In autumn 2023, Hedengren Security launched a branding exercise, which resulted in the company defining its own brand personality. Read how the fascinating, two-fold brand personality was created and why it so accurately describes the company's activities!
According to Marghita Viita, Hedengren Security's Marketing Manager for Security Technology, the aim of the branding project, which started in November 2023, was to clarify the company's brand and at the same time create a brand video for the company.
The branding and strategy work, which started with the help of professionals, inspired the Hedengren people to take a deeper look at the values and drivers behind their own activities.
The invisible becomes visible
The company's brand personality was explored through four different areas. What differentiates a company, how it responds to the trends around it, what makes it relevant to customers and what gives it credibility. The evaluation delved deep into the company's purpose, its products and its people.
"When our specificities started to become clearer, we started to concretise the brand personality by mirroring it with brand archetypes and brands of well-known companies," says Viita.
And then came the surprise. Surprisingly, Hedengren Security had a lot of the same characteristics as two very different brands and the archetypes that describe them.
"According to the analysis, our brand personality is a mix of outlaw and everyman archetype. In the analysis, outlawry linked us to the Harley Davidson brand and everymanism to the Ikea brand," says Viita.
An outlaw who values freedom
Although the archetypes and example brands seemed a little surprising at first, on closer inspection the choices proved to be insightful and reflective of reality.
The lawlessness was explained by the company's way of going against the mainstream.
"We do not build closed ecosystems like the big players in the industry, but favour open interfaces and free integration. We also stubbornly do product development domestically and invest in systems that are sustainable from generation to generation," says Viita.
At the heart of outlawry was the idea of freedom. For Hedengren Security, freedom means freedom of choice based on open product development.
"Our customers can build the package they want according to their needs and their budget, without having to compromise. The openness of product development also creates opportunities for stakeholders and helps the whole industry to evolve," Viita sums up.
A reliable everyday expert
In Viita's opinion, the yoke and the everyman attitude also describe Hedengren Security's activities well.
"Like Ikea, we represent a wide selection, one-stop service and strong everyday expertise. Cost-efficiency, proximity and good availability are also important customer values for us," says Viita.
According to Viita, this is based on similar customer and market knowledge gained from long experience.
"Both customers know what they are buying. The customer relationship is based on equality and straightforward cooperation, and there are no extra hidden costs for the customer when making purchases," says Viita.
There is also a security aspect to being an everyman - the business is transparent and stays with the customer for years and decades to come.
Brand video sums up the mission
The brand persona also clarified the company's mission. It created a red thread in the company's brand video.
"We already knew our mission from practice, but the branding work made it even more succinct. We want to create freedom and help our customers avoid compromise," says Viita.
The only thing that Viita thinks could have used more visibility in the brand video is the company's responsibility.
"In the definition process, you always have to make choices. Maybe we will make environmental awareness and sustainability work the main theme of our next marketing video," Viita smiles.
Watch the company's brand video: