Branded

I'm exhausted this evening after a whirlwind few days at work. We're heavily into both the brand project and the Web site project now, and the meetings and decision-making process are getting really interesting. I'm not sure how much I'm allowed to talk about the Bonnier brand on this blog, so I'll skip revealing any details of the strategy, but I will say this: The more we dig into the facts of the company history, the values we stand for, and the direction we're heading for the future, the more I can honestly say that I feel really good about working for an organization I believe in. Everyone who has approached this project from the outside (consultants, Web design people, our creative agency) has in some way commented that they expected us to be a boring, stodgy old publishing company and were really amazed to discover how progressive and interesting Bonnier is.

I know it's incredibly corny to be cheerleading about my workplace, but just take off your cynical hipster hats there for a second, cool kids, and hear me out.

One of the most meaningful things about this gig for me has been the fact that my specific circumstance (being a random employee in the U.S. who got plucked out of a magazine to work directly with the head honchos in Stockholm) is a direct validation of one of our key brand values. We like to say we care deeply about entrepreneurship and opinionated individuals, how we're not hierarchical and how good ideas can come from anywhere in the company. Lots of companies say things like that, but I feel like I'm living proof that that's true at this one. For instance, today, I sat for three hours in a meeting with two of the top people at Bonnier and a couple of guys from one of the best brand consultancies in the world, and we hammered out the foundation of our new corporate brand strategy. According to my resume, I had no business being in that room, but I got invited because somebody liked my ideas. Believe me when I say I could have been anyone—I guarantee that if Lollo the receptionist had expressed a solid branding idea, she could have joined in, too, and I think that's pretty damned inspiring.

I spent the rest of the day putting together a PowerPoint of the concept and rough designs for our new Web site, which Niklas and I will present in a meeting with Bonnier's management group tomorrow. Fingers crossed that they like our ideas... We think they're very strong, but if these six key people don't agree, it could be back to the drawing board.

Rah! Rah!