JG Communication has four magazines nominated for the Swedish Publishing Prize, the winners of which will be named on “Communications Day” in Stockholm on October 18.

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In this interview series, we look at what JG Communication employees do and how they make their magic. First up is Pontus Staunstrup, Senior Communication Strategist at JG Communication.

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Our new website has more than just a new look and feel. Let’s go back to November 2009 to find out why.

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The net revenue for the Edita Group was EUR 55.7 million and The Group’s operating profit was EUR 1.1 million. Get the report here.

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The Swedish Dairy Association wanted to use videos to inspire Swedish dairy farmers to make efforts to increase milk production. It also wanted to create a new mindset about dairy farming.

The association wanted to use the videos as a tool to create the feeling that it was possible to increase milk production and that it could help farmers make this happen. It also wanted the videos to strengthen the association’s brand and image. The Swedish Dairy Association wanted the videos to feel modern and inspiring, and to attract interest in dairy farming. JG Communication worked a lot with the concepts of “glorifying hard work” and “being a farmer is cool.”

Focus on the choices made by successful dairy farmers/Dairy farmers who believe in the future

For about a week, Jonas Persson, a photographer at JG Communication, and our reporter Katarina Hugo traveled around in beautiful Swedish springtime weather to interview successful dairy farmers. They asked them to talk about the investments they had made in their businesses and the determining factors behind the decisions involved.

Karin Hallgren, Director of Communications at the Swedish Dairy Association, says: “We wanted to create a sense of engagement and inspiration in the dairy companies of the future by showing them people who dared to try new things. I had a very clear idea of what I wanted the videos to convey, but even so, I was surprised when I saw the results. The production company really exceeded my expectations.”

Another video about the benefits of milk

The videos were shown internally at the association’s Annual General Meeting and externally on its website and on YouTube. Hallgren says:

“The videos were very well received when our owners met at the meeting, and right away we were asked to put them on YouTube. We’ll use the videos at our own events. But because we were so happy with our work with JG Communication, we’ll also add a video about milk and dairy products as part of a good, healthy, climate-friendly diet.”

JG Communication’s production team

Reporter and producer:
Katarina Hugo

Photographer:
Jonas Persson

Swedish Dairy Association website (in Swedish)

KPMG was set to launch a new website, and wanted to personalize the way it interacted with visitors to the site. JG Communication jumped at the chance to meet this challenge.

KPMG had just changed its brand profile, and its efforts to produce a new website were well under way. As part of this initiative, the company was looking for a new way to present itself and a chance to introduce the people behind the company. The next step was to decide which approach it should take.

KPMG decided that a series of videos was the best alternative, and it hired JG Communication to produce them. The assignment was to produce a number of videos that would not only present KPMG and its management team in a more personal way, but also attract more candidates to apply for jobs at the company.

Teamwork in focus behind the camera

The project was carried out in February 2011, led by Keika Lee, Proposal Advisor at KPMG, and Armin Dröge, Producer at JG Communication. Dröge says that close cooperation was one of the keys to the success of the project.

“Keika kept a close eye on everything and was involved in the entire process,” he says. “By holding regular meetings, we were able to make sure that the videos met the client’s expectations.”

Five videos that hit the target

The result was five well-received short videos that were uploaded to KPMG’s new website. When KPMG celebrated the launch of the new site, the company invited Dröge and Lars Holmquist, Account Manager at JG Communication, to the event. Lee says:

“The cooperation, from concept to finished product, was fantastic. All our contact with JG Communication has been highly positive, and it has been invaluable to get the engagement and response we’ve had. And everything was delivered on time.”

KPMG website

The Central Government Social Partners’ Council (Partsrådet) deals with development and renewal work on a daily basis. But when work needs to be done on its website, it prefers to hand the task to JG Communication.

The Central Government Social Partners’ Council’s website had been around for several years and needed to be adapted to the new organization’s objectives and the new graphic profile. JG Communication was given the assignment.

Emphasis on supportability and work tools

One key stipulation from the customer was that the new website had to help support the council’s local partners on the common core issues determined in the collective bargaining agreements. The website had to be a work tool for the council’s communication regarding these areas of work.

Starting from scratch

JG Communication’s assignment included producing structure and interaction design, graphic design, navigation and writing the technical specification, as well as helping to migrate the content from previous sites.

The new website, partsradet.se, was launched in 2010. It was more user-friendly with a completely new design and improved search options – an important change given the many articles, reports, project summaries, contact information and calendars that it contains.

The Central Government Social Partners’ Council’s website

In autumn 2010, Ericsson employees were asked to grade the company’s internal communications channels. They gave a good rating to Contact, and therefore also to Ericsson and JG Communication’s ambitions of publishing a modern feature magazine with items of current interest and in-depth articles.

In January 2007, Ericsson decided to review its internal communication channels. One of the goals was to reduce the distance between the management team and the employees to help improve the commitment level and instill a more positive feeling about the company.

At the center of this initiative was Contact, which had been Ericsson’s internal magazine since 1939. The question was how Contact could convey Ericsson’s goals in a way that was tangible, accurate and easy to read. Another issue was how it could be used to explain how each individual employee and unit could contribute towards the company fulfilling those goals.

The huge task of improving the magazine began immediately, and this included extensive input from the magazine’s readers – Ericsson employees. A work group that included representatives from the customer was asked to submit requests regarding the new internal magazine.

A readers’ survey conducted by JG Communication showed that there was still considerable interest in having strategic material that was directly linked to the Ericsson organization – especially regarding coverage of services, products and trends that drive business.

The survey also highlighted that there was a great demand for a broader range of material, such as personal portraits, industry reports, competitor analyses and feature articles that placed Ericsson in a larger context – in other words, a more journalistic product.

Ericsson and JG Communication published the first issue of the new Contact in January 2008. Employees received a magazine full of relevant content in a format inspired by publications such as Time and Newsweek. The new approach to dealing with images, headlines and texts created an interest and encouraged employees to read on. It became a sharper internal magazine with a more familiar and honest tone – in other words, it was fully in line with the customer’s wishes.

The accolades then came thick and fast. In its 70th year of publication in 2009, Contact won in the Best Redesign of a Staff Magazine category at the Guldbladet awards – an industry competition organized by the Swedish Association of Custom Publishers (Sveriges Uppdragspublicister) – and took the bronze medal in the North American Ozzie Awards for the Best Use of Illustration. In 2010, Contact won the Best Design category in the annual awards organized by the Swedish Association of Inhouse Editors (RIM).

However, the positive feedback from the readers in each subsequent internal survey has been even more important.

An overall print run of 65,000

JG Communication produces Contact, which is published six times per year in both English and Swedish. In 2010, the magazine had an overall print run of 65,000. Contact is one of several internal communication channels within Ericsson. The others are the Contact Online intranet, the electronic Contact Newsletter and the Contact TV video channel.

“A more familiar tone”

“A sober yet attractive design, more varied content and a more familiar tone all contribute to the facelift of the magazine. The spreads are carefully selected and reflect a cross-section of Ericsson’s global world. Despite Ericsson’s diversity, the publication conveys a sense of unity, belonging and commitment to a common goal. Purely and simply, the magazine has radically changed for the better.”

(The Guldbladet jury, 2009)

“A professionally designed magazine”

“The magazine is very professionally designed, clearly profiled and very coherent with clear strap lines, well-designed graphics and a pleasant range of contrasting colors. The design is well thought out from cover to cover, and gives a generous and substantial feel to the magazine which, despite containing a lot of text, is never gray or heavy.”

(The jury of the Swedish Association of Inhouse Editors, 2010)

Ericsson website

Ericsson wanted to bring the attention of software developers around the world to its Developer Program. Working together with JG Communication led to the production of the Susie’s Sushi video.

JG Communication’s assignment was to produce a video that would both inspire more people to use Ericsson’s software development kits and that would provide examples of how telecommunications functions can be useful additions to various IT applications. It also had to attract interest as well as being fun and modern.

The result was Susie’s Sushi – a film about a programmer who creates success for both himself and for a sushi restaurant by using Ericsson’s applications for ordering, payment solutions and location systems. The film is now on YouTube, as well as on Ericsson’s external website.

Customers enjoy the humor

Yanling Li-Strandh, Marketing and Communications Manager for the Ericsson Mobility World Developer Program, has used the film a lot and often shows it during presentations and events:

“Employees and customers get inspired and appreciate the humor,” she says. “The video goes against the blinkered thinking that sometimes exists within our company. We must dare to push the boundaries more, with common sense, and this video is one step along that road. We’re very pleased with the end result.”

Ericsson website

Relationship-building and increased sales were prioritized areas when the SSF (the Swedish Theft Prevention Association) asked JG Communication to build a website that conveyed the balance between its non-profit-making and commercial operations.

From vision to implementation

In November 2010, the SSF launched a new website with a new design, new information structure and a new publishing tool. The company behind the launch was JG Communication, which was responsible for the entire website project, from the vision through to the implementation phase. The project involved producing a structure and graphic design, navigation and writing the technical specification.

The assignment consisted of building a website that conveyed the balance between the SSF’s non-profit-making and commercial operations. Relationship-building and increased sales were prioritized areas.

Site visitors asked to help out

The customer also wanted to solve two specific problems: the existing website did not meet the requirements of the target groups; and visitors felt that trying to find the information they were searching for was a difficult and time-consuming process. This was also one of the reasons why users were asked to submit their opinions before the information structure was designed.

Anna Härenvik, Head of Communication at SSF, says: “We believe that the new website will make it easier for private individuals and professionals to quickly find useful information that will help make their home and work environments more secure.”

The new SSF website contains information on how to protect yourself and your possessions – both physically and electronically – as well as an online store, where you can order products to protect your possessions and make the job easier for those in the security industry.

The Swedish Theft Prevention Association’s website (In Swedish)