Nordic PR Agency

There are many things to consider when starting up a PR program in the Nordic region. At Discus Communications we have more than 30 years of experience in working across the Nordic region for international brands of all sizes. We work with best-of-breed agency partners in Sweden, Norway, Finland and the Baltics to ensure that our customers always benefit from local experts with strong market knowledge and media relations.

With Discus Communications as your lead agency, you don’t have to worry about briefing 4-5 different agencies and keeping taps on what happens in each country. From our offices in Copenhagen, we will coordinate, execute and report back to you – as your one-stop-shop across the Nordic region.

For companies looking for a Nordic PR agency, there are many ways to succeed – but equally a lot of mistakes that could make your PR work unsuccessful. On this page, we will cover the most common mistakes – and guide you how to avoid them. We will also give you some necessary background information about the Nordic region.

Four common mistakes when doing PR in the Nordic region (and how to avoid making them)

1) Choosing an agency that claims to cover all the Nordic countries from one location

The five Nordic countries have many similarities and several differences when it comes to culture, languages, media landscape and how to work with media relations.

A successful PR approach will take all these matters into account. Therefore, it is essential to have local PR professionals with in-depth knowledge and a strong network. They will be much better at advising you on local agendas, trending topics, media tactics and how to create results.

2) Considering the Nordic region as one market – and allocating your budget accordingly

If you consider the Nordic region as one market, you might end up seriously underestimating the needed budget. PR in the Nordic countries can be quite expensive: First, the Nordic countries are among the most expensive countries in the world due in part to free education, free healthcare etc., and the high tax-level is reflected in the agency fee structures. Second, you need to localise each project to fit the specific culture and language of each Nordic country.

When allocating budgets for the Nordic region, we always advice against working with very low country budgets. It is much better to do a really great job in two Nordic countries than getting mediocre or no results in four countries. We can help you identify the countries where PR will help you the most in reaching your business objectives. Alternative tactics could be to focus on some of the countries in some of the quarters of the year. It all depends on your objectives. Either way, you can expect honest counselling from us.

3) Expecting the same amount of media coverage as in large European countries

As Communications Manager across Europe, one might be tempted to compare the Nordic region to countries such as France, Germany and the UK. However, the media landscape in the Nordic region is much more limited compared to those countries.

Typically, each of the Nordic countries have 2-3 dailies, 1-2 financial or business dailies, very little channel media – yet quite a few trade publications and verticals.

This means you should typically not expect a huge number of press articles on stories in any of the Nordic countries. Instead, we recommend basing your KPIs on the quality of the coverage: Is it in a tier-1 publication that is relevant to your target group? Does it include one or more of your key messages. Are there any quotes? Does it include a photo? Other measurable factors that indicate the quality and value of your clippings may apply.

4) Attempting to build a thought leadership position for the company, without having a local spokesperson

We’re not saying it’s impossible to build a thought leadership position without a local spokesperson in the Nordic countries. But it certainly helps. Without a local spokesperson, you will most likely only get coverage based on (relevant!) press releases and by-lined articles. This means that you company is not building a relation to the local journalists, and they will most likely go to different sources and experts for commentaries, and insights.

When working with local spokespeople, we make sure to establish and build relations between them and the relevant journalists. This paves the way for rapid responses to current agendas. At Discus Communications and our partner agencies, we monitor the local media closely, and when the opportunity arises to comment on a current matter within your field of expertise, we can reach out and offer interviews with your spokesperson. This is an excellent way of building strong media relations and a strong thought leadership position.

If you have local spokespeople who are not used to giving press interviews, we are here to help. We offer customised media training and message training sessions to prepare spokespeople for their media encounters – both the proactive and the reactive ones.

What characterizes the Nordic region?

• People in the Nordic region generally have a high degree of trust; trust in their government, trust in their welfare systems and trust in the media – although fake news is also on the rise in the Nodics.
• People in general have high living standards and a lot of security. With all the basic needs covered for the citizens, naturally, the Nordic countries rank high in the “World Happiness Report”.
• There are many early adopters when it comes to new products and new solutions, particularly within healthcare, technology and fintech.
• Although the Nordic countries have a lot in common, you will be dealing with five countries, five cultures, five languages and different approaches to doing PR. What is considered appropriate media relations in one country may offend journalists in another country. Also, influencer relations tactics vary across each of the five countries.

Need assistance with PR in the Nordic region?

If you would like to know more about how we work across the Nordic region, simply reach out to our Managing Director Niels Christian Jensen by mail or by calling +4540347135. Our offices are located in the center of Copenhagen, Denmark, in close proximity to public transport and Copenhagen Airport.