Pay like it's 1919

Greta Garbo is back – starring in SKF’s initiative to overcome friction

Gothenburg, 30 September 2026: Greta Garbo returns to SKF. More than a century after her first campaign promoting SKF, one of the most iconic figures of our time is once again the face of the company. Using AI technology, Garbo has been recreated. This time, she’s drawing attention to groundbreaking magnetic bearings with the potential to entirely eliminate friction. At the same time, SKF is reintroducing a payment model pioneered by the company in 1919.

Before she became a global icon, Greta Garbo appeared in one of Swedish industry’s campaign films for an international audience, with SKF among the companies featured. For SKF, Garbo journey reflects values that continue to drive the company today: thinking differently and challenge established conventions. With around 20 percent of global energy used to overcome friction in machinery and industrial processes, SKF has developed frictionless technology to address this challenge.

The campaign has been covered by major publications around the world, including The New York Times, The Guardian and Dagens Industri. Total impressions: 2 billion and counting.