{"id":3402,"date":"2025-11-16T15:48:06","date_gmt":"2025-11-16T14:48:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogg.notabene.se\/?p=3402"},"modified":"2026-05-10T16:05:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T15:05:39","slug":"how-creativity-can-make-a-difference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogg.notabene.se\/?p=3402","title":{"rendered":"How creativity can make a difference"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Partnerships, transparency and trust. But also friction and questioning. These are some of the factors needed for creativity to truly make a difference.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is probably how one could summarise a seminar recently organised by the Swedish Marketing Association in Stockholm, where two highly experienced creatives from Forsman & Bodenfors spoke: John Bergdahl<\/strong>, Chief Creative Officer, who has worked at the agency for more than 20 years and was among those who helped launch F&B in Singapore, and Tove Langseth<\/strong>, who is relatively new at the agency but has extensive experience from, among others, Paradiset and DDB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When childhood friends Sven-Olof Bodenfors<\/strong> and Staffan Forsman<\/strong> founded their agency in 1986, they did so based on the insight that in an increasingly competitive market, creativity would become ever more important \u2013 the single most important factor in creating results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forsman & Bodenfors has for many years operated in a league of its own within advertising \u2013 not only in Sweden. The agency has repeatedly been ranked among the ten best agencies in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Bergdahl pointed out that competition for companies and brands has by no means become easier during the years the agency has existed, and that creativity is at least as important today when it comes to making a difference. The conditions required for creativity to make a difference are the same as they have always been:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe deeper you go and the longer you work together, the greater the difference you can make. The long, deep partnership is important. When you work closely together, you build mutual respect. That also makes it possible to have tough discussions. You become sparring partners,\u201d he said, stressing the importance of not viewing the relationshipt as client and consultant, but as true partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FRICTION AS A DRIVING FORCE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also referred to yin and yang, the tension between order and structure. The need for friction and questioning. This is where outside perspectives become important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Bergdahl mentioned several examples where friction, outside perspectives and questioning played a major role in success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like Phil Knight<\/strong> and his running shoes. When he met Dan Wieden<\/strong> at Wieden+Kennedy, a creative partnership was born that transformed running shoes into a leading lifestyle brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or when Steve Jobs<\/strong>, together with Chiat Day\u2019s creative director Lee Clow<\/strong>, turned the personal computer industry upside down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not to mention when Italian entrepreneur Renzo Rosso<\/strong>, with a small and largely unknown jeans company, met Joakim Jonasson<\/strong> at Paradiset. In a market where the \u201cheroes\u201d wore Levi\u2019s, Diesel became the anti-hero and captured a large part of the market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne small detail in that story is that Tove was involved as well,\u201d John Bergdahl added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A BRIEF MAY ALSO NEED TO BE CHALLENGED<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a close and trusting partnership, there is enough fresh air to dare to think differently \u2013 and to challenge each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But with smart and courageous clients, that can happen from the very beginning. Klarna was one such example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company, founded in 2005 as a B2B invoicing service, received its banking licence in 2015 and announced ambitions to become a global payments company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They later approached DDB for help with a specific project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey told us they needed an event at Stureplan (in the center of Stockholm). But however much we discussed it, we could not really see the value of an event. A group of people meeting at Stureplan for a few hours,\u201d Tove Langseth recalled. At that time, Klarna looked very much like a traditional bank \u2013 blue and white colours, neat imagery and rational arguments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That may have helped create some credibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this was also a time when e-commerce was exploding and people were using their phones for more and more things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The agency felt that the best way forward was probably not to behave like every other bank. That did not feel true to Klarna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat if we did not focus only on the boring part \u2013 paying \u2013 but also on the fun side? Fashion. Shopping. So we told Klarna they did not need an event. They needed a concept.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They realised that it was risky to say so. Klarna could easily have thanked them and found another agency willing to organise an event instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that did not happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When developing a concept for the company, they discussed how to describe Klarna\u2019s services in a single word and arrived at: \u201cSmooth\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From there, they created the concept that began with the famous salmon sliding down a waterslide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tove Langseth described the moment when the agency presented the ideas to Klarna. Several people were seated around the conference table, and she felt: \u201cThis is never going to work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last person to comment was Klarna co-founder and CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe said that after 13 years, they had finally found the right expression for Klarna. This was exactly how he wanted the brand to be portrayed,\u201d recalled a relieved Tove Langseth. She added that Sebastian Siemiatkowski then always attended meetings with the agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CRAATIVITY REQUIRES COURAGE AND MANDATE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the people involved in the teams genuinely have a mandate and a holistic perspective, the conditions improve dramatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One major problem today, however, is increasing fragmentation, John Bergdahl pointed out. Companies and agencies work in silos and on a project basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCompanies have so many partners, and if you only own a small piece of the whole, you easily become obsessed with the brief you have received. That gives you very limited opportunities to truly make a difference,\u201d he said, stressing the need to lift your gaze and adopt a more holistic perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou need to get closer and go deeper.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He referred to the classic Swedish chocolate praline Trillingn\u00f6ten (three cohcklatecovered hazelnuts)  as a symbol of a trinity consisting of three inseparable parts \u2013 business, strategy and creativity. Everything has to connect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cReality is complex, and the work must contain all these dimensions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tove Langseth spoke about creative partnerships from several perspectives. She herself has worked across agencies, startups, in-house teams and now agencies again \u2013 giving her insights that few others possess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She began her career at Paradiset before moving via Leo Burnett and Lowe Brindfors to DDB Stockholm, where after several years as creative director she eventually moved into leadership together with Jacob Sandstr\u00f6m<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She later left DDB to help Lindex, together with Filip Nilsson<\/strong> (formerly a copywriter at F&B), develop a new lingerie brand. After extensive groundwork, the brand Closely was launched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Langseth\/Nilsson team concluded that the brand should be run externally, which Lindex accepted, and they continued working in close partnership with the brand until it was later integrated into Lindex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At about the same time, she was offered a role in Klarna\u2019s in-house agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe power of working extremely close to the brand also means that you achieve a very high pace. But you can become obsessed with details and lose the outside perspective. You need that outside force. Being part of a team. A partnership where people challenge each other.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So she returned to agency life \u2013 to an agency working closely with brands that understand how to value creativity within a genuine partnership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A TEAM WILL BECOME GREATER THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A strong example of what such close collaboration can achieve is Volvo Trucks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Forsman & Bodenfors developed the \u201cLive Test Series\u201d in 2012 \u2013 including The Epic Split<\/em> and several other films far removed from traditional B2B communication \u2013 partnership was one of the keys to success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few years ago, I interviewed Lars Terling<\/strong>, who was Marketing Director and Vice Chairman of Volvo Trucks when the campaign was developed. He described the collaboration like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe worked in a completely integrated way with the agency. The doors were wide open between us, and the key teams bounced ideas back and forth constantly. Everyone benefited from the close cooperation. Just take the time aspect. Instead of the agency having to wait for someone in the marketing department to arrange a meeting with an engineer, they simply went directly to them. We had enormous trust in each other. When you work this closely as one team, you cannot always say who came up with which idea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Epic Split<\/em> is now included on lists of the best advertising campaigns of all time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was truly creativity making a difference. Beyond the many international awards, the business results were of course the most important outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Volvo Group presented its figures for the fourth quarter of 2013, Volvo Trucks reported its best year ever, with sales increasing by 24 per cent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVolvo Trucks has exceeded our expectations and contributed to the Volvo brand by increasing its market share in Europe to historical levels\u201d, the proud CEO could inform the financial markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHY IS IT SO DIFFICULT?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The seminar concluded with a Q&A session, where the CEO of the Swedish Marketing Association, Marie Sommar<\/strong>, pointed out that both research and practical experience have repeatedly shown that creativity and creative advertising deliver better results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo why is it still so difficult \u2013 and what needs to be done?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI believe in the power of testing. Start small,\u201d said Tove Langseth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut we also need to dare to think big from the beginning,\u201d John Bergdahl added, pointing out how easy it is to become merely an executor:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt may begin with ambitious thinking, but often ends with: \u2018We are in a hurry, and this is the budget. There is nothing more.\u2019 That is when you easily fall into the old client-consultant pattern. You have to invest in going deeper.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is also often a matter of internal anchoring and alignment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tove Langseth agreed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are not just creating advertising. We need to show that we understand the brand. What problem are we trying to solve? Perhaps a campaign is not even the answer. We must dare to realise that the project we were asked to do may not be what is actually needed \u2013 perhaps something entirely different is required. You need to be guided by the task itself and by what you are trying to achieve. That means not greedily accepting every assignment exactly as it is presented.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Naturally, AI also came up during the discussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tove Langseth and John Bergdahl agreed that AI is a fantastic tool \u2013 if used correctly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAI on its own easily becomes generic. But if you add wild creativity to something distinctive, the possibilities become far greater,\u201d they argued, pointing out that AI has dramatically changed the conditions for things like research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But with AI alone, there would never have been an Epic Split<\/em> or a Smooth Klarna<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou do your best work in an environment where you are constantly challenged by smart people. Where you always need to stay sharp. Where people dare to be honest with each other. Where you can connect your brain to someone else\u2019s. To do that, you need openness and transparency \u2013 and to be open, you must feel safe. Dare to look foolish. Dare to be yourself. Dare to think beyond the brief,\u201d Tove Langseth concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is under those conditions that creativity can rise high enough to truly make a difference.<\/p>\nTweet<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Partnerships, transparency and trust. But also friction and questioning. These are some of the factors needed for creativity to truly make a difference. That is probably how one could summarise a seminar recently organised by the Swedish Marketing Association in Stockholm, where two highly experienced creatives from Forsman & Bodenfors spoke: John Bergdahl, Chief Creative […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[140,114,68,113],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1k0bi-SS","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogg.notabene.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3402"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogg.notabene.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogg.notabene.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogg.notabene.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogg.notabene.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3402"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogg.notabene.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3402\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3403,"href":"https:\/\/blogg.notabene.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3402\/revisions\/3403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogg.notabene.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogg.notabene.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogg.notabene.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}