State of the Brand: Nordic Equilibrium

What do you see when you think of the Nordic countries? Cold weather, minimalism, Ikea? These are not coincidental. “Make things that are functional or freeze to death,” says S?derhavet’s Erik Lidsheim.?

The Nordics have developed a perfect balance between the modern way of business and their inherent ability to survive. Their brands address real customer needs, efficiently and elegantly. No wonder Nordic brands are so successful.

In our previous SOTB , we saw how the cultural and commercial vastness of Asia – where product is still king – challenges Western marketing ideologies and brands’ ability to enter new markets, while simultaneously giving birth to some of the most iconic brands in the world (Sony, Samsung, or Toyota).

Our 3rd State of the Brand zooms in on the Nordic countries of Europe, a region that excels at both product and brand, locally and internationally.?

Together with 7 guests from the Nordic countries of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark, we uncover Nordic brand thinking – their perceptions, struggles, opportunities, and solutions – in the hope of catching a glimpse of their recipe for success.

Q. What would you say is your biggest challenge as a branding specialist in a market with such a high consideration for design, and such high expectations?

NORWAY

Martin Gran , partner @ Sn?hetta

“I think our biggest challenge is the lack of competence and size in the market. Branding is part of every market and somehow in any organization that interacts on some level. Our branding services can translate organizations’ objectives in a highly effective way, if done with specialized and competent people. When our clients unintendedly do not have the same level of competence, or we fail to build understanding for it, we have a challenge. And, connected to this, our industry is too small in size. We need to unite more and build a bigger presence, together. Unfortunately, we all seem to be protective of our insights and know-how. The creative industry represents a substantial commodity for sustainable trade and innovation. As someone said cleverly, ‘competence wants to be free.’”

SWEDEN

Oskar Lübeck , chief creative officer & founder @ Bold

“To continuously push forward. To never become content and lazy. To always deliver the unexpected and extraordinary.”

Erik Lidsheim , co-founder & brand design strategist @ S?derhavet

“This doesn’t affect S?derhavet especially, it is a natural part of the culture. Nonetheless, sloppy brand design is generally looked down upon. The biggest challenge is – as for most brands around the world – to figure out how to behave in a hyper-fast-moving and digitized world. There is no general rule book for that, yet. However, given the agency’s digital heritage, we have relevant processes, methods, and organizational culture in place to successfully maneuver in this context.”

Kalle Bohr , senior strategic advisor @ BVD

“The Nordics (and Sweden in particular) have many large companies, especially if you compare them to other countries of the same size. That puts us in a position where we need to be up to date and very open to other cultural impressions to meet our clients’ expectations. Otherwise, they go to London or New York to look for an agency.?

I would say one general challenge is to develop cutting edge design but at the same time have a global and very result-oriented mindset. If you get lost in that creative challenge, you risk ending up too lame and mainstream. It can sometimes be a struggle to convince your client to dare to think differently and not chicken out and follow the conventional mega-trends at the moment. One inspiring example from the past who succeeded in getting it just right was Absolut Vodka. They were great pioneers when it came to pushing the design forward but still were able to attract a very wide global target group.”

FINLAND

Jesper Bange , chief design officer & founder @ BOND

“The biggest challenge is finding a unique voice and a level of originality for the brands we work with, in a world where everything already exists. As with whatever humans create, it’s always inspired by and bound to the material world. We create based on existing things and ideas which are merged, reshaped, and presented in interesting ways. Therefore, people will always make connections in their own minds, try to spot references, and inevitably end up claiming that ‘this reminds me of that…’, which is not a bad thing! I think it’s important that people who buy branding understand that, and strive for a balance between familiarity and novelty.?

Of course, this isn’t a challenge that’s unique to the Nordics, however, as there is a strong association with what is or isn’t aesthetically from this part of the world. Or at least there has been historically, so occasionally presenting ideas that don’t align with preconceptions can prove challenging. However, at BOND, it’s a challenge we very much embrace.”

Nuppu G?vert , senior strategist @ Pentagon Design

“I would say it is to raise the bar even higher – both with the expectations towards brands as well as the aspirations and strategies of organizations to create more shared value with their business and build more meaningful and impactful brands. Change is the only constant and the operational environment of organizations (including societal and environmental shifts, cultural values and attitudes, and new enabling technologies) evolves so rapidly that, in order to stay relevant, alive, and ahead of the competition, brands have no choice but to become proactive drivers of change themselves.?

Having something truly meaningful to say, a big purpose beyond profit, and being vocal and active about it was something that many brands were still hesitant about some years ago. But now, success stories such as Oatly – an outrageously fast-growing Swedish oat milk company with outstanding package design and revenue of around $64M – show how tapping not only into rising consumer trends (such as veganism and barista culture) but also anchoring the brand purpose into solving long-term global challenges (in this case, the sustainability of our food system) can create competitive advantage very efficiently. Naturally, in the age of ever-rising expectations and transparency, businesses and brands do need to keep innovating constantly around their big purpose to be able to walk the talk.”

DENMARK

Anne-Mette H?jland , CEO & business strategist @ IDna Group

“One challenge is that many still work with branding as ‘merely’ a marketing tool – and to some extent, as a solely visual thing. We do not believe in ‘design for the sake of design’. Instead, we believe that a great design is the ‘right solution’, not just the ‘cool solution’ – that great design can amplify a great strategy and that design should support the value proposition of the company or brand.?

We choose to see the high consideration for design and the high expectations from a holistic point of view. Something that constantly drives us to be better at creating real impact by precisely understanding how design can translate and be complementary to strategy, identity, and change, like no other tool. After all, we know that, as humans, we perceive visuals 10,000 times faster than text or oral speech.”

If you’re curious to find out more about the state of branding in Nordic countries, download this edition of State of the Brand .

Here are some other questions you’ll find answered by the experts:

• Nordic countries have matured a culture for functionality, not only in aesthetics but also in business. Where does it come from and how do Nordics succeed in preserving and improving it?
• Scandinavia has some of the oldest design institutions in the world (Norway Design Council - 1963, Danish Design Council - 1944, Svensk Form - 1845, Design Forum Finland -1871) and, most certainly, a piece of today’s status quo in Scandinavian design is due to them. Can branding benefit from the guidance of such institutions? If yes, then how so?
• Branding for good is not only a trend but also a must – a responsibility of modern brands – yet not many strive to achieve it. How can brands merge this ideology with their current business models? How can social responsibility and environmental friendliness drive successful strategies and brand equity? Do they ensure sustainability and longevity?
• Do clients have difficulty understanding the value of quality branding? Do they see branding as a strategic business tool or is it just about visuals in their opinion? Give us a parallel between local and international clients.

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