Hygge is Danish for 'cozy,' ad-speak for 'dollars'

The Danish word "hygge" is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as "a quality of coziness and conviviality that engenders a feeling of well-being."

Which is helping to make it one of the hottest trends in marketing. It started in 2012 when Visit Denmark realized tourists to the country were intrigued by the idea of hygge. They created an ad featuring people on the street trying to define the term.

Sensing a new marketing hot button, Danish retailers jumped on the hygge bandwagon.

An ad from the candle and housewares company Skandinavisk features images of water being heated on a stove, a woman waking up to a cup of coffee and a leafy countryside. Type says "Sense of Scandinavia. Hygge. Danish DNA."

In late 2015, a BBC website introduced hygge to a mainstream U.K. audience. That prompted publishers to launch a flurry of books with titles like "Hygge: The Danish Art of Happiness" and "The Little Book of Hygge." As books started selling out in 2016, U.K. brands began to see the potential.

An ad for the fashion label Mint Velvet got cozy with the concept in a video defining "hygge."

One tea company decided to go all-in and named their brand Hoogly Tea.

In an ad from last year, we see an artist illustrating the interior of a country home with a wood-burning stove, candles and a cup of tea. Then text says "Create a little hygge in your life," followed by the Hoogly Tea logo.

If you want a space in which to get hyggely, there are the Nordic Garden Buildings, which advertise "free standing garden buildings" constructed with "hygge in mind."

With Britons going gaga for hygge, it's only natural that North American marketers are gearing up for a Danish lifestyle invasion too. After all, hygge can be created with many products, from duvets to home theatres to comfort food. Hygge books are already climbing North American bestseller lists. And Spotify offers hygge playlists, featuring bands like Peter Bjorn and John.

In essence, there's nothing uniquely Danish about the hygge phenomenon. It's simply the most recent global trend that marketers are exploiting to give familiar products new cachet. 

Bruce Chambers is a syndicated advertising columnist for CBC Radio.