OK, here’s the wish list. You have:

• Experience in app development for smartphones and tablets
• Worked actively with Flash and enjoy more advanced assignments
• Sound knowledge of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery and ActionScript3
• Good knowledge of graphic programs such as InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator
• References that demonstrate your love of tricky assignments

If this sounds a lot like you, you’re welcome to send in your application. Write a few lines about yourself (in English or Swedish) and attach your CV. Send your application to .

In 2006, debt collection agency Alektum Inkasso together with Sandberg Trygg shaped the concept
“Get your money back. And the customer”. The concept has been a great success. By realizing the fact that almost all people in debt want to and will pay, even if a little bit late, Alektum can help their clients preserve their customer relationships. When the debt is settled, there should be no hard feelings when doing business again.

Not surprisingly, many competitors are trying to copy Alektum’s concept. Which is hard, as it is about more than just words. It is about action. In 2010, Alektum launched the Plan & Pay website where debtors get help to settle their debts and make a budget 24/7/365. Now Alektum is taking yet another step with a campaign aimed directly at people in debt. The theme is “We help you get rid of us faster”.

The kick-starter campaign began in April with ads in various magazines, and will continue with activities such as information films, an advertorial and an app for tablets.

(Advertorial in Kupé magazine. Translation of headline: “The road to freedom from debt”)

How well is your brand incorporated in your company? In quite a few businesses I come across the brand is influencing communications, at best. Few organisations let the brand platform, and brand values in particular, have an impact on what employees actually do. It’s rather interesting when you consider how much money some of them spend on letting consultants develop platforms and design manuals. All talk but no walk.

We have developed a process, Brand Behaviour Bootcamp, that focuses on exactly this problem. It focuses on actions and behaviours that support what the brand stands for. The Bootcamp consists of a combination of seminars and workshops led by a behaviour psychologist and our brand strategists.

Why spend loads of money on communication if you risk the total impression by doing the wrong things in the crucial contact with your customers?

Are you interested in how the Brand Behaviour Bootcamp could influence your business in a positive way, please contact:

Ola Cronholm

+46 8 410 578 33

Talk about China and the numbers are always huge. As Marintec, Shanghai celebrates its 30th anniversary and 15th consecutive event, the tradition of ‘hugeness’ continues unabated.

Transas packed its bags and took part in Asia’s biggest marine exhibition at the end of November 2011 and we promised that we would report back to you with news of their China adventure. As the world’s number one ECDIS manufacturer, being seen at the show was a big part of the company’s strategy in 2011/2012. And rightly so, this year the exhibition was 40% bigger than the previous one in 2009 with almost 20% more visitors from more than 87 different countries. How about that for statistics!

For those who missed the previous blog, we helped Transas take a stronger position in the market place, coupled with all the sales materials and communications needed to back it up. This came in the form of a new company presentation, an App with the very addictive NaviGame and our pièce de résistance – an all-new ECDIS brochure in English and Chinese Mandarin versions. According to Transas, the Chinese brochures were the first to go, even though 500 were flown out. Victoria Wells, Marketing Manager for Navigation at Transas added:

“The brochure was very much appreciated. Especially the Mandarin version as many of the visitors did not speak English. The iPad keynote presentation made it easier for the sales managers to approach new customers and really assisted them in their sales work. The App was a fun extra feature and interested a lot of customers and also the Navi-Game was a hit. It gave a lot of laughs and also a lot of new contact details!”

Turning to the serious question of ROI, it’s always tough to measure the exact value of an exhibition. Thanks to their presence at Marintec 2011, Transas confirmed 11 ECDIS orders, gained confirmation as a preferred supplier of ECDIS for 16 other vessels in 2012, and acceptance onto the maker’s list for a vessel under construction at one of China’s major shipyards.

An adventure indeed and one with a relatively ’huge’ outcome!

Imagine a killer headache and the soothing effect of your usual painkiller doesn’t kick in. Or, perhaps even worse, an aggressive tumor and the carefully prescribed cytostatics turn out to be completely ineffective. Hardly an appealing thought. When we take drugs, whether it’s to relieve a persistent cold or to save our lives, we expect them to have a certain effect. Numerous and lengthy clinical trials as well as rigorously controlled manufacturing are our guarantee for that.

We also expect the medication to be there when we get to our nearest pharmacy. We don’t give a thought to how it got there. The fact that it’s something of a science requiring extensive experience and expertise never even crossed our minds. But many things can go wrong when storing and transporting drugs. Some medications are ruined if exposed to light, strong vibration and moisture. Others are sensitive to heat, cold or sudden temperature fluctuations. And if a drug is ruined, you often can’t tell.

But, thanks to Tamro, this is something we never have to worry about. Tamro is one of Sweden’s leading distributors of drugs. For over 90 years, they have, come rain or shine, bumpy roads or flooding, made ​​sure that our medication is there when we need it. In prime condition, safe and sound and without us having to worry the slightest bit. And as if this wasn’t enough, Tamro also has developed a range of smart services to help both the drug suppliers and pharmacies improve their business. Read more at Tamro website or browse through the marketing materials we’ve helped them develop.

It is a big day at Sandberg Trygg. Today we are launching our new website replacing the version we launched in 2008. Back then we got six times more visitors during the first 12 months, but as we all know the Internet has moved on and unfortunately the same can be said for our visitors. A slow downward trend in our web traffic told us it was time for the digital team to create their next masterpiece.

And here it is, our all-new website with even bigger ambitions than before. We’ll continue to blog as we have always done, but now we’ll include information from other B2B sources along with more comprehensive information about the agency, its services and how we work.

There will be case films showing projects completed for our customers and also films that our customers show to their customers. But above all else, it will be a website under continuous development, constantly expanding with new sections, hints and tips – everything so that visitors come back to us time and time again.

So your opinions are always welcome. . That way our latest masterpiece will only get better.

It was with joy (and, admittedly, a little chest-thumping) that we received news of our nomination in Agency of the Year (this time in the ’Big Agency’ category).

Good things happen when you have the best clients. Many thanks for taking the time to evaluate our performance.

To see the list of nominees, click here

I visited a website a few years ago, where I was confronted with a revolutionary (to me at least) notion: “There is no such thing as sustainable growth in a world of finite resources. It is utter nonsense.”

That blogger was right. Ultimately, growth becomes unsustainable – no matter how sustainable we try to make it. We simply run out of resources to fuel it. Which leads me to the following prediction: over the next decade, many of the ideas we accept as true (or simply accept because we can’t be bothered to examine them closely) will be relegated to the dustbin of intellectual folly, where they will share space with the flat earth theory, perpetual motion machines and sundry other curiosities. In fact, if activity in the blogosphere is anything to go by, there are no sacred cows. The principles of economics that have governed us since the 1930s – which are predicated on the idea of perpetual growth – are now under attack. As communicators, we should understand that these forces will fundamentally transform the way we reach out to our audiences.

To those who are willing to accept new ideas – or indeed generate them – a world of opportunity opens up. But where can we you find the information you need to help you navigate? You’ll doubtless discover sources that resonate with your own thoughts. But here are three that have given me plenty to think about over the last few years.

• www.neweconomics.org (where you’ll also find a 128-page, downloadable pdf titled The Great Transition.)
• www.chrismartenson.com (a website dedicated to explaining how economics, energy and the environment interact.)
• www.oftwominds.com (a site run by Charles Hugh Smith, a free-thinking writer, designer and blogger.)

According to radical interpretations of the Mayan Calendar, December 21, 2012, is doomsday, the end of the world, goodnight. But if you’re planning on sticking around for December 22, you can seek comfort and enlightenment in Wikipedia. Apocalypse or not, there’s no denying that over the last three years, the world has stumbled from one crisis to the next.

First came the downfall of Lehman, which nearly brought the global monetary system to its knees. Next we had act one of the Greek debt debacle. Then it was back to the US and the downgrade of its debt. And now the storm clouds are gathering over Europe again, and we’re left wondering whether the entire Eurozone is about to implode. But what has any of this got to do with communication? A lot. Communicating to an audience during times of uncertainty will mean having to rethink our toolkit significantly. We will have to be candid, consistent and clear – perhaps more so than we feel comfortable with today. But that’s just the start. Above all, we will have to be generously useful (or usefully generous, if you prefer) to an extent that we might find downright frightening today. But in crisis there is opportunity. An opportunity to be a leader.

What resonates with one generation can easily alienate – even horrify – another. Imagine trying to sell a household appliance today with an illustration of a happy housewife complete with apron and duster! You’d be pilloried in the press, boycotted and probably sued. Successful communication reflects the zeitgeist and taps into its energies. What’s shaping our world today?

Technology, for one, which is advancing at an ever-faster rate. But I think there are three other drivers that will define our world – and how we communicate – to a greater extent than technology. The first is the rise of Asia, led by China. With a population of more than 1.3 billion and an increase in GDP of around 10% annually, China is slated to become the world’s largest economy by 2020. In Sweden, we’ve already seen the impact of her meteoric growth: Volvo, an iconic Swedish brand, is now Chinese (and Saab – or what’s left of it – may very well become Chinese, too). But what do we really know about China or the rest of Asia? Next to nothing – at least according to those who have some knowledge. So, a good starting point for our journey of learning about China and Asia could be with the following two illuminating talks:

• Martin Jacques: Understanding the rise of china
• Hans Rosling: Asia’s rise how and when