We have had the pleasure of taking part in the internationalisation of many companies. We are also fascinated by the stories that small and large companies alike have to tell. Therefore, we wanted to invite our customers to discuss this important subject with us.
Our customer event Brand & Story, held at Clarion Hotel on November 30, 2021, was a continuation of our event of the same name, held in spring 2020. Our long-awaited customer event in 2020 happened to coincide with the infamous week when society was shut down. With some trepidation, we met our customers live for the last time in a long time.
Live event – long time no see
And how wonderful it felt to arrange a live event again, making sure that we also took the necessary precautions, of course. We were grateful to be able to reunite with people, and we also heard stories and gained brand knowledge from some of the top speakers in the industry.
We had Tobias Dahlberg, Brand Consultant and Entrepreneur, Niklas Koiso-Kanttila, Director of Strategy and New Business at Fiskars, and Totti Nyberg, Chief Creative Officer at Makia and Manna & Co, speak at our event.
How is a brand created?
Why does a company need a story and a brand? As was emphasised in all the presentations, a company simply cannot succeed without a strong brand and story. In all industries, there are competitors whose offering of goods and services is similar to that of your own company. The brand and the story are the elements that make you stand out.
In his presentation, Tobias Dahlberg summed up how to create a genuine brand. At the heart of it all, there is one single question: Why should the customers choose you? In order to find the answer to the central question, we can ask more specific questions: Who are your customers? What motivates them? What do you represent? What is your own market position and offering? What are the customer’s other options? Based on the answers, a story is derived, and this story is the essence of your brand.
The power of stories in the international market
In the story section, we heard about both Iittala and Makia‘s road to the international market. Both companies have had to determine the answers to the above questions, both in their own unique way. While Iittala represents an internationally appealing, progressive Nordic lifestyle, Makia stays true to its Punavuori roots, for which there is a market, too.
It was extremely interesting to hear the stories behind the formation of the brands! We hope that the morning had something for everyone involved and that we can once again meet and hear more brand stories very soon!
