Nordic Special: Overview

It’s snowing. Again. So what to do when big weather keeps you indoors for six months of the year? Get creative is the answer. Olivia Atkins surveys the ad scene in the Nordic region, exploring countries’ subtle differences but also such commonalities as a fondness for modesty and egalitarianism, and a Scandi summer shutdown that refreshes and refocuses creatives’ minds

Unsurprisingly, for a region that is all about long, harsh winters, summer is a big deal for the Nordic locals – who lock up shop for a month to escape urban life and enjoy the tranquillity of their summer houses. While the cities are packed with tourists, its citizens are unwinding in the sunshine. “Really we just have a month where we actually see the sun, so we need to make the most of it,” says Folke Film Sweden’s founder Johan Tappert. He admits he often uses the time to go skinny-dipping or drink away his winter sorrow. “Happiness kills creativity, so at this time of year, we are extremely unimaginative,” he adds. “Although this time off is needed because it’s the only way we cope with being creative and miserable during the rest of the year.”

It seems that the extreme weather forces locals to actively cultivate a highly creative, cultured lifestyle because they spend so much time inside. “I firmly believe that because we spend a good six months of the year trapped indoors, hiding from the cold, that it makes the quality of your inner life incredibly important,” says Brett Richards, the Australian-born head of new business at Swedish production company Brokendoll. 

Civilised seasonal sabbaticals

The future of these traditional, guilt-free holidays may be under threat if local brands like IKEA and H&M start adhering to international markets and remain open over the summer months. But for the time being, a healthy work/life balance remains. “This regular summer sabbatical lets your mind rest and encourages focus and creativity when you return to work,” says Richards.

Apart from this region-wide sabbatical, there are other similarities that link countries in the region. The Nordic Model, for example, which refers to the region’s similar economic and social policies, and the Janteloven (Law of Jante), which explains its culture of modesty and egalitarianism.

Coined by Danish-Norwegian author Aksel Sandemose, the non-binding Janteloven discourages the championing of one’s own successes over that of the group. Individual arrogance is frowned upon, causing many to be reserved about their work. It also explains the region’s flat management structure; where the working culture is open and encourages collaboration among creative peers.

Sweden – known as the Big Brother of Scandinavia (as in its elder, protective sibling) – is reputedly the most creatively-advanced nation of the region. As the most populated Nordic country, its creative infrastructure is understandably more developed than that of its neighbours, containing more production companies, agencies, film and art schools. Sweden’s socialist past perhaps explains why the Law of Jante is still in effect today and why collaboration is key within the industry.

“There are fewer egos to contend with,” says Nicola Jones, production manager at Stockholm-based production company Camp David. “So directors, DPs and creatives aren’t afraid to ask for other people’s opinions; it’s not a sign of weakness.” However, Brokendoll’s Richards finds Sweden’s modesty culture difficult to read. “Feedback is often not very direct,” he says. “It’s just the way things are done. You have to try to tune in to what people really mean.” 

Equality for Swedish sisters

Luckily, the quality of Swedish advertising has remained consistently high – something Richards attributes to the late introduction of a terrestrial commercial channel in Sweden in 1992. “Swedes really did not have any direct exposure to the kind of low-cost, high-volume commercial production that we see elsewhere in the world,” he says. Which means that creating work here will always be competitive as the standard has never dipped in quality.

Yet director Oskar Bård, from Hobby Film’s Stockholm office, thinks that the best Swedish directors often leave the country, often seeking fresh opportunities and inspiration abroad. “Sweden’s [big] fishes need to leave the small pond to grow and keep on moving,” he says.

The lack of heirarchy and arrogance in Sweden’s work culture also helps junior creatives enter the industry. Its high-quality film schools equip graduates early on with the right skills, so senior industry members accept them more readily, “keeping the business more dynamic and not just another ‘old boy’s club’,” adds Jones.

In terms of gender equality in the industry, of all the Nordic countries, Sweden has the most impressive childcare-friendly ethos. Swedish parents are entitled to 480 days of paid parental leave, 90 of which can be taken by the father. Though this is progressive, there’s still a distinct lack of women in senior roles in advertising. “I think gender equality could be pushed even more,” says B-Reel’s COO Pelle Nilsson. “It’s something that everyone needs to actively work towards, especially in the production industry where there’s a [real] lack of female directors.” Erik Holmedal, EP at content/VFX studio, Swiss, in Stockholm agrees, “I would not say we are particularly good at gender equality. Men are in the majority.”

However, there are drives to improve the situation, such as One of Three, which was launched by the Swedish film and TV producers organisation, KOMM, last year. Encouraging agencies to ask at least one female director to pitch on a script out of every three directors approached, this initiative offers no financial incentives, but acts as more of a reminder to Swedish agencies.

Stability and surrealism in Norway

Like Sweden, Norway also boasts an equally stable economy thanks to the nation’s recent oil discovery. “How this affects creative outlook is that there is very little economic fear,” says senior Flame compositor Henry Cummings from Oslo’s Storm Studios. “At worst, this can create some complacency in thought, but at best, it creates a very stable environment where creatives can express themselves [freely].” And this is reflected in the type of work that’s coming out of Norway at the moment. Folke Film’s Tappert has seen an increase in quirky and surreal ads, admitting he’d “love to have more of this [type of creativity] in Swedish commercials.”

Although the Norwegian commercial scene is small, its highly-skilled and efficient workers are extremely effective. “People here work hard and we’re used to smaller budgets,” says Loopfilm’s founding partner Jarle Tangen, who says that the national characteristic of competency emerged when times were tougher pre-oil. And despite its size, Norwegian creatives are often encouraged to work overseas, says Storm’s managing director/producer Thomas Reppen. There’s an assumption that they’ll return home eventually with lots of experience and help to bolster the national creative market.

The biggest challenge arising from being based in Norway is not being able to secure the attention of international clients. “We wouldn’t like to be strangers to the really big campaigns with the economic muscle that would enable us to creatively extend ourselves more,” says Beate Tange, producer/partner at Oslo’s Tangrystan Productions.

But on the ground, production companies enjoy a lot more autonomy and there is a greater sense of trust between them and the agencies. Production companies are accustomed to working alone – such was the case with Tangrystan’s award-winning PSA, Dear Daddy for Care Norway, where the creatives didn’t see anything until the first online version. “Being involved and, preferably, in the early [stages], is very important to us,” says Tange. “We have directors who can deliver at this stage, having backgrounds in scriptwriting/development or film-/TV-series backgrounds, like for example director Jakob Ström (of Dear Daddy) who started out as a creative.”

An indie attitude in Denmark

In Denmark, the creative culture is completely different. While the big agency networks do exist in Copenhagen, there’s a culture of creatives splitting off from these networks to form their own local offerings. “A lot of the older network agencies are having a hard time due to old, out-of-fashion ways of working, which makes room for new smaller agencies and new ways of working,” says Mads Mardahl, art director at independent Copenhagen agency, Robert/Boisen & Like-minded. The situation may not be as evolved as its Swedish neighbour, with only a few of the networks working across international accounts and winning fewer awards, but it’s becoming increasingly more established.

Not too long ago, there was a strong in-house production company culture, but as director Tore Frandsen, who’s repped by Storyroom in Denmark, explains, “The movement has gone back towards production houses again. There aren’t that many top directors freelancing in Copenhagen anymore, mainly because they like to be protected by a production company.” The backlash against the in-house production offering followed after too many agencies were setting them up purely for the sake of making money and not with the goal of making great work.

‘Ad documentarism’ is what M2Films’ vice president Ronni Madson cites as the latest trend to hit the Danish market. “You combine a brand with the cause or a person or a certain type of feeling in order to secure consumers.” It reflects  the fact that audiences are now preferring greater authenticity in advertising and have a more advanced “social conscience” says Mads Marstrand, creative producer at production company Uitch Iscratch.

As all things Nordic continue to trend across Europe and the US – as evidenced by the craze for Scandi noir thriller imports, kicked off by Danish TV series The Killing and Stieg Larsson’s Dragon Tattoo franchise, this region’s fascinating culture is sure to continue to boost its advertising output.