How similar are the Nordic countries?

The Nordic region has a leading position in many areas, not least in digitalization. The belief in our similarities has therefore led many companies to centralize their digital work in the Nordic region to one country or one supplier. This places great demands on both the client and the supplier. Because are we really as alike as peas in a pod? And can what is perceived as natural and pragmatic in one country be perceived as unprofessional in another?

– From an SEO perspective, for example, it is not always possible to implement the same text for the entire Nordic region, as there are cultural and seasonal differences that mean we search for different keywords. In addition, it can go completely wrong if you try to be funny and throw in an ironic twist or translate literally, says Pernille Bang.

Pernille Bang is part of Bombayworks' Nordic team. On behalf of large clients such as Electrolux and Orkla, the agency has built up its own Nordic department within content management. The focus is on exploiting the similarities between the countries in content production but at the same time spicing it up with native editors - for each individual country. Because what works tonally in Sweden can be a total flop in Norway, Denmark or Finland.

Linguistically, there are differences, in addition to idioms, it is easy for it to go wrong even in everyday language. When a Swede comments that it "was fun at the party yesterday", Danes and Norwegians actually perceive that it was a boring event. Centralizing content production across the Nordic region is therefore tricky. The key is to have editors from each country who understand not only the language, but also the norms and culture.

– Companies in the Nordic region gain a lot from coordinating content production, thanks to similarities between the markets, says Olga Gezelius. It is both cost and time effective to produce 'a master' which can then be localized to other Nordic languages quite quickly. At the same time, in the digital world, it is important that the texts are optimized for search (SEO) and adapted to the target group. This is where the nuances come to the surface – and the local editors do what machine translation, for example, can never deliver.

But it's not just consumer content that gets better if you have local editors centrally. Even at the local market level within a global business, there is value in having a team that links the central business goals with regional implementations. Not least, the counterparts in the markets appreciate talking to an "equal".

– Seen from a local market perspective, Bombayworks is often the link that ensures that brand websites are up-to-date with the agreed content. With a central set-up, BW helps to ensure that all planned content across the Nordic region is the same and up-to-date, says Thomas Brinch Møller, Market Activation Lead at Electrolux Denmark.

By working Nordic on a central level, you can exploit the similarities while at the same time, through editors, reinforce and build on the differences that exist. Something that local markets often underestimate when global companies centralize processes is the benefit they get from linking their business closer to the central business. By having one and the same supplier support both central and local initiatives, local markets gain faster access to information and material. It enables closer cooperation where both parties can learn from each other. Learning is something that Bombayworks' Nordic team wants to emphasize.

– We still identify ourselves as Norwegian, Danish and Finnish, says Sini Kuhmonen at Bombayworks, but since the Nordic countries are so similar, it is easier for us to work 'across borders'. Our values and lifestyles are mostly similar, which makes it easy for us to work together, but we are still so different that we can also be amused by each other's habits and traditions that come from cultural differences. We learn a lot about each other's cultures and languages, which enriches our everyday lives.