Are you curious to find out how the problems within your company could become its opportunities? Or, do you thirst for inspiration? We work either by helping with specific points or areas where you need most assistance, or, we get involved in a longer term “insight phase”, taking care of all your needs, ensuring that the end result of strengthening you brand name becomes a very clear and achievable goal.
Insight is fundamental to our creative processes. This, initially, maps out our future workings and clarifies key issues. Some of the questions that may come up in this first step of the process are:

Our creative coach and innovation consultant, Staffan Ehde, is a highly sought after motivational and inspirational speaker. You can find out more about our seminars here.

 

Knowledge about the market is good. Much of this collected information however, is worth very little for innovation development. Quantitative market researches rarely answer the questions that are of any real value; the real value can often be found within those questions you didn´t realise you ought to be asking. Or worse still; the people questioned, were in fact wrong. You run a real risk of receiving a detailed response to the wrong question, which in turn makes it very difficult to identify and focus on the actual issues that are of importance. In fact, we´d rather have an approximate answer to the exact question. This is the reason why we prefer to work with qualitative interviews and anthropological studies. Another strength of qualitative and anthropological studies is that they don’t need to be time consuming or expensive. The results of a qualitative, or an anthropological study, pinpoint your most important target groups as well as identify problems and possibilities for your company´s future development.

 

In order to achieve insight and understanding about your company´s present situation and how to proceed with future development, we hold an internal workshop with the Management team. With the qualitative and anthropological study forming a solid foundation, we work with what is the aim for your company; who do you exist for and why? How do they, your client’s, “clients” plural perceive you in your present situation? Do you make a difference and what exactly motivates your colleagues or clients to choose you rather than one of your competitors? The conclusions from this workshop will show a clear aim,”Purpose” is fine but I think aim or goal possibly more what you are trying to say ( purpose = reason (anledning eller mening) — aim= goal) identify the challenges and will result in our recommendations on how to continue the work on your company´s development.

 

Together we will define what it is you want to achieve and also what we think is necessary to reach that goal. If we fail in you reaching this goal, we offer you your money back! You can read more about our guaranteed results policy when we meet for an intended cooperation. “Association” might be better than “cooperation” in this case. Or “when we have our preliminary meeting...” depending on what you want to say.

Without a clear aim and a clear strategy, most things become meaningless. It is the duty and privilege of the Management team to set out the company strategy and aim.

The strategic work will have a starting point, which will be largely based on what the aim is, something we will already have established at this point. It will also be based on the insight gained during the first phase; the insight phase. This preparation work will result in having a strategic platform for the on-going work on developing and moving the company forward. This platform will vary in how it is structured depending on our clients’ needs and positions. It will usually relate to a business plan, a new business model, a communication platform or strategy for the brand. Regardless of the type of strategic work we decide to carry out, the emphasis will always be on realising its potential and implementation. A strategy without the capacity of innovation or implementation is clearly an ineffectual strategy.

 

The fundamental values are at the core of the corporate identity and something of an intangible asset that should be felt and experienced, rather than having to be spelled out. We help you identify these fundamental values and translate them to defined target groups: how should each respective target group know and perceive us? What is it we then have to do in order to achieve (and preferably exceed) their expectations? Your aim, values and message are then packaged into a communication platform that is able to form the basis for all your communication- internal as well as external- for both paid and free media channels. In an extended communication platform it can also be beneficial to include a graphic profile as an additional tool, ensuring quality of formation and expression.

From this vantage point, where you have a defined aim and anthropological or qualitative studies, you can ask; how do the prioritised target groups look and how do we best reach them? The communication strategy will address how to, in a methodical way, build a strong brand name. You can only create a strong brand name by fulfilling, or exceeding, your promises. In order to achieve this, two things are necessary; 1) Co-workers who are one hundred percent committed as company ambassadors and know what is expected from them. 2) Innovation and continuous business development are totally integrated with both internal and external communication. We assist you in creating a communication strategy which will help you practice what you preach.

 

Our experience also shows that it is extremely important to have balanced leadership (and this is not just from a financial perspective). Our tool for this balanced leadership has been developed on the basis of the classic balanced score card - but with a large difference in that we also integrate values and brand name promise. In this way we achieve a comprehensive grasp as well as a practical tool to be used in our follow up to measure the continuous movement in our chosen strategic direction.

That which you do not measure and reward, will not occur. For this reason it is imperative to continuously follow up on results to ensure that you proceed, and stick to, the intended direction. We have developed tools such as Brand Name Audit and Innovation Barometer that continuously keep a check on the brand name and your innovation processes. With the help of these tools, you are able to involve your colleagues and/or clients in the on-going development of your business and because of this, maximise the innovation ability and possibility of a stronger brand name.

The word “innovation” has become stereotyped. Innovation is neither a flash of insight nor something reserved for a chosen few geniuses. You are able to motivate and direct innovation towards a specific aim or target. If you take the example of film production, you will find certain factors which will contribute to create a successful film. Our experience is that all those within a company will be (might say “are able” able to contribute something to innovation. The secret is to harvest and utilise these ideas within your existing company, creating tangible suggestions that can be measured against each other and evaluated. A company benefitting from a work force with 1839 brains, who are actively thinking along the same lines, encouraged by a strong and balanced Management team who is eager to listen and utilise these ideas, will be far superior to the company utilising and relying on its top 4 Managers.
The need for innovation tends to differ between companies but one factor most have in common is that they possess a fantastic (and often untapped) capacity of ideas and experiences throughout their workforce and also their clients. We help you realise and utilise this capacity and to maximise its effect. In the case of the larger company, it usually means establishing a creative processes in order to capture and manage the creativity produced by all the employees. With the smaller sized company, it perhaps means assisting and offer a creative force, either as a one off or as a continuous contract with us.

It is only once the ideas have become reality that you can measure their effect and see how successful you have become by adopting them. In order to launch new services or products, there is a huge need for communication-internal as well as external. It is important to search out the right channels or forums in order to reach the appropriate target group. It is also vital to secure a dialogue where we can receive as much valuable feedback as possible: How did the client and employee perceive the service/product?

It is often said that you will never get a second chance to make a first impression. It is imperative that we ensure the first impression of your product/service makes enough impact to become becomes an unforgettable experience and that you have a clear-cut plan in how you perform your follow-up, having successfully made a strong first impression.

The communication with your co-workers, or employees, should be at least as important as the communication with your clients or other important parties. We believe that for this communication to really become a working reality, your marketing department need to expand to such an extent as to involve the whole of your company. There is no stronger brand name than one where you find each individual within the company to be an ambassador and a missionary, representing their company.

Few things have more power than a good story. Story telling existed long before the written word came to be and stories went on from one generation to the next. Social media of today is in essence the same as it always was. What is new today, however, is that with the help of technology, we can bring the story to a much wider audience, spread all over the world and with enormous speed. Even so, we do tend to place a greater trust and listen more actively to the story told by a close friend or acquaintance, than the messages we are force-fed through different forms of traditional advertising means. We realise the importance of a good story and will help you find and formulate your own.

The “noise” increases all the time and traditional marketing techniques, used to reach clients and interested parties, no longer has the desired effect it had in the past. The need to communicate is as important as it ever was and it is imperative to find new and effective channels and forums, as well as innovative ways, in which to communicate, cut through this “noise” and be heard. We help you formulate your messages and to find cost effective channels.

 

Interested in finding out more?
Then please contact our Managing Director VD Helen Stjerna, cell: +46733-393 644.