Some Copenhagen train stations have recently added a sign to their escalators which tells travelers where to stand. (The principle is simply that you stand on the right and walk on the left, so people in a hurry don’t have to fight past dawdlers.) But the translation may confuse more English speakers than it helps.

Stand right? What is the wrong way to stand?

Companies in the United States and Canada are increasingly including Twitter and Facebook experience in their job posting requirements. Advertising, marketing and communications agencies are looking for people with a flair for social networking. And some business that are looking to gain instant, cost-effective exposure are hiring bloggers and project managers to build their brand image through Wikis and social media.

Of course, it’s ironic that many companies on the hunt for Facebook skills are still worrying about poor employee productivity levels due to the site…

This fine article on Brand Channel looks at the reasons behind the success of some Scandinavian brands. Interestingly, the article moves freely between Nordic and Scandinavia, often lumping Finland and Iceland into the Scandinavian region. So why is this interesting?

This shows that outside the Nordic countries, most people don’t understand (or care about) the difference. But many Nordic countries do. In fact, many Danish companies are keen to stress their Danish roots. Why?

My guess (and it’s no more than that) is that it’s done for two reasons: (1) national pride; and (2) the first market most Scandinavian companies export to when they start to expand is within Scandinavia.

This is fine within Scandinavia. But when companies begin to market themselves further afield, the country-specific focus loses power. Scandinavia has a reputation. It’s a ‘brand’ people associate with a trust. The same can’t always be said for Norway, Denmark or Sweden.

So why tell someone you use Danish design and not that you use Scandinavian design? By saying Danish design (or Swedish or Norwegian) you have to educate the consumer about what this is. But if you go for Scandinavian, the consumer already has a feeling for what you are referring to - and this creates an emotional link to whatever product or service you are selling.

To get an idea of images the word ‘Denmark’ conjures up in the minds of an international audience, you could check out the informal survey in this article.

I’ve just read yet another recommendation on LinkedIn where someone said that their colleague could “think outside the box”. This must be one of the most common phrases in recommendations about people and in job ads. It’s become a cliché, and, as George Orwell and many other great communicators have said, you should use clichés with great caution. However, I also think it misses the point.

What people often mean is “come up with new ideas” or “think differently”. For people with even the slightest interest in creative thinking - and this is surely most people - then coming up with new ideas about anything that interests them is not hard. The challenge is coming up with ideas that are relevant and that have a good chance of actually working - if not tomorrow or next week, then in one, five or ten years. Whether it’s for an ad campaign, a business strategy, or a new product, a great visionary idea is one that might seem far-fetched, but the steps towards it are clearly definable and achievable.

For me, “thinking out of the box” is too simplistic and doesn’t imply the ability to understand fully the situation. So next time you’re preparing a job ad and you want to write that your new colleague should be to “think out of the box”, think again. What do you really want from them?

In Brandchannel’s article celebrating the success of top Nordic brands, it’s excellent to see that this part of the world is not forgotten. Although, I am disappointed to see that Denmark doesn’t really get much individual attention. There’s much more to Danish business than Novo Nordisk and LEGO! But Barry Silverstein is probably right in concluding that Sweden takes the honours as the top Nordic provider of international brands.

Silverstein talks about some powerhouse brands that have demonstrated what can be done with the right combination of determination, vision, business skills, world-class marketing and, of course, luck. There’s no doubt about the quality of design, technical skills and business nouse that Scandinavians can bring to their brands. But does anyone else realise this? Underneath the top performers, there is a whole layer of brands that have so much potential, but have yet to fulfill.

One thing that stands in their way is their ability to find and tell the compelling story that resonates with audiences around the world. Too often, the stories are overshadowed by misplaced modesty, inappropriate messages and technical specifications.

From my own intimate knowledge of Danish business, and years of gathering impressions about Danish brands from people around the world, I see a big gap between what Danish, and perhaps Scandinavian brands as a whole, can actually deliver, and what others think they can deliver. Many brands are in the fortunate position of being able to deliver much more than they promise. So if this gap can be closed, not only will more Nordic brands rule, but the region could become a true international commercial center of excellence.

One of our good friends was lucky enough to go to last week’s Roskilde Festival, one of Europe’s biggest music festivals. Unfortunately, mass communications is not always at the forefront of organizers’ minds and a few amusing and confusing mistakes were spotted.

- Apparently, you could buy a burger with “ox meat” in it. (Danish: oksekød?!)
- There was a stall with washing machines that promotes washing clothes at 30 degrees and, unfortunately, (Novozymes should know better!) a big sign inviting people to do their “landry”. That one had us scratching our heads for a good few seconds.
- On another notice about the effects of global warming, some animals are apparently facing “extination”. Is that across between extinction and extermination?

We wonder if the official language is Danglish?

(Mandy, thanks for sending these to us!)

The UN Climate Change Conference will be in Copenhagen in December, bringing together leaders from 192 countries in an effort to solve the world’s climate issues. But will ordinary citizens have any influence on preceedings?

Hopenhagen would like to think so. And a postive influence at that. Created by the UN and the International Advertising Association, it hopes to create a global community that will lead our leaders into making the right decisions.

Simply visit the site and add your message of hope to the list.

Recently I was invited to Iceland to talk at a conference about the country’s image, in particular in relation to its current financial struggles. The conference was hosted by the Trade Council of Iceland, the Public Relations Society of Iceland, the Icelandic Tourist Board and others. I was one of several speakers, foreign and local. (Read a report about the conference.)

One of the highlights of the conference was the announcement of the results of a survey about the image of Iceland as a travel destination. In the following weeks, some travel websites reported on the survey findings.

Here are links to some of them:
enewswire
Icenews
Holiday Hypermarket
Travelmole
Travelbite
Opodo

As you’ll see, some of these reports attribute the survey to Eye for Image. However, I’d like to put the record straight by saying that the actual survey carried out in Denmark, Germany and the UK on Iceland as a travel destination was carried out by the Icelandic consultancy, ParX Business Consulting.

My own contribution to the conference was to give an “outsider’s” impression of the brand of Iceland based on what people and media around the world had been saying. I carried out my own research and media monitoring in the weeks leading up to the conference. I then offered some perspectives on what this might mean to the brand of Iceland as the country looks to recover from its struggles.

Despite the confusion about who did the travel destination survey, I was quoted in several news reports. And I can confirm that I did say these things!

If you’d like to know more, you’re welcome to get in touch with me.

This story about Neils Yard Remedies (NYR) is a valuable lesson in online PR, especially for companies with green credentials. NYR is a British company that specialises in natural remedies and organic skin and body care products - and a company that should, almost by definition, score highly on the green stakes.

NYR agreed to take part in a Q&A session on the Guardian newspaper’s website - part of a series called You Ask, They Answer. The line of questioning soon focused on NYR’s stance on alternative medicines, in particular a previously withdrawn homeopathic malaria remedy. Amazingly, NYR refused to answer questions on the topic and eventually pulled out of the debate. But this did nothing to calm the flames.

The silence left by NYR was filled with negative comments from readers - and soon other blogs, like this one, had picked up on the situation. NYR’s stance is surprising, not least because it leaves the debate one sided, fanning the flames of negativity.

But more importantly perhaps, green credentials go hand-in-hand with honesty. Companies are like people. If they make a mistake and ignore it, you may not trust them again. But if they make a mistake, and show us that they have a way to remedy it, we tend to trust them even more in the future.

We choose a ‘green company’ because we trust it to be doing the right thing - and for that trust to continue, the company must be open, especially about mistakes.

We always ask our customers what unique selling point their product has. What can it do better, faster, simpler, cheaper or more efficiently than the competition. But sometimes the answer is, “We don’t really have have one. All the products on the market are pretty much the same.”

I recently came across this quote from Joel Raphaelson about parity products and thought I’d share it:

“In the past, just about every advertiser has assumed that in order to sell his goods he has to convince consumers that his product is superior to his competitor’s.
This may not be necessary. It may be sufficient to convince consumers that your product is postively good. If the consumer feels certain that your product is good and feels uncertain about your competitor’s, he will buy yours.
If you and your competitors all make excellent products, don’t try to imply that yours is better. Just say what’s good about your product - and do it a clearer, more honest, more informative job of saying it.”