Forfatter: Cathrine Pierce

When was the last time you challenged your own practices?  

The willingness to rethink and reimagine is what makes communication such a powerful force for transformation. 

It was also a theme that came to life in our recent Morning Focus. We were joined by Ruth Siri Espedal Lycke, Head of Communications, Life Cycle at Aker Solutions, who gave us an inspiring answer, showcasing how internal communications is more than a function, it serves as a spark for culture change. 

Ruth brings decades of experience spanning journalism, corporate communications, and internal culture building. Her passion for storytelling and employee engagement shone through as she shared the evolution of Aker Solutions’ Life Cycle, a bold initiative designed to activate employees and build a culture of continuous improvement. 

Communication as a Tool for Change 

For a global company like Aker Solutions, with over 4,000 employees across offices, workshops, and offshore teams around the world, connecting people is no small task. Rising costs and the demand for efficiency meant the organisation needed to engage its teams in meaningful ways that went beyond standard corporate messaging.  

Ruth explained that traditional best practices like polished corporate emails, and top-down directives, no longer resonates in today’s fast-paced environment. She quoted Adam Grant: 

“A lot of your best practices were built in a world that no longer exists. Instead of clinging to them, you need to look for better practices.” 

This mindset led to the creation of the Life Cycle, a 15-minute live event every Friday. With the goal to spark dialogue, share improvements, and make employees feel like active participants in shaping the organisation’s current and future operations. 

Power of Playful, Inclusive Communication 

Ruth emphasised that successful internal communication doesn’t require huge budgets or advanced multimedia skills. What matters is creativity, commitment, and management buy-in. Additionally, Aker Solutions took full advantage of the opportunity to be playful internally by incorporating AI animations, a theme song, and creative brand elements. This helped to connect with employees in a way that was approachable and relatable. 

Life Cycle features a panel of diverse employees each week, offering different perspectives on topics ranging from technical solutions to people-centred achievements. This format has been particularly effective for geographically dispersed teams. The approach also encourages vulnerability and courage: success isn’t guaranteed, but attempting new methods fosters trust and engagement. Since its inception, Life Cycle has attracted 300–600 attendees per week, and managers are now starting to integrate the content into team meetings and in workshops to broaden participation. 

Perhaps the most impressive outcome has been the increase in employee ownership and initiative. Staff are now proactively reaching out to leaders like Pål Eikeseth, EVP Lifecycle, with suggestions to improve processes. This is a clear indication that communication can directly influence business performance and operational efficiency. By leveraging communication strategically, Aker Solutions has turned storytelling and employee engagement into tools for driving operational excellence.  

Ruth emphasizes that Communication is an enabler for driving cultural change and a support for leadership. Still, it is the direct communication between leaders and employees in meetings and leadership actions that has the greatest impact. 

Morning Focus 

Networking and peer focused events, like Morning Focus, are invaluable for communication and marketing professionals as they provide a space to pause, reflect, and learn from innovative leaders who are challenging traditional practices.  

The session reminded us that courage and creativity are the building blocks for bold communication strategies. And bold communication has the power to transform how organisations operate. For those in internal communications, the insights Ruth shared are immediately actionable: from creating inclusive formats to experimenting with playful storytelling. 

If you missed this session, don’t worry – Morning Focus will return in November.
Stay tuned for updates!

Big industry events can feel like a game of visibility: who has the biggest stand, the flashiest booth, or the boldest giveaway?

But here’s the truth – to really stand out it’s not all dependant on your presence on the show floor.

By adopting a clever mix of creativity, visuals and a well strategized deployment plan, a wider campaign can help you get the best return on your investment.

With the right mix of digital tactics, you can take your exhibition messages and campaigns beyond the show floor. Let’s explore why and how you can bring in your wider audience and ensure your brand gets noticed, beyond your physical stand.

Why invest in your digital presence?

Investing in your digital presence helps boost your brands visibility at a strategic time. Before, during and after the event, as well connected campaign builds credibility, drives engagement, and creates more measurable opportunities for growth.

Importantly it drives people towards your owned platforms, whether that is your stand or your website.

With exhibitions you never know who is going to pop by your stand, but digital campaigns deliver more specific results:

• Pinpoint targeting – reach only the audiences that matter
• Trackable ROI – get the data on what’s working
• Lead generation – build connections beyond the event week
• SEO lift – boost your visibility long after the show
• Guaranteed eyeballs – have your name seen beyond the physical stand
• Smarter spend – options for every budget
• Use repurposable content – create talking points by using videos, interviews, and articles that keep working for you. It is important to remember that content is not a ‘single-use’ item. Develop insightful content and it can be used repeatedly across different platforms and spark conversations when they matter.

What tactics should you consider?

Here are some top tips for boosting your digital presence and gaining brand awareness beyond the show floor. All of these can be deployed during events to connect and extend your message:

Own the spotlight with video interviews

Step into a professional studio, sit down with an industry editor, and walk away with a polished interview that runs on a top outlet.

Go hyper-targeted with digital campaigns

LinkedIn, Google, Schibsted in Norway – wherever your customers spend time, you can be there too. Define who you want to reach, set the budget, and let precision campaigns do the heavy lifting.

Make news travel further with sponsored articles

Got something important to say? Place it directly in front of your audience during the conference. Speak with the media sponsors of an event and ensure your updates land with the right people at the right time.

The takeaway

A physical stand might look impressive but supporting it with a connected and strategic digital presence gives you additional opportunity, flexibility, and quantifiability. By choosing the right mix of media and messaging, you can push your brand beyond the show floor, reach the right people, and make your event budget work harder for you.

If you’re an international company looking to enter Norway, visibility matters. But it needs to come through the right channels in a way that builds trust. In Norway, earned media still carries significant weight. It remains one of the most effective ways to establish credibility with investors, local partners, and future employees.

So how do you get covered by a respected outlet like Dagens Næringsliv, Teknisk Ukeblad, Aftenposten or a regional newspaper? And does this kind of media coverage matter?

Norwegians Still Read Traditional Media Outlets

Norway has one of the highest rates of news readership in the world. In 2024, 58 percent of the population read online newspapers. Among university-educated Norwegians, 80 percent follow the news daily, and 90 percent weekly.

And they are not just reading passively. Forty percent pay for online news subscriptions, placing Norway at the top of 47 countries surveyed by Reuters. Trust in media also remains high with 55 percent of Norwegians saying they generally trust what they read[1].

Positive media coverage therefore offers a unique opportunity to increase awareness and trust for your company. If you have something meaningful to say, your audience is listening.

A Different Kind of Storytelling

What often earns media attention in the UK or US, like grand announcements, bold personalities, headline-chasing angles, may go unreported in Norway. Norwegian media tends to prioritise stories that have local or national relevance. Public interest, economic impact, and policy alignment often take precedence over company promotion. Praise is measured and claims are examined carefully.

A recent BI study highlighted the subtle influence of Janteloven (the Law of Jante) in Norway and how it encourages media scrutiny on ventures that fall short, debt and failed projects. The Law of Jante is a social code that discourages individual success and standing out, promoting humility and conformity instead.

As a result, celebrating company successes are rare, unless the success positively affects the country or a local economy [2].

That doesn’t mean good news is ignored. But for your company to be featured, your story must offer something concrete. Norwegian journalists look for clear connections to the local economy, jobs, technological innovation, or the energy transition. A press release on its own won’t be enough. So, think about how you can build out the story to include interview opportunities, provide data to back up the story. Of course, good imagery also helps.

What Makes News, and What Doesn’t

Media interest tends to grow when your story includes investment in local communities, knowledge-sharing partnerships, or demonstrable benefits for Norway’s energy ecosystem. Journalists appreciate transparency around risks and outcomes, realistic projections, and a tone that avoids hype.

An example is when we collaborated with UK based BIG Partnership to manage local media activation for their client STR, announcing the opening of their new Norwegian facility. The result was a well-rounded media footprint that delivered exactly what STR needed: visibility in key outlets that matter to their industry and community. Coverage was secured in Energi24, Maritimt Forum, Haugesund Avis, and Radio Haugalandet, offering a blend of trade credibility and local resonance.

This media activation shows that when the framing is clear and the relevance is strong, international companies can gain meaningful visibility in Norwegian news outlets.

Want to Be Featured in Norwegian Media?

At Project Neon, we can help you tell your story in a way that fits the Norwegian context. We work closely with international companies to clarify their message, identify relevant outlets, and shape stories that speak to Norwegian values and priorities.

We guide you on tone, timing, and approach. We help you focus on what matters to local readers, from innovation and job creation to long-term contributions to the sector you operate in.

We are based in Norway, but our experience is global. We understand the expectations of both international executives and Norwegian journalists, and we know how to bridge that gap. Done right, media coverage can do more than raise your profile. It can open doors to new partnerships, signal long-term commitment, and build trust with the people holding the power to shape your current or future investment in Norway.

That’s what we help can you achieve. Not with spin, but with real stories that resonate.

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[1] https://www.ssb.no/kultur-og-fritid/tids-og-mediebruk/artikler/norsk-mediebarometer-2024

[2] https://www.bi.no/forskning/business-review/articles/2022/01/skal-vi-fa-mange-suksessfulle-grundere-ma-det-bli-kult-a-feile-ogsa/

This month, Stavanger’s Gladmat Festival returns. Drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors and over 100 food exhibitors. For brands, it’s more than a festival. It’s an opportunity to build connections and relevance.

This isn’t just clever branding, it’s high-ROI strategy. When brands create cut through and align with memories, they drive loyalty, seasonal sales, and lasting relevance. The result? Long-term revenue growth.

For CEOs, the message is clear: strategic marketing isn’t a cost – it’s a competitive investment. Being remembered beats being seen. And being chosen beats both… So as Gladmat is preparing for its 2025 festival, here’s a few examples of how food brands have created cut through:

TINE: The ROI of Showing Up Where It Matters

Since 1998, TINE has been more than a dairy brand – it’s been a fixture of childhood summers through TINE Fotballskole. By backing local football programs across Norway, TINE didn’t just sponsor a holiday activity, the brand became part of growing up.

Tens of thousands of kids wear TINE-branded kits every year, turning casual matches into meaningful brand moments. But the real value lies in consistency: TINE shows up where its core values- childhood, health, and community -naturally live.

This is grassroots marketing done right. Hyper-local, emotionally resonant, and long-term. The result? A brand trusted not just for its products, but for its presence.

Kvikk Lunsj: The ROI of Ritual

Since the 1930s, Kvikk Lunsj has positioned itself as fuel for the outdoors,but it’s on Norway’s snowy trails that the brand truly delivers. Wrapped in its iconic red, yellow, and green stripes, it’s become as expected on a ski trip as wool socks and a thermos.

This isn’t just nostalgia, it’s strategic marketing. Kvikk Lunsj has embedded itself into national habits, making the leap from product to ritual. It’s not a chocolate bar you buy; it’s one you pack. By aligning with lifestyle moments and showing up consistently, the brand earns loyalty, seasonal spikes, and long-term relevance-proof that memory builds margin.

Food is universal, across markets and cultures. Creating cut through with events is not just limited to Norway.

KFC Japan: The ROI of Cultural Opportunity

In a country where Christmas isn’t traditionally celebrated, KFC saw white space—and filled it with fried chicken. In 1974, the brand launched its now-iconic “Kurisumasu ni wa Kentakkii!” (“Kentucky for Christmas!”) campaign, positioning KFC as the festive meal for families without set traditions.

This wasn’t just clever—it was insight-driven. The campaign tapped into a cultural gap, offering a joyful, shared experience at a time of year centred on togetherness.

By aligning its brand with a new cultural ritual, KFC didn’t just boost seasonal sales—it created one of the most successful examples of brand-led tradition building. The result? Market dominance every December and decades of emotional resonance.

What B2B Brands Can Learn from the Food Brand Masters

Although food brands are B2C, strategic thinking and learnings can be applied across sectors.

In our core markets (energy, maritime, aquaculture and technology), the stakes are high and the audience’s niche. However, the principles of standout brand building remain the same:

• Be present where it matters: Just as TINE shows up in grassroots football, B2B brands can connect at industry events, training programs, or through long-term community involvement. Visibility is strongest when it’s connected with relevance.
• Build rituals, not just recognition: Kvikk Lunsj turned chocolate into a cultural habit. What moments define your customers’ routines? Find them. Own them.
• Spot the cultural gap: KFC in Japan didn’t wait for permission to be part of the holiday season, it created the moment. B2B brands can do the same by spotting unmet emotional or operational needs and creating category-defining responses.

In a crowded market, standing out isn’t down to luck, it’s built with strategy.

In recent years, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors have gained significant importance across all industries. As the world grapples with the challenges posed by climate change, there is increasing demand from consumers, investors, and wider stakeholders for sustainable practices and transparency. The Energy Industry in particular faces scrutiny and often backlash in this area, which only makes the need to communicate positive change stronger.

In this blog post, we will explore the significance of ESG messaging in the energy sector and discuss strategies for crafting impactful messages that drive positive change and foster sustainable transformation.

What is ESG in simple terms?

ESG stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance. It is a framework to evaluate a company’s or investment’s sustainability and ethical impact.

• E: The “Environmental” aspect focuses on how a company’s activities impact the planet, such as carbon emissions, waste management, and resource usage.
• S: The “Social” aspect assesses the company’s impact on society, including its treatment of employees, community relations, and diversity policies.
• G: The “Governance” aspect evaluates the company’s leadership, transparency, and adherence to ethical practices.

ESG factors help investors and stakeholders understand a company’s overall impact beyond financial performance to promote sustainable and responsible business practices.

Understanding the power of ESG Messaging:

By effectively conveying their ESG initiatives, organizations can build trust, enhance their reputation, attract investors, and gain a competitive edge. But before you can begin to craft compelling messages, you must ensure that the organisation is doing ESG activity or has a strategy to address it. With ESG initiatives in place you can then communicate it in the best way. Here are some key aspects to consider:

Aligning with Stakeholder expectations:

Successful ESG messaging begins with understanding the expectations of various stakeholders. Conduct research to identify the specific ESG issues that matter most to your target audience. Engage with customers, investors, employees, and communities to understand their concerns and aspirations. You can create a stronger connection and foster a shared purpose by aligning your messaging with their values and ultimately use their insight to ensure the overall initiatives are inline.

Authenticity and transparency:

Authenticity is paramount when it comes to ESG messaging. Stakeholders are increasingly adept at spotting greenwashing or insincere efforts. Organizations must demonstrate a genuine commitment to sustainability and transparency to build trust. Communicate your goals, progress, and challenges. Embrace transparency by disclosing relevant data, performance metrics, and third-party verifications. Engage in open dialogue with stakeholders to address concerns and showcase a willingness to improve. Everyone is on an improvement journey in relation to ESG and it’s best to communicate the journey, even if you haven’t reached the end goal.

Highlighting impactful initiatives:

Showcase your efforts in renewable energy generation, energy efficiency, emissions reduction, and resource conservation. Highlight social impact initiatives like community engagement, diversity and inclusion programs, and employee well-being. Illustrate how good governance practices, ethical behaviour, and responsible leadership are embedded in your organization’s DNA.

Tailoring the message:

Like all aspects of eeffective communication, ESG messaging needs to be adapted to suit different communication channels and target audiences. Utilize a multi-channel approach, leveraging social media, corporate websites, sustainability reports, and press releases. Tailor your messaging to resonate with diverse stakeholders, using language and narratives that align with their interests and values. Use compelling stories, visuals, and case studies to illustrate the tangible impact of your sustainability initiatives.

Collaborating for greater impact:

ESG challenges are complex and require collaboration between energy companies, and other industry stakeholders. Emphasize your partnerships and collaborations to showcase your commitment to driving collective action.

Overall

Crafting effective ESG messaging in the energy sector is not just about public relations; it is a vital pathway to drive sustainable transformation. By aligning with stakeholder expectations, embracing authenticity and transparency and tailoring messages, energy sector organisations can convey their commitment to sustainability and build a better future.

At Project Neon, we understand the importance of crafting effective ESG messaging that aligns with a company’s mission, values, and ESG goals. We specialize in helping companies develop and refine their sustainability narratives, ensuring they resonate with stakeholders and drive positive change.

Hi, my name is Steinar, and I am Senior Communications Manager at Project Neon. I’m here to ensure that our clients are visible in the media, driving communication initiatives and help positioning companies where they want to be in the industry conversation and public perception.

Thinking back, I can easily determine that reading was the gateway to the communications profession. And in many ways, literature has informed my lifetime career choices as I have had a distinctly non-linear career path, from journalism to bookseller and IT project manager and back to communications.

As a kid, the school library was my secret paradise. An expat kid in Africa and Asia, I was painfully shy and slow in making friends. As we normally did not get together with other children on the weekdays, I spent a lot of time reading in the library. It was all children’s adventure series of course, stuff you just devour at a certain age. I am still teased by family for being spotted in gym class on the football field, calmly reading a book some distance behind the opposing team’s goal…

In my teens, I discovered two other passions that have defined my career: Photography and computers. While many people are more into the technical side of these subjects, I cared deeply about what I could create with a camera or a computer. Diving into film photography (at that time) and basic computer coding, I really enjoyed the creative side of making images or code that fulfilled a purpose.

My first published story was in the inflight magazine for Thai Airways, a whimsical account of a train ride in Myanmar. A thrill, but not a livelihood. I found that at a small local paper in Northern Norway. The job was all-round journalist/photographer, and the paper was known for investing as little as possible in a young staff willing to work long hours. I loved it, and I learned every aspect of local journalism. Other media jobs followed, but after 10 years in the media landscape in Norway had shifted a lot.

Then, one night, I was out drinking beer with a photographer buddy.

At a neighbouring table, I picked up a conversation on a local bookstore that was for sale. Rushing home, I broke the news to my wife, also a journalist. Three weeks later, we signed the contract and became the owners of a 125-year-old bookstore, straight out of “Notting Hill”. Less the beautiful movie stars, of course.

A typical choice for restless me, where the unknown beckons and I follow the Pippi Longstocking motto: “I have never tried that before, so I think I should definitely be able to do it.” But being a business owner is a whole world of different challenges. Suddenly, you’re the one in charge and can make all the decisions, and just as suddenly you are responsible for a whole lot more money and financial commitments than you used to be.

But the fun parts outweigh the serious bits. I used my computer knowledge to start Norway’s third internet bookseller from our kitchen table. We invited authors to do readings and special appearances, we had bun bonanzas to serve customers some days, and we had kids coming in with their parents to find just the right first book they would be able to read on their own. I loved opening the shop, pausing on the front step to look up and down the pedestrian street, smell the crisp seaside air and wonder what the day would bring.

My interest for the benefits computers bring, as later has morphed into a professional stint as an IT project manager for an international IT consultancy. I have my views of the downsides of digital in many arenas, but I am proud to have worked on a host of digitalization tools that make public services more accessible and help businesses profit. As usual, my digital focus is on the benefits of the tools rather than the technology itself.

This is also something I bring to communications management. I prefer to cut through the fluff and highlight the benefits of an initiative or technology in practical terms and what it does for the people and companies using them.

But sitting at a computer is not what I prefer to do outside office hours. I enjoy being physically active, preferably outdoors, either on a racing or offroad bike, or rock climbing and hiking. I also do quite a bit of DIY and redecoration work, along with some finer woodworking and cabinetry in my workshop. Add an extended family and interests for photography, international news and literature to this mix, and you can appreciate that life is busy! I do occasionally hit the couch, but end up being bored after an hour.

– Steinar