Two years ago, we shared a piece about Exporting the Nordic Mindset where we defined our creative and strategic approach we called “Nordic Thinking.” We identified the roots our approach has in Scandinavian simplicity, aesthetics and functionality, and laid out our mantra: “the idea comes first” (read that initial article for more).

But what does Nordic Thinking mean in practice? What have our clients gained from our philosophy?  

Reflecting on the approach we coined as our agency’s main “export,” we want to delve deeper into Nordic Thinking — taking it further than a conceptual approach to describe the growth it actually creates for our global partners.

WeThink Nordic: We are Nordic Thinking

The Nordic mindset has been built into our agency identity for over a decade. It means more to us than just a basis for our company philosophy. Our approach has guided our workflow processes and client strategy to give our partners an edge.

In line with the well-known Nordic working culture, the processes we’ve built focus on trust, transparency and open dialogue. This means that collaboration with our partners is centred on seeing our projects at an eye level, as opposed to working in isolation and engaging only when deadlines arrive. 

Sounds logical, right? But one of the most consistent pieces of feedback we receive from our clients is that our way of working is uniquely grounded in down-to-earth cooperation — consistent dialogue, catch-up meetings, collaborative online documents, clear feedback structures. Where an agency might want to keep a strict client-supplier relationship, we decide to be open collaborators. 

A concept for a global advantage

Regardless of where our partners are situated in the world, our processes help us stay on the same track to success in our projects together. Through our work processes, Nordic Thinking materialises in a way that creates down-to-earth collaborations to ensure the strongest solutions emerge through sharing challenges and holding mutual respect.

The journey we’ve been on from establishing our agency in the Nordics to becoming a partner for global brands has been driven by our Nordic Thinking approach. Competing with agencies from across the globe, our clients from all over Europe, North America, Asia and even within the Nordics feel the difference our unique approach offers.

That difference is felt because when we say “the idea comes first,” we aren’t just talking about strong ideas guiding creativity but the way we prioritise strong ideas throughout the entire process. We actively move away from standard “one-size-fits-all” solutions, and create these tailor-made strategies through honest collaboration and dialogue. That’s how we distinguish ourselves from the crowd.

Work with us

Nordic Thinking isn’t just a mindset we turn on or off, it plays a massive role in characterising what we do and how we work as an agency. For years, it’s been the competitive advantage we’ve provided that has led to real, sustainable growth for our global partners. 

If you’re interested in learning how Nordic Thinking can bring benefits to communication campaigns and projects for your business, then Patrik would love to hear from you (pt@wethinknordic.com / +45 53 38 59 80).