Our Values
Like most businesses, we have a set of values. These, however aren’t built on a series of corporate buzzwords. We agonized over these for… well, too long, but, as you’re probably beginning to understand by now, that’s what we’re like.
Grit
You know when you’re up against a tight deadline and you’re working on something and you know there’s a quick and dirty path, or, an easy (but incorrect) answer to a problem, we don’t take it. We stick with it, until the thing which makes your heart go “yes!” presents itself. We chase that, because it’s always worth it.
Positivity
Whether you’re joining us as an account director, developer, creative or project manager is irrelevant, the point is, try always to come with a positive mindset. Whinging and moaning never got anyone anywhere. That’s not to say we expect everyone to run around like Gary Vaynerchuck on speed. More what we refer to is a quiet willingness to work together, to push forward and face adversity with as much grace and enthusiasm as you do your successes, which leads nicely onto…
Humility
The bottom line is, we’re a team. When we present work, we present it together. No man (or woman) is an island. Don’t worry, you’ll get the recognition you deserve for doing great work, as we encourage regularly letting your teammates know when they’ve done something brilliant. Don’t be afraid to congratulate others, just try not to congratulate yourself too much????. Be kind. Be gracious.
Growth Mindset
Now we don’t want to get too ‘woo woo’ here, but this is really about maturity. About being able to listen to peers and learn from the things they tell you – but also, from other experiences. We all admit, we’ve been doing this for 20 years + but every day we learn something new and find a way to use that knowledge in the next thing we do. None of us know it all, we’re all still students, really.
Collaboration
This was touched on earlier – but being able to act as part of a team is vital. It’s important to know where your strengths lie and be honest about your weaknesses. You’re already through the door, we won’t lambast you because you drop on us you don’t know how to find your way through Confluence. A willingness to show your inabilities is as strong as your ability to demonstrate your strengths – because when we know where you need help, we make sure you’re supported. It takes bravery, so be brave and share the load.
Accountability
Because we all work from our various parts of the world, this business is built on the trust of the team. Each individual is trusted to get their job done. When and where you do that is largely up to you – but the important part is, you get it done. You take responsibility for all that is assigned to you and if things go wrong (as they sometimes do), you hold your hands up, accept it and find a way to fix it. And if you’re stuck, see above.
Style
You know what we were saying earlier about not being fashion junkies? When we talk about style, this is exactly what we’re referring to. This is not about looking great, it’s about having your own ‘way’ of being. We all have a personal style – whether you’re lighthearted, down to earth, or an ethereal stargazer : for some that’s more readily demonstrated than others, but here is a place where we encourage that to come out. Be who you are. There’s nothing more cool and stylish than someone completely comfortable in their own skin.
A Note from our Founders
Dear Friends of Sweden,
The past few weeks have been a time for listening and reflection. We firmly stand with the Black Lives Matter cause and condemn the injustices inflicted upon George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Mike Ramos, Ahmaud Arbery, Eric Garner, David McAtee, and countless others. It is also vital that we raise our voices and take action to fight for economic equality, equal opportunity & representation, and criminal justice reform.
Our past silence makes us complicit in the injustices that have been inflicted upon people of color and the LGBTQIA community for far too long. While our company is small, we feel it is our obligation to give back for all the privileges that have been afforded to us. We need to take accountability for any ignorance we’ve taken part in, and look at our own misses when it comes to equality and diversity.
To support this mission we plan to:
- Donate to Black Lives Matter and other organizations that are committed to causes like police reform and opportunity creation for BIPOC in the creative industry.
- Invest in diversity and sensitivity training for us and our team.
- Update and practice our company values and codes of conduct until we can be sure we have a positive and inspiring culture.
- Ensuring that our team members better represent the diversity in our society.
- Offer pro bono services to Black-Owned Businesses that are experiencing financial hardship due to Covid-19.
- Support our hard-working team by declaring Juneteenth a company-wide holiday, as well as encouraging more mental health days to reflect upon the current unrest in our country. (more…)
A New Look for Eco-Conscious Jewelry Brand, Alex and Ani
Sweden Unlimited is excited to kick off our new project with eco-conscious jewelry brand ALEX AND ANI! Migrating from Magento to Shopify Plus, we will be working to design a refreshingly new digital experience for the brand’s e-commerce flagship site.
Partnering With DIY Beauty-Regimen Favorite Lashify
Sweden Unlimited is excited to begin our work with the cult-beauty brand, Lashify, to support them with retained services – including leading design and development initiatives for their e-commerce flagship. We will be focusing on enhancing the UX, UI, and creative direction of the site, while also enhancing their overall digital brand aesthetic.
Running Your E-Commerce Business in the Age of the Pandemic
With physical stores closed and much of our population at home indefinitely, digital is, for many, the gold channel available to business owners as a consistent revenue source.
Outside of implications to overall business, with clear impacts on physical channels, supply chain, fulfillment/logistics, there will also be many implications that vary by industry to the digital business as well. The expected sales cycle is gone and unknowns abound. The best and right response is unclear and the new normal is to be determined. However, and as Kevin Roose wrote in his piece for the NYTimes:
But if there is a silver lining in this crisis, it may be that the virus is forcing us to use the internet as it was always meant to be used — to connect with one another, share information and resources, and come up with collective solutions to urgent problems. It’s the healthy, humane version of digital culture we usually see only in schmaltzy TV commercials, where everyone is constantly using a smartphone to visit far-flung grandparents and read bedtime stories to kids
The Coronavirus Crisis Is Showing Us How to Live Online – Kevin Roose for the New York Times
First and foremost, the emphasis on customer service must extend beyond just clients and customer relationships to encompass a more humanistic approach as a whole. With that being said, thinking through a few key areas as it relates to how we partner and things that we should discuss as a team is key to moving through next steps, with success and strategy.
Lead With Empathy
In times of crisis, marketing shifts from transactional to a mastery of creative and messaging. In all that you do, look less at being consumer-centric, and more to being human.
- How do your policies line up with your brand pillars?
- Where do we pause, where do we keep moving?
- How do we creatively generate content within this new reality?
- How do we pivot the content calendar?
Strengthen Your Community
While customer acquisition may be non-existent for the time being, your current customer base is pivotal. Loyalty can be earned or broken in these times. This is the time for brand marketing, over product/transactions.
- What are the brand pillars that we can lean into in this time?
- How do we humanize our community, bring in personal touches?
- Are there web features and offerings that should be prioritized to build loyalty and engagement?
- What are the appropriate messages related to our brand versus extra noise?
Use This Time to Learn
While conversion rates will temporarily slip, and feature launches and tests may fall flat within this non-normal, how do we use time to analyze, reflect, and strategize for future scenarios.
- What can we do to gather more information about the customer?
- How can we start to build predictions about future behaviors?
- What are the untapped opportunities within the digital experience?
- What has not been working that needs to go?
- How can we evaluate and understand stickiness on the website, especially mobile, as visits will lean even more away from desktop?
At Sweden, we are also rethinking how we manage and service our clients to be an even more strategic partner in this time and provide clearer communication and transparency around our work and results. More to come in the coming weeks, and more communication, on how we will be your partner through this challenging time, and beyond.
Welcoming LAGOS to the Sweden Family
We’re very pleased to be working again with luxury jewelry brand LAGOS as they replatform their site from Magnento to Shopify Plus.
A New Partnership with the James Beard Foundation
We are beyond thrilled to announce a new partnership with the James Beard Foundation and exciting new digital content project launching soon.
Agency Promotions: Paul Trinchero
We are pleased to announce the promotion of Paul Trinchero to Product Director.
As Project Director, Paul will be responsible for leading our Project Management practice and ensuring that we, as an agency, are doing our very best to deliver the best possible service to our clients. Paul’s ongoing demonstration of Sweden’s core values and as well his skills at displaying empathy towards both team members and clients have made him the natural choice for this important role at Sweden.
