Building the future BYKO – from strategy to stores

Future-proofing and growing a thriving business

Background

BYKO is Iceland’s largest and oldest hardware retailer, dedicated to offering a wide range of products and exceptional customer service to homeowners and housebuilders. But after 60 years in business and a changing market, it was time to look ahead and reinvent themselves, their stores, and their business strategy.
But how could we define the future of a company that has catered to its customer needs for 60 years and proudly holds the title as Iceland’s preferred hardware store? How could we create a new winning recipe for the future?

3D visualisation of the new BYKO store design

The pay off ‘Gerum þetta saman’ means ‘We do it together’

Task – Growing a thriving business

BYKO wanted to establish a unique market position tailored to target two audiences: Those who work in construction and those who are on a mission to transform homes. So, we needed to create a solid strategic foundation that would not only add zing to their brand concept and elevate the consumer experience but also define the future role and purpose of the company. There was a lengthy list of to-dos for us – rethinking the store design, store formats, product assortment, customer journey, as well as communication initiatives – but also a huge opportunity, and the first of its kind for Ogilvy Denmark.

Example of sustainability communication towards home owners

“We are grateful for how thoroughly Ogilvy has approached the task. They have really understood both our business, landscape, and customers, and have given us exactly the advice we were looking for – and the advice we didn’t know we needed.”

Sigurður Pálsson
CEO

Example of sales communication towards home owners

Solution – A complete transformational strategy

And so, we used the power of “borderless creativity” to solve this, extending it to the consumers as well.

The first step was to define a new value proposition, value drivers, and audience approaches. The key insight to this was that BYKO needed to shift the focus to People from Products, which we turned into two objectives: Make it easy for house builders and make it inspirational for homeowners.

By turning the typical way of thinking products upside down, working with zones and prioritizing product categories, we created a strategic foundation to win the battle for the consumers’ hearts and minds – with one common proposition for B2C and B2B: We are your partner.

This strategy gave birth to the creative concept: We do it together – and helped to onboard our audience and connect with them on a unique and emotional level. The extensive creative concept spanned the Future BYKO’s brand positioning, visual guidelines, and communications concept, including tone of voice and communication pillars. Further, we created an operational communications toolbox for the Icelandic team to easily bring the new brand to life when creating communication.

And we didn’t stop there; We developed a scalable implementation plan covering all aspects of the brand transformation; From detailed floor plans, in-store signage, and the products on the shelves, to the guidelines for the online format of the future BYKO concept. As part of the implementation plan, we delivered clearly defined steps of action required to realise the concept in practice.

Example of inspirational communication towards home owners

Example of communication towards house builders

“The strategy is attainable, ambitious, and actionable and will serve as a guiding light for years to come. We are extremely happy with the end result”.

Dr. Edda Blumenstein
Director of customer and retailing transformation at BYKO

Results so far – From Strategy to the Shelves

The brand concept has been implemented in the first BYKO store in Reykjavik in early 2023. Cross-country brand roll-out is expected to be finalised in 2025.

PAVING THE WAY FOR ICELAND

BUILDING A GATHERING FORCE FOR ICELANDIC INFRASTRUCTURE

Background

While the outlook for Icelandic infrastructure is great, the industry is not equipped to deliver on the growth that’s needed to keep up with the rising needs of the country. Adding to this, the market is highly stigmatised which makes it hard to attract the necessary investments. The challenge was real – but if solved correctly, it would make a world of a difference. So, the alternative investment firm Alfa Framtak teamed up with the founder of the successful construction company Grafa & Grjót to rethink the entire ecosystem of Icelandic infrastructure.

Task

Beyond advising the two parties on how to challenge the status quo, our task was to create a strong, future-proof position in a highly fragmented and unfocused market that would allow them to scale and expand. The process included developing a full brand strategy and -concept.

Solution

To achieve this ambitious task, we set up a three phased process: Research, strategy, and roll-out.

The result was to build a strong alliance of construction companies. An alliance that would cater to the entire industry – and stand firm as a gathering force for Icelandic infrastructure under one single brand.

The strategy came to life in a comprehensive playbook that laid out the foundation for the new brand. Complete with brand architecture, core narrative, a fresh colour palette, brand guidelines, logo, and tone of voice, we created an umbrella brand that would build credibility among key stakeholders.

In naming the new company, we made sure to place the brand in the intersection between infrastructure, innovation, and deep industry knowledge. Thus, the name INVIT was created as a contraction of ‘Innovation’,‘Innviði’ (Icelandic for infrastructure), and ‘Verkvit’ (Icelandic for know-how).

As part of this, we created a new pay-off – Paving the Way – to shape the new company and invoke an understanding of its role and vision: We are here to future-proof Icelandic infrastructure.

Results

From developing the strategic foundation and brand architecture to creating a new brand identity and bringing it to life, we have helped INVIT pave the way for the future of Icelandic infrastructure. This has already resulted in massive media coverage locally.

The final brand delivery has been a complete website for INVIT. Go ahead and explore the brand here: invit.is

Seeing past the fluff

Background

Around 50% of all pets in the Nordics are overweight or obese. But pet owners don’t really see it and may even think that their pet’s chubby appearance is cute. According to a study by the Liverpool Weight Management Clinic, between 44% and 72% of pet owners underestimate the weight status of their pet.

Here too, pet owners struggle to understand the true impact that excess weight can have on their pet. However, overweight and obesity in pets can have serious health consequences for the pets. We needed to make pet parents aware of the dangers of overweight in their pets help them see the early signs.

Task

To that end, we needed to generate both brand- and qualified awareness about how a healthy weight is key to a pet’s general health and well-being.

Solution

We created a film featuring both cats and dogs. To get the message across we communicated via 4 focus areas: Shape, Activity, Portioning, Growth. We see cats and dogs playing and having a good time and convey that these all have something in common: overweight, and then cut to one of Royal Canin’s veterinarians who explains about overweight and the science behind it and also provide insight and useful advice about what to do about it. That way the film represented both the familiar and the unknown.

The film ran on Facebook and Instagram and was supported by short assets on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest with separate scenes of the cats and dogs and advice from the film with the overall CTA: How to spot overweight in your pet. Additionally, we sent out an e-mail and ran a separate influencer track based on the themes and advice featured in the film. The film thus pro-vided us with a large battery of content putting focus on a problem that pets owners tend not to see.

Escape The Loop

We are hiring!

Our client base is growing, and so is our team! So, if you’re a magician within Account, Strategy or Creative – and have an impressive global or local profile and experience… Well, we’re looking for you!

And if becoming a part of an international creative network with 35+ local and global clients, and dedicated employees weaving magic in our Copenhagen office is something you are looking for, please read on.

About us

We are a group of ambitious, friendly people with very diverse skillsets that allows us to seamlessly deliver across a wide range of disciplines within our three pillars: Consulting, Advertising, and Health. “Borderless Creativity” is our mantra, which means that most of us work across the board in terms of everything from capabilities to clients – in our mind, collaboration and skillset diversity only makes a project stronger. Our end goal is to create work that makes an impact and engages the audience regardless of the touchpoint. As for our clientele, we have a unique mix of local, Nordic, and global brands – some are brand new (16 new biz wins this year alone), others are well-established (think 15 years plus!).

Interested? Yes! Great!

Curious? Well, if the words “think, create, realize” excite you, along with the thought of awesome colleagues and cuddly office dogs, send us your CV! We’re known for a cool vibe at work, a collaborative environment, and a culture of understanding, which have led to a strong and warm sense of loyalty from those who make us – our people.

Send your CV, motivated application, and portfolio (if applicable) to [email protected], with your desired job title/field of interest in the subject line.

The Journey from Puppy to Dog

How a bunch of puppies helped Royal Canin lift sales by 22%

Background

Royal Canin wanted to strengthen their brand within the Nordic dog owner segment. And as they had seen a tremendous increase in cat food sales with our production “The Journey from Kitten to Cat”, a logical move was to see if dog lovers would follow the same pattern.

Task

So, when asked to create the Fido-version, we couldn’t help but to clap our furry paws and start casting wonderful puppies. Because we were meant to create yet another pet-filled web series to generate brand- and qualified awareness first, followed by an effective engagement track second.

Solution

The overall focus of the campaign was on the explosive development of puppies and their corresponding nutritional needs as they grow into young adult dogs.

To convincingly tell this story, we created a docu-soap-based campaign featuring a 5-episode series entitled “The Journey from Puppy to Dog”. Here, we followed the 3 puppies Ella, Dexter, and Rosa from being in the safety of their litter to moving into their new forever home and growing up.

The campaign was made up of the 5 main series episodes, short assets for SoMe and segmented e-mails for members of Royal Canin’s loyalty club. Each episode featured a theme to communicate nutritional and developmental needs while establishing Royal Canin as an expert on pet nutrition. Similarly, the short assets contained tips supporting the themes in the main episodes. Additionally, we supported the campaign with an influencer track to drive engagement and further awareness.

Results

Running over a 3-month period, the campaign outperformed all predefined KPIs.

Unleash Your Power To Perform

Unleash Your Power To Perform with Husky IVO

Background

Milestone Systems faced launching their most powerful on-prem server range, the new Husky IVO series, and needed to generate awareness before-hand as well as a visual presentation of the products that would make them stand out and do justice to their powerful performance.

Task

We were asked to create a teaser campaign for the new Husky range – one that would leverage all the facts but at the same time cater to a very specific audience: The tech people who would eventually install and maintain the server.

Solution

What challenges are you solving today? Complex installation, maximum uptime, critical data storage? The concept “Unleash Your Power To Perform” tapped into all of the challenges our audience would meet – and showed them how a Husky IVO server would grant them the power to solve them all. From saving time and achieving more to having peace of mind and being prepared for evolving needs, all at once.

To separate Husky from the competition, we went against the traditional spec-driven inside-out presentation of tech products. So, rather than focusing on raw specifications, we chose to show it from a user perspective to better demonstrate the benefits and day to day outcome of having a Husky on-site.

How we created an endless amount of very special invitations

Background

Copenhagen Convention Bureau is the B2B leg of Wonderful Copenhagen, which means that their job is to attract businesses to our wonderful capital – in this case to host their next event or conference. But after the pandemic, there has been a serious decline in business travel, and a lot of events have moved online.

Because of this, competition has become increasingly fierce – and to top it up, the selection process is long and heavy, and includes a lot of stakeholders. All of this means that the audience is forced to consider at least a handful of host cities.

Task

So how could we make sure that Copenhagen would stand out in their board room meetings where the final decision would be made?

Solution

We created a useful tool for them! A digital service that allowed them to create their own beautiful event videos – filled with information about their event as well as why Copenhagen would be the perfect host city. All wrapped up in a concept called “Your Invitation”.

How did it work?

Through a brief and simple online survey, we allowed future visitors to envision their next big event in Copenhagen — by creating personalized videos based on industry sector, interests, number of delegates, event themes and so on.

Beyond being more customized and inspiring than our competitors’ usual Powerpoint, the campaign and customization tool secured rich leads as well as a vast amount of data for Copenhagen Capacity.

Results

The campaign has just been launched and is performing so well that we have already been asked to create an additional version of the tool.

Mixed Feeding

No more mixed feelings about mixed feeding

Background

Many pet owners only see wet food as a way to treat their dog or cat as opposed to being a part of the daily diet. But the scientific truth is that it’s very beneficial for pets to get a mix of both wet and dry food. Why? Because of the different sensorial experiences that come with the food’s shape, texture and aroma. And just like for humans, variation is key. So by applying a mixed feeding approach, mealtime becomes more exciting for your pet – while ensuring proper hydration.

Task

Royal Canin needed to create awareness of the benefits of mixed feeding on social media.

Solution

To tell a convincing story about the benefits of Mixed Feeding, that goes beyond spoiling, we took a deep dive into the sensorial experience of cats and dogs. Because not only do cats and dogs have a much keener sense of smell than humans do, but they also use it to taste their food. A fact that supports their need for food with a potent aroma, i.e. wet food. Further, knowing that cats are in fact desert animals, we learned that they are dependent on absorbing water via their food rather than simply drinking it. Knowing this, we wanted to make the social media content as delicious and sensory as a proper mixed feeding approach: The film concept ‘Sense and Sensibility’ zooms in on the cats and dogs in super slow motion. Showing what the human eye can’t grasp: How strangely captivating it is to see dogs and cats eating up close and how they take in and sense the food as they eat it.

The eye-catching 300 fps filming technique was spiced up with our fascinating facts about the senses of dogs and cats and why they need more aroma, moisture, and stimuli in their daily feeding routine.

The films ran on Facebook and Instagram in full length as well as in cutdown versions. Additionally, we ran a separate influencer track and activated Royal Canin’s loyalty programs with coordinated emails.

All of which left no-one with mixed feelings about mixed feeding.

Returpen

Novo Nordisk gives back with a take-back initiative

Background

Every year, Novo Nordisk distributes millions of injector pens to people worldwide. The pens are made from high-quality materials – and yet, after use, most of them end up in landfills. That’s why Novo Nordisk had a strong desire to ensure recycling of the pens as part of their Circular for Zero strategy.

Task

Our task was to create a habit-changing communication platform for the take-back initiative: A pilot project aimed at complex mix of stakeholders – from users of injector pens, patient associations and influencers to pharmacies and healthcare professionals.

Solution

We developed a core concept called ‘Too good to waste’. In an unpretentious and delicate way, it explained how materials from the Novo Nordisk injector pens can be reused for new products – urging users to hand in their pens at the pharmacy for recycling.

Recycling was also at the heart of the design. In facts, the universal recycling symbol became the design backbone and was even integrated into the pilot brand name and -logo.

The accompanying visual identity was simple yet bold: We designed a graphic universe that explained the life cycle of an injector pen – adaptable for print and digital formats, including animated explainer videos. The colour palette was sober, connoting sustainability and recycling.

Results

The task was quite daunting, as we had to develop the brand-new visual identity and campaign in collaboration with a big group of stakeholders within a few weeks.

Luckily, the effort paid off: In the pilot cities, a stunning 20% of all injector pens were turned in for recycling – vastly surpassing the KPIs.

Because of the great results, Novo Nordisk is now rolling out the initiative and campaign in the rest of Denmark. Next step… The world!