Marketing communications. In technology-driven industries change is a known certainty and remaining current and up-to date is the name of the game. The pace can be ferocious and often blinds you to the sheer amount of noteworthy information, talent and innovation that exists right under your nose and in your own organization. Change is tough, not only psychologically but also creatively. In fact one comment I’ve heard regularly over the years is that very few companies have the creative ability to see themselves from the outside inwards. Making the right changes therefore becomes harder.

But this is where we at Sandberg Trygg come in. Take our latest client Transas for example. Experts in the field of electronic navigation in the marine industry, it was time to re-assert themselves in the face of increasing competition. We took a deeper look at both the product and the organization from the outside in and found a rich treasure trove of talent, knowledge and innovation. So we lay out the pieces of the Transas jigsaw and re-arranged them slightly to give them a stronger position in the market place coupled with all the sales materials and communications needed to back it up.

Sometimes a major makeover is not the answer, but a new wardrobe certainly works.

Transas has just attended Marintec 2011 in Shanghai. We’ll bring you more information on Transas and their China adventure soon…

At Sandberg Trygg, we are proud to be ABB’s Swedish agency for strategic communications. Now we are starting to see the fruits of our cooperation – including a new overall concept called ”Welcome to the sustainable society”, which will permeate all communications in Sweden. From trade fairs to films.

Click to watch!

The aim is to show that the sustainable society is not a fuzzy vision of the future. ABB already has the technology that makes it possible to increase the supply of renewable energy. In fact, buildings of all shapes and sizes can become more energy-efficient. The starting point for the new communications was Elfack 2011 (the biggest trade fair in the Nordic region for the power industry). ABB is now upping the pace with ads, films on the web, commercials, radio, banners, facebook and a campaign site. So welcome to the sustainable society. The journey has already begun!

On 4–6 October, Mail Order World, a fair for companies in mail order and e-commerce, was held in Wiesbaden. Germany. Alektum Inkasso (a debt collection agency) exhibited for the second year running. Once again, many were interested in the company’s pan-European presence and unique concept: Get your money back. And the customer.

Sandberg Trygg designed the stand, a value calculator, a game where first prize was a trip to an Alektum country of your choice and a new homepage for the international website. In addition, a new presentation folder produced in the spring was one of our many products on display at Wiesbaden – all in line with Alektum’s new graphic identity.

We recently started working with Almi Businesspartner, an organisation whose job is to support enterprise growth in Sweden. Which it does mainly through advice and funding.

Almi can often extend the necessary financing when the banks can’t (or won’t). Over the years, they’ve helped many an entrepreneur survive – and thrive.

The campaign we created for them includes full-page ads in Dagens Industri, banners, a microsite on almi.se where you can read more about successful start-ups and a facebook page for sharing the secrets of success.

Skanova is investing in fiber-optic communications. And last year with the help of Sandberg Trygg they launched their successful campaign ‘Fiber to the People’ (check it out here)

The aim was clear: 50% of Swedish homes would have a fibre-optic connection by 2014. Now it’s full speed ahead and to demonstrate this continued investment we are taking the next step in the campaign by letting everyone know exactly how far Skanova have come.

In short, Skanova is speeding up its investment in fiber-optic communication. It really is fiber to the people! Read more at fibertillfler.se

Once I’d lived in this country for long enough to have learned a little of its history, I came to realise it has a remarkable legacy of innovation. Of course, I’d heard of Nobel and Ericsson, was vaguely familiar with one or two others, but the sheer scope of invention was new to me. Well, dear reader, I can tell you from personal experience that the tradition is alive and well. Take Sectra in Linköping, for example. This is a medical imaging company that, compared with some of its global competitors, is tiny. But what it lacks in financial muscle, it more than makes up for in brainpower.

The company’s latest innovation is Sectra OneScreen. Basically, this is a simple osteoporosis* screening tool that could save millions of women from a lifetime of pain. How does it work? Sectra OneScreen is offered to women as an additional service in conjunction with their regular breast examination. The procedure takes just thirty seconds. Following capture, the images are sent to Sectra’s online service for immediate analysis of bone density. The results help to identify women at risk. With early treatment, years of suffering can be avoided. Not that I know anything about healthcare budgeting, but investing in this solution must surely fall into the no-brainer category. A number of communications activities are in the pipeline for Sectra OneScreen. We look forward to sharing them with you in due course.

Osteoporosis (literally, porous bones) is a bone disease that leads to an increased risk of fracture. It is common in women after menopause.

Gruvön, one of Billeruds four paper mills, celebrated its 80th anniversary last weekend. The grand old mill pulled out all the stops and invited the whole town to fun and games.  We contributed to the celebrations with ads and a campaign site where you can play Pack-Pong och browse among highlights in the mill’s history. Or be inspired by the future potential of FibreForm® an innovative packaging material developed at Gruvön, of course.

Most of us are creatures of habit. We find solace in the familiarity of our routines, comforted by the illusion of control. But every so often, the universe conspires to rearrange our reality, reminding us there are more powerful forces at work. If we accept change as inevitable, we prefer to have it served up in tiny portions – so tiny we can pretend they don’t even exist.

Recently, Nynas dedicated an entire event to change. And how best to prepare and equip the organisation for what is coming beyond the crest of the horizon. Our job was to support the theme, helping to make it memorable without being too dramatic (there’s more than enough drama attached to change as it is). So we designed an installation, called ‘Reflections on Change,’ to provide some amusement  – albeit amusement with a point.

You know what it’s like at a trade show. Crowded, warm and difficult to get an audience. Which is why you have to get your message across fast. A short film is often a good way to do it.

In May, Kollmorgen paticipated in CeMAT, an intralogisitics trade show in Hannover. We made a film for them where you see the benefits of choosing Kollmorgen. What would usually take 15 minutes to explain, takes just three. Easy for visitors to take in, easy for the sales people to add to. Another plus is that it comes in handy during customer visits.

They say that all healthy things grow. But even if your company is healthy and you consistently work hard, there is always the risk that your competitors will grow more. Or that you don’t grow at the rate you want. So what do you do?

One way to increase the rate of growth is to acquire one or several companies. Something that sounds a lot easier than it is. There are many pitfalls and a risk that the acquisition leads more to your downfall than your success.

Which is why Excore in cooperation with Setterwalls and BDO have produced the book Tillväxt till salu (Growth for sale). Sandberg Trygg was commissioned to make the text clearer and more exciting. This is the second book we have edited and more are in the pipeline.

To order “Tillväxt till salu”, please contact Daniel Lifveredson at Excore.