in Sweden, but Returpack isn’t. A TV ad brought the name Pantamera to the public consciousness around the same time that the company relocated to Norrköping. It was 2004, and the ad was set to be filmed in the humid, vibrant city of Havana in Cuba. This ad marked the start of a defining journey for the brand.
That year, 85 per cent of all cans and 81 per cent of PET bottles ended up being returned through the deposit system. In Sweden, we were really good at using the deposit system – but there was still room for improvement. The new ad campaign would be built around a positive call to action: deposit more!
Returpack wanted to use music to reach out to a broader target group. The idea was to take the famous Cuban song Guantanamera and create a completely new version of it: Pant a mera – deposit more! This would then be recorded by Buena Vista Social Club, the original artists, and filmed in the song’s original setting.
The new ad was a huge success and had a major impact. Public perception of Returpack improved, and more manufacturers began reaching out to ask about joining the deposit system for their packaging. Even importers began to show an interest, even though they’d previously done everything in their power to avoid adding deposits to their packaging. There was now a widespread realisation across the food and drink sector that deposit systems played an important role – prompting even wine suppliers to reach out. The image of the Returpack/Pantamera brand gained strong positive momentum and drew significant attention from the media.
The name Pantamera had started out as a positive message to consumers, showing appreciation for their recycling efforts, while also encouraging them to make greater use of the deposit system. In those days, it was important to avoid using words like ‘recycling’ and ‘rubbish’, because people tended to associate them with things like paper recycling and bin emptying.
‘Pantamera’ was effective in many ways. It was easy to get across, and it could be linked to other calls to action that were also products, such as the Keep Sweden Tidy slogan and the Swedish state alcohol monopoly’s campaign aimed at encouraging drinking in moderation. Pantamera became Returpack’s very own distinctive concept.
Returpack aims to reach as wide an audience as possible, so TV has always been an important marketing channel. The ad based in Cuba was very well received. The second ad was based on the song ‘Volare’ and titled ‘Pantare’. In terms of tone, it was much more sedate. Returpack staff preferred the first ad, and wanted to get back to that positive energy. That was why the third ad, ‘Panta Panta’, was filled with pure joy. The song was inspired by Miriam Makeba’s infectious 1960s hit ‘Pata Pata’, and the ad was filmed in South Africa. It was completed in 2006.
By the 2000s, any stigma associated with returning bottles and cans had vanished, and the new ad helped the public to embrace the deposit system even more firmly.
The time had come for Returpack to focus more on consumers and strengthening its brand. But what was the brand, exactly? Returpack was the name of the company, but Pantamera was the word sung in the popular ads. More and more people were remembering the name Pantamera and associating it with positive things. There had also been a major change in attitudes towards recycling and reclaiming deposits, and people no longer found it embarrassing to walk around with bagfuls of empty cans and bottles to return.
Pantamera was several things at once: a brand, a message and a song. Returpack was the name that appeared in the ads initially, but this was then changed to Returpack Pantamera. Eventually, only Pantamera remained.
The Pantamera call to action had become stronger than the actual brand. The shift was clear to staff, and many company representatives began including the name Pantamera when introducing themselves.
It was time to strengthen the Pantamera brand and make it even more prominent in our communications. The name Pantamera would now be used wherever consumers were, and not just in advertising. Making it more accessible was vital. We realised that drinks are often enjoyed in places where people are having fun, so collaborations were initiated with mountain resorts, campsites, the Swedish Sea Rescue Society, the Swedish state alcohol monopoly, various gyms and others. Deposit machines began to appear in more places so that packaging could be sorted correctly. This might sound simple, but it took a while to get everything up and running correctly. This was a whole new approach for many of Returpack’s partners, but they soon came to realise that their own sustainability work stood to benefit too.
At the same time, Returpack began incorporating other values into the brand. Pantamera was an early adopter of the internet and social media. Returpack.se was registered back in 1997, at a time when it was mainly only major corporations that had their own websites.
Pantamera had a style all of its own right from the outset, but now the two graphic profiles needed to be brought together. The joy and energy that was so typical of Pantamera was shared with Returpack.
In 2009, Returpack’s TV ads underwent a change. Previously, they’d focused on joy and music, but the challenge now was to encourage people to deposit more. Returpack’s market research revealed that consumers also wanted proof that their efforts were making a difference, so messaging about energy savings was introduced. Returpack had mentioned this aspect before, as part of its PR work, but now the same theme was included in its advertising.
The new ad highlighted the energy savings achieved by recycling packaging through the deposit system instead of using virgin raw materials. The ad ran in reverse to demonstrate how returning bottles and cans helped to offset the energy that we use, day in, day out. Music still featured, but in the background – this time, a Pantamera version of the Macarena.
Eventually, another campaign was launched where famous Swedish artists were invited to make their own versions of the Pantamera song, including The Ark, Caroline af Ugglas, Pugh, Movits, Familjen – and, later, De Vet Du, for which they received a gold disc. An online competition was held, too, where anyone could submit their own version of the song.
2016 saw the launch of another series of ads: Stride of Pride. Here, the music could only just be heard in the background, and the main theme was: It’s easy to feel smug when you’re busy saving the planet. The ads met with a very positive response, although none of them achieved ratings as high as the Pantamera music videos. There was also a collaboration with the TV talent show Idol.
But after all this, it was time to bring back the music videos. A long list of famous artists have recycled hit songs over the years, including Linda Pira, Rolandz, Kaliffa, Petra Marklund and Myra Granberg, Hooja, Bell and E-Type.
There are strong links between Pantamera and music, and many consumers enjoy speculating about who’ll be appearing in the next ad. And what’s more, lots of celebrities get in touch and ask to do their own versions of the Pantamera song.
This section provides an overview and lists some key milestones. You can also read about deposit systems in other countries, as well as some of the amusing mishaps along the way.
The arrival of aluminium cans in Sweden coincided with the emergence of our environmental movement. The government tasked Returpack with creating a deposit system to allow cans to be recycled. Read or watch the video to find out more.
Today, the deposit system is part of our everyday lives. Information is provided here on how all the various elements fit together – deposit machines, logistics, recycling and marketing.
There was a lot to think about when the deposit system was first introduced. All aspects of Returpack had to work properly, while deposit machines had to be developed and people’s awareness of the deposit system had to be raised.
How have the various elements of the deposit system developed over the years? This section covers topics such as aluminium, plastic and deposit machines.
Find out more about the move to Norrköping, the development of the factory and the need for new logistics, as well as other exciting developments
