Björn Kjellman quits as Ica-Stig

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Björn Kjellman. Arkivbild.Bild: Pontus Lundahl/TT Pontus Lundahl/TT

Björn Kjellman lämnar som Ica-Stig resume.se

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Björn Kjellman is stepping down as “Ica-Stig” after five years in the role, ending the latest chapter in Sweden’s longest-running advertising soap opera. According to TT, Ica Group spokesperson Anna Rosman said the actor “has chosen to leave the role”, and the company says a replacement will be presented “quite soon”. Resumé notes that the shift was foreshadowed in a new spot titled “Stig 4.0”, which openly frames the character as an upgradable product.

The Ica commercials have lasted long enough to become a weekly ritual rather than a campaign: the character survives cast changes, shifting retail strategies, and the rise of streaming, while still functioning as a national reference point. That durability is not a mystery of “brand magic” so much as repetition bought at scale—prime placements, consistent production values, and a storyline that lets viewers feel they are following a familiar ensemble rather than being sold to. The cast turnover itself is part of the mechanism: by swapping actors, Ica can test how much of the asset sits in a single face and voice and how much sits in the distribution machine and the format. Resumé recalls Kjellman’s earlier hesitation that playing Ica-Stig might crowd out other roles; the risk is personal, while the upside—customer attention and store traffic—accrues to the retailer.

The result is a kind of parallel public square built without legislation or civic mandates. Where state information campaigns often struggle to hold attention without coercive levers, Ica can simply outbid competitors for time and produce something people voluntarily watch, quote, and share. The commercials also show what “soft institutions” look like in practice: a private actor establishes continuity, norms, and common cultural touchpoints by paying for them, then replaces the personnel when the format demands it. Even the meta-joke of “Stig 4.0” points to the same logic—this is not a person, it is a maintained interface.

Ica has not announced who will take over the role. The only fixed detail is that the character will continue, and the next actor will be introduced when the schedule says it is time.