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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)

New podcast episode about Crisis Communications

21/11/2022By scandinaviancomChange Communications, Christina Rytter, Crisis Communications, Management Communications, Podcast, PR, Public Relations Global Network, Scandinavian Communications, Strategic Communications

When a crisis hits, you need a team of key people in place to respond quickly and effectively before the situation escalates.

In this episode of the PRGN Present’s podcast, host Abbie Fink of HMA Public Relations sits down with Scandinavian Communication’s Founder, Trusted Communications Advisor Christina Rytter to discuss the key roles in a crisis communications team and how CEOs should be preparing for a potential crisis.

Episode 6: The CEO’s role in Crisis Communications:

PRGN Presents is brought to you by Public Relations Global Network (PRGN), the world’s local public relations agency. With PR leaders embedded into the fabric of the communities we serve, clients hire our agencies for the local knowledge, expertise and connections in markets spanning six continents.

PRGN provides customized communication solutions that combine the scale and stature of an international PR firm with the deep insights and hands-on, senior-level service of a local agency. This offers our clients a unique competitive edge. Scandinavian Communications is a member of PRGN.

Scandinavian Communications wins international Gold Award

10/11/2022By scandinaviancomChristina Rytter, Content Marketing, Management Communications, PR, Public Relations Global Network, Scandinavian Communications

We are proud to announce that Scandinavian Communications won a Best Practice Gold Award in the category Agency Collaborations at this year’s PRGN Awards held in Singapore. The agency won the award for international client collaboration with our four skilled PRGN agency partners; Industrie-Contact in Germany, Sound Public Relations in Italy, Spider PR in UK and Roop & Co based in Cleveland, US.

PRGN (Public Relations Global Network) is a connected network of more than 50 hand-selected public relations agencies 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.

How to build a PR crisis team

01/09/2022By scandinaviancomChange Communications, Christina Rytter, Crisis Communications, Management Communications, PR, PR Tips & Trends

By Christina Rytter, Founder & Trusted Communications Advisor,
Scandinavian Communications

When a crisis hits you need to have a team of key people in place, so you can respond quickly and effectively before the situation escalates. So, let’s look at whom you need on your team – and how the team should operate.

The Crisis Communicator
This is the person on your team with the experience and expertise to plan and execute the right communications response in any kind of PR crisis or internal crisis. Ideally, this person will also exude a calming influence on the team, while knowing how to manage the crisis response narrative. If you don’t have an internal Crisis Communicator this role can also be managed by The Crisis Advisor.

The Key Leader
When a major PR crisis hits, it’s inevitable that the CEO will be involved in some way, whether you are making key decisions, delivering a message, or as a spokesperson providing a face for the company’s crisis response. But who else on your team can pivot from their day-to-day work and take on a key decision-making role in the crisis response? Ideally, you will have at least two or three of these key leaders.
You need someone who is an accomplished communicator and a clear thinker to help the crisis communicator and the CEO formulates a response. This person will have a proven track record for making smart decisions with limited information on short timetables. You will also need someone to manage the internal crisis response. Someone who has the authority to control and monitor what your team says and to whom, who can also be a calming influence as they deliver messages from the decision-makers to rest of the team.
Every Key Leader who acts as company spokesperson can also always secure a higher success rate by participating in Media- and Message Training – especially in a crisis. This will also secure the alignment of the company key messages in the crisis-management team

The Media Manager
At some point in your crisis response, you will need a person whose sole duty is to manage media interest. From moderating social media to responding to media requests and connecting the right messages with the right people, this can be a full-time job in the middle of a crisis.

The Crisis Advisor
When you’re very close to a situation, you can miss details or make assumptions that diminish the effectiveness of your crisis response. That’s why it makes good sense to bring in an outside advisor who specializes in crisis communication. This person or team has a different perspective that can prove invaluable in formulating and executing a crisis response.
To get your own Crisis Advisor as CEO also means that someone fully has your back – and that the advisor will work with you and your in-house team to build a narrative and implement a crisis response that should minimize the damage to your brand reputation and put your company in a better position to begin rebuilding credibility.

When facing a PR crisis your Crisis Communications Advisor also has an extensive list of key media contacts with whom they have developed good working relationships. When speed matters and you need positive earned media, knowing exactly whom to call is a vital aspect of an effective external crisis response.

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.

Christina Rytter selected as coach in new EIC Women Leadership Programme

03/03/2022By scandinaviancomChristina Rytter

We are proud to announce that our CEO & founder Christina Rytter is a selected MarCom and business coach in the new European Innovation Council Women Leadership Programme. Here she works with female entrepreneurs to create stronger company brands and commercial strategy that takes their business to the next level internationally.

Ella Cullen, Co-founder & CMO from Minespider is one of the leading entrepreneurs Christina works with.Ella is selected as one of the 50 female entrepreneurs to join the first cohort in the EIC programme. Minespider is a blockchain-based platform for responsible mineral sourcing. They want to help companies understand how they can outperform the market with competitive sustainability. There is a strong purpose for you!

Photo: Ella Cullen, Co-founder & CMO, Minespider

Read more about the work 👉 https://lnkd.in/emxph3XP

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