Public Relations Global Network elects new officers

15/05/2023By scandinaviancomChange Communications, Content Marketing, Crisis Communications, Management Communications, PR, Public Relations Global Network, Scandinavian Communications, Social Media, Strategic Communications

Congratulations to Public Relation Global Network’s newly elected officers who were announced at the Network’s recent bi-annual member conference! Treasurer Brad Kostka, president of Roop & Co. in Cleveland, Ohio, and Secretary Frédéric François, managing partner of Two cents Agency in Brussels, Belgium.

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Scandinavian Communications is a longtime member of the Public Relations Global Network offering a single point of contact to the Scandinavian markets of Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland.

Please reach out to our founder Christina Rytter at cr@scandcomm.com to learn more about how we can leverage your business in Scandinavia

PRGN elects new president

09/05/2023By scandinaviancomChange Communications, Content Marketing, Crisis Communications, Management Communications, PR, Public Relations Global Network, Scandinavian Communications, Social Media, Strategic Communications

Welcome to our recently elected president of the Public Relations Global Network (PRGN) Andy See, principal partner and managing director of Perspective Strategies – Scandinavian Communications partner agency in Malaysia.

“It is exciting to work together with PRGN members around the world as we are a community of PR and strategic communications professionals who drive innovation and push for the highest global standards in our local practice,” said Andy See. “Indeed, I am honored to be the first Asian and Malaysian to be entrusted with the responsibility to step up in this global leadership role. It will certainly be a learning and enriching experience for my team and I as we explore opportunities to share expertise, experience and perspectives amongst our peers,” he added.

As the 32nd president of PRGN, Andy See Teong Leng will lead PRGN’s worldwide network of 55 independently owned firms. He succeeds former president David Fuscus, president and CEO of Xenophon Strategies – Scandinavian Communications partner agency in Washington, D.C.

Read more at PRGN’s website

Public Relations Global Network gathers in Budapest

08/04/2023By scandinaviancomChange Communications, Christina Rytter, Content Marketing, Crisis Communications, Management Communications, PR, Public Relations Global Network, Scandinavian Communications, Social Media, Strategic Communications

This week Scandinavian Communication’s Founder and Trusted Communications Advisor Christina Rytter attended the Public Relations Global Network conference in Budapest.

43 of 55 agency partners from around the globe gathered to share knowledge, get new insights from leading keynotes – and create deeper business relationships and friendships.

Public Relations Global Network are a connected network of 55 hand-selected public relations firms servicing key markets around the world. As leaders in our respective regions, PRGN agencies offer the “boots-on-the-ground” savvy of a local Public Relations agency, yet on a global scale. Our model allows us to deliver a unique level of flexibility – scaling up or down across multiple markets to meet your business needs. Each PR agency knows its local community and it knows how to help clients connect with their audiences in those regions.

Christina Rytter is Past-president of PRGN and Scandinavian Communications an agency member since 2009 offering our clients a single point of contact to the Scandinavian markets of Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland – and often beyond.

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Global PR Predictions 2023

03/02/2023By scandinaviancomChange Communications, Christina Rytter, Content Marketing, Crisis Communications, Management Communications, PR, PR Tips & Trends, Public Relations Global Network, Scandinavian Communications, Social Media

Ethics and transparency, AI and innovations, ESG agenda and constant crisis mode – these are some of the key trends that will shape 2023 for brands and communicators, say PRGN’s leading global communications experts in our annual collection of PR predictions.

Every year in the Public Relations Global Network (PRGN) we give our PR predictions. Some of the key trends that will shape this year for leaders and communicators as we see it are more challenging markets with a constant mode of crisis and change, ethics, transparency, AI and innovations as well as the ESG agenda.

Crisis and Change as a new normal

“With one global, geopolitical, and economic crisis after another corporate leaders and organizations are more or less in a constant state of crisis. Therefore, in my opinion, crisis and change can now be seen as a new normal rather than a rare event. No leader can sit around and wait for things to get “back to normal”. Change is the only constant. We can’t predict what is coming next, but we can improve our management and communications toolbox so our skills to handle crises and change become even stronger,” says Christina Rytter, founder and Trusted Communication Advisor at Scandinavian Communications.

Read the PR Predictions from across the globe in this interesting blog post written by Gabor Jelinek with contributions also from our leading PR and communications partners in Public Relations Global Network

Read the full blog post here

5-Star MarCom Strategy 2023

06/12/2022By scandinaviancomChristina Rytter, Content Marketing, Management Communications, PR, PR Tips & Trends, Scandinavian Communications, Social Media, Strategic Communications

Ready to reach the stars in 2023? If so, working strategically with Marketing and Communications is a pivotal first step in the right direction. Here you’ll get our recommendations for a 5-Start MarCom Strategy 2023

Business goals as guiding star
Communications, PR and Marketing are all about supporting your overall business goals. Therefore all activities must drive the business forward according to the overall company business goals. MarCom Strategy is a naturally integrated part of the business strategy of today’s leading companies. Your overall MarCom strategy must link together with a Go-to-Market plan for tactic execution of your campaigns and activities within communications, PR, marketing and social media.

Key Messages in order
It is absolutely key to have your Key Messages in order. Do a solid piece of work with both your Corporate & Product Messages. Our Corporate messages must be Value driven, authentic and show WHY your company or organisation are in this world? What lights your inner fire? This is feeling-based messages. All studies show that our actions as humans to a large extent are feeling driven. It’s hardwired biology. Your Product messages must address your target group’s pains, needs and dreams. You need to understand and take your target group’s perspective to create relevant product messages. NOT only your own company perspective! 😉

Segment Target Groups
A vital part of your MarCom Strategy is to segment your target groups and influencers. Successful Communications, PR and Marketing start with a very clear and deep segmentation. Your target groups are often very different. The more we unfold the target groups and influencers in our strategic work, the clearer it becomes, that we have many more, than we realize off the top of our heads. A typical pitfall is therefore, that companies try to reach all target groups with the same type of communication. If you try to reach everyone – often you reach no one. And the MarCom results become too weak to create a really successful impact on the business.

Relevant Communication Channels
To reach each of your key target groups, you need to tailor your content and then communicate and get into dialogue in the relevant and strategic/tactical selected communications channels. This is NOT necessarily the channels you know and use yourself! 😉 But the channels preferred by each of your target groups and influencers. Again, this often varies in different target groups across business positions, countries, ages, gender etc. To be successful your business needs to engage and communicate in the channels where your target groups are.

Measure Results
You need to strategically decide on and set KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) for your communications, PR and marketing. Otherwise you can only to a lesser extent measure the effect, business value and ROI (Return-on-Investment) of your invested MarCom budget.
When you set KPIs and thereby measure results, you’ll be able to have clear evaluation of, what is driving the business forward. And what is not. Also, you can demonstrate the direct business value of communications, PR, marketing and social media to the management and the board.


Learn more:

Please contact our founder Christina Rytter direct at cr@scandcomm.com  to learn more about, how we create a tailored MarCom Strategy for your company in Scandinavia – or beyond.

Online MasterClass
OR Do-It-Yourself with Christina Rytter´´´s online MasterClass (in Danish) 

Scandinavian Communications adds New Zealand-based partner

29/11/2022By scandinaviancomContent Marketing, Management Communications, PR, Public Relations Global Network, Scandinavian Communications, Social Media, Strategic Communications

Our global network PRGN (Public Relations Global Network) is now expanding with the addition of New Zealand-based agency, Alexander PR.
This addition raises the number of member agencies in the network to 53 and adds local PR and communications expertise in the southwest Pacific area from Alexander PR’s office in Auckland, New Zealand. Welcome!

The World’s Local Public Relations Agency

Scandinavian Communications is a Scandinavian member of PRGN. We are a connected network of more than 50 hand-selected public relations firms servicing key markets around the world. As leaders in our respective regions, PRGN agencies offer the “boots-on-the-ground” savvy of a local Public Relations agency, yet on a global scale.

PRGN’s model allows us to deliver a unique level of flexibility – scaling up or down across multiple markets to meet your business needs. Each PR agency knows its local community and it knows how to help clients connect with their audiences in those regions.

Read the full release here 

30 PR Tips – you can apply today!

25/08/2022By scandinaviancomChange Communications, Christina Rytter, Content Marketing, Crisis Communications, Management Communications, PR, PR Tips & Trends, Public Relations Global Network, Scandinavian Communications, Social Media, SoMe Tips & Trends, Strategic Communications

In PRGN (Public Relations Global Network) we have created an eBook with 30 blog posts, where we offer our best tips in PR and communications from our members worldwide.

This is part of our 30th-anniversary celebration, that we want to share with you. Scandinavian Communications’ CEO Christina Rytter contributes to How you can Build a PR Crisis Team.

Download it here for free: 

Public Relations Global Network celebrates 30-year anniversary

15/05/2022By scandinaviancomChange Communications, Content Marketing, Crisis Communications, Management Communications, PR, Public Relations Global Network, Scandinavian Communications, Social Media, Strategic Communications


This week we had the pleasure of meeting business friends from Public Relations Global Network (PRGN) at our 2022 spring conference in Scottsdale, Arizona – hosted by our partner agency HMA Public Relations.

This conference at the same time marked PRGN’s 30-year anniversary. Scandinavian Communications covers the Nordic markets in the network and our founder Christina Rytter is Past-president and has been part of the network for over a decade.

Founded in 1992 by a group of visionary public relations leaders, with approximately 1,000 professionals in 55 locations in 33 countries, PRGN is one of the world’s largest networks of independent public relations agencies.

All PRGN partners are independent, local, owner-operated public relations and marketing communications firms that share expertise and resources, while providing broad-based comprehensive communications strategies to clients worldwide.

Scandinavian Communications is looking forward to the next 30 years in this remarkable network ! 🤩

#prgn #prgn30 #pr #communications #marketing #socialmedia #agency #network #scandinavia 

Scandinavians – similar, but not the same!

22/03/2022By scandinaviancomContent Marketing, PR, PR Tips & Trends, Scandinavian Communications, Social Media, Strategic Communications

 

By Eva Helene Kabelmann, PR & Communications Advisor

When we’re talking Scandinavian countries and the peoples within, we tend to regard ourselves as a pretty homogenous bunch, where – as we have mentioned in earlier articles –  “the differences are far less than the similarities. And rightly so, for us Danes, Swedes, Norwegians and Finns are very similar to each other both in appearance, behaviour, levels of education, mentality, shopping habits – well, you name it. But. There are differences.” 

And it is worth noticing, that the small differences matter and being able to adjust your PR and marketing towards these can give you the highly sought after edge. 

Let’s have a look at some of the cultural differences within the 4 Scandinavian countries. Again taking into consideration that they are small, there are a few that stick out, as the Hofstede Insight bureau’s very interesting “Culture Compass TH” indicates. 

Especially the following points should give pause as they speak volumes in their own minuscule way.  


Denmark
The Danes tend to score relatively low, when we look at how they act towards power within organisations, in this case relating to Danes having a high degree of employee autonomy: Danes do not lead – they coach. Employees expect to be consulted. Danes have a very egalitarian mindset and respect is something to be earned, it’s not inherent in your position. Understanding how Danes in their working environment have a very informal atmosphere with direct and involving communication can nudge you towards how to proceed with a more effective MarCom strategy. 

Sweden 
The swedes tend to have a high rate of indulgence, which in this case means, that they generally exhibit at willingness towards realising their impulses and desires with regard to enjoying life and having fun. And they place a high value on the importance of leisure time, being able to act as they please and spend money as they wish.  Taking this tendency into consideration could be one of the points that sets you aside from the competition, when developing an approach towards the Swedish market. 

Norway
When taking a look at the Scandinavian peoples culture, when it comes to the attitudes towards the challenges of the present and the future, the Norwegians tend to have a so-called normative attitude. This  entails a preference towards maintaining time-honoured traditions and norms, no explicit desire to save for the future and a focus on achieving quick results. Also a small, but in no way insignificant point to consider, when approaching the Norwegian market.

Finland 
On a scale, that measures the 4 scandinavian countries tendency towards Masculine values (competition, achievement and success) vs Feminine values (caring for others and quality of life), they all have a very low score, which indicates a strong tendency towards the Feminine, it is worth noticing, that Finland (of the 4) has the highest score indicating, that Finns have a less predominant tendency the feminine. So even though Finland is considered a Feminine society, where conflicts are resolved by compromise and negotiation and focus is on wellbeing, solidarity and quality in their working lives, you might not have the same resonance with a MarCom approach taking feminine values into consideration in Finland as in the remaining 3 Scandinavian countries.

Top 5 tips to PR success in Scandinavian media

11/03/2022By scandinaviancomChristina Rytter, Content Marketing, PR, PR Tips & Trends, Scandinavian Communications, Social Media, Strategic Communications

By Christina Rytter, Founder & Trusted Communications Advisor

If you like to create better PR coverage in Scandinavian media these five focus points are key.


1. Write real journalistic stories

Think through and create a real journalistic story from scratch for the Scandinavian markets – and then get your corporate or product messages to fit with a downplayed balance. Always work with a journalistic approach in your PR Press kit for Scandinavian media. A Marketing approach towards Scandinavian Tier 1 media is a sure dead end – and your press release will easily end up in the garbage can at the newsdesk.

2. Find the local angel

Write a local angled story for each Scandinavian market. Your PR core story for Scandinavia can be the same – but to really get it right, you then need to work out a local PR angle for each market; Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, etc. Understanding and acting on the small cultural differences between each Scandinavian market give you much greater PR results.

Work out a tailored media list for each Scandinavian country with a key journalist from Tier 1 media depending on your target group. Pick a broader range of media to get more volume, when you send out your press release – Scandinavia has a very narrow media structure with only a few media in each category.


3. Offer exclusivity 

Work with exclusive sell-in of your press release / PR story. This means that you only talk in person with one leading key media at the time. It’s key for most Scandinavian journalists to get their own stories with a unique angle. When you succeed with your PR sell-in. Wait for the agreed publication – and then go for a wide distribution of the press release to create a 2-waved PR effect. This can be very efficient!

Take into your planning that different Scandinavian media work with very different timing. If you go for a business daily, you might only need to approach the editor a couple of weeks before you like to see some media coverage. But if it’s a high-end lifestyle Magazine on print, you might need to talk to the editor 3-4 months ahead.


4. Except that media decide the content 

Don’t expect to get any control over the final journalistic content in articles. Scandinavian journalists and media are very Independent – it’s just part of their DNA and our Scandinavian culture. You can approve your own quotes – and offer journalists a quality check of facts. Nothing more. Otherwise, you could offend the journalist. This independence also means that your PR adviser rarely is present at face-to-face interviews with the Scandinavian journalist.

Offer Media professional PR photos to strengthen the possibility of media coverage. This could be PR headshots of your company spokesperson or of your Product/Services. This must preferably be PR photos take for media in a journalistic context supporting the journalistic angle of your story – NOT traditional marketing photos.

5. Follow-up in person

Follow up on journalists in person on phone and email to secure the sell-in of the story and final media coverage. In Scandinavia, this is a very delicate balance between being proactive without being annoying for journalists, who have a very busy and tight work schedule and a lot of people approaching them every day.

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