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Creating Future-Focused Brands

I help progressive brands grow by understanding people, their behaviors, motivations, and tomorrow’s expectations. My work turns deep consumer insight into strategies and concepts that strengthen both brand and business, blending insight, strategy, and activation into one seamless process.

I grow brands & business through insight-driven strategy & activation

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Fredrik Ekström

Founder & Brand Strategist

Brand strategist and consumer behavior specialist.  With 20 years across brand leadership and agencies, I help companies grow by understanding consumers and turning that knowledge into strategy, concepts, and communication that create commercial impact. 

I grow brands & business through insight-driven strategy & activation

Brand strategist and consumer behavior specialist.  With 20 years across brand leadership and agencies, I help companies grow by understanding consumers and turning that knowledge into strategy, concepts, and communication that create commercial impact. 

About
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Fast-track insights and
strategies with sprints.

In a 3–4 week sprint, I align teams around key insights from the reports, sharpen brand direction, and turn insights into action. Each sprint is tailored to your challenges, whether launching a campaign, shaping a go-to-market plan, or defining a long-term strategy.

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Insights & Strategy

I help brands grow by turning consumer understanding into clear strategic direction, from research and archetypes to positioning and the foundations of your Winning Game Strategy.

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Concepts & Activation

I bridge insight with creativity to bring your strategy to life. From long-lead concepts to seasonal campaigns, I help brands create work that connects with people and drives commercial impact.

The Complete 
Winning Game Strategy

A consumer-led brand playbook designed for action. The Winning Game Strategy turns insight into direction and direction into execution built around four steps: mapping, alignment, planning, and activation. It helps brands move from planning to performance with clarity and confidence.

Insights: Houdini

Insights: Houdini

Consumer Mapping and Archetypes

New Report: Germany

New Report: Germany

The NXT Consumer Report Germany

PR: Norsk Industri

PR: Norsk Industri

PR, Press Event, Publicity Norwegian Outdoor brands

Strategy: Houdini

Strategy: Houdini

Winning Game Strategy, Global Brand

Insights: Gore-Tex

Insights: Gore-Tex

Strategic Consumer Insights, Global Brand

Strategy: Velosophy

Strategy: Velosophy

Winning Game Strategy, Global Brand

Strategy: Weekday

Strategy: Weekday

Brand Builder Concept, Global Brand

Strategy: Tretorn

Strategy: Tretorn

Ghost Net Project, Global Brand Concept, NPD

Strategy: Tretorn

Strategy: Tretorn

SAREK eco-apparel, Global Brand Concept, NPD

PR: Samsung Nordic

PR: Samsung Nordic

Arctic Circle Trail Nordic PR Concept test trips

PR: Tretorn

PR: Tretorn

Nigel Cabourn Collab

PR: Samsung Nordic

PR: Samsung Nordic

In-house PR Manager and Strategist

PR: Samsung Nordic

PR: Samsung Nordic

Power of 5 - Nordic PR and influencer activation

Concept: Weekday

Concept: Weekday

FW23 Global Brand Campaign: Class of not giving a F_ck

Strategy: Tretorn

Strategy: Tretorn

Eco Essentials Brand Sustainability Concept

Concept: Weekday

Concept: Weekday

SS24 Global Brand Campaign: Elevate Everyday

Concept: MONKI

Concept: MONKI

SS24 Global Brand Campaign: Antidote to Boredom

PR: Samsung Nordic

PR: Samsung Nordic

Nordic PR Concept NFT Art Festival OtherLands

Strategy: MONKI

Strategy: MONKI

Global Winning Game Strategy

Strategy: Ejendals

Strategy: Ejendals

Three brands, Brand Platform and positioning

Real results,
by insight-led strategy

I work with progressive lifestyle brands across outdoor, sports, fashion, and F&B, helping them strengthen their brand, grow their relevance, and move with the consumer.

PR: SAMSUNG WATCH 5 PRO

INSIGHTS: GORE-TEX, GLOBAL BRAND

STRATEGY: HOUDINI, GLOBAL BRAND

Things in the Spotlight

Explore a selection of projects that are in the spotlight right now

A more agile way
to build brand & strategy

With me, you get senior thinking without the overhead, agile processes, clearer direction, and work that moves from insight to activation without silos.

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Deep Consumer Insight

I help you understand what drives your audience today and what shapes their decisions tomorrow.

Strategic Clarity

I translate insight into clear direction, positioning, concepts, frameworks, and roadmaps that teams can act on.

Hands-on Execution

From marketing and PR direction to campaigns, concepts, and activations, I bridge strategy with activation for real impact.

Fast, Flexible Collaboration

No big teams, no friction, just senior expertise, a high pace, and clear outcomes.

Get Expert Advice
with A Free Consultation

Whether you’re launching a new product or struggling with marketing results, getting a bit of guidance can make all the difference. 

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My free 1-hour consultation offers tailored consumer strategies, market insights, and brand advice to support your decisions.

Consumers Insights & Strategy

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Unlock your marketing potential with a free marketing/PR consultation, including activations, marketing, and PR tips.

Concepts & Activations

The NXT Reports 

My Future Series research program, The NXT Reports, reveals emerging behaviors, values, and future expectations, giving brands a clear, data-driven foundation for strategy, innovation, and communication.

The NXT Consumer Germany

The report is a consumer research and trend report. It is a collaboration between studio MM04 and Above The Clouds—Future Series, a quantitative research study of 1300 respondents focusing on preferences, aspirations, status, and anxieties related to sustainability and consumption. 

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The NXT Outdoor Consumer Nordics

The NXT Nordic Outdoor Consumer 2025 is a consumer research and trend report based on quantitative data from a national representative base of 2500 respondents in Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Denmark and interviews of 27 brand representatives from Nordic outdoor brands.

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The NXT Sustainable Consumer Nordics

The NXT Sustainable, Nordics 2024 is a consumer research and trend report targeting sustainability aspirations, barriers, and paradoxes, based on quantitative data from a national representative base of 2500 respondents in Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Denmark.

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Around The World

I speak at conferences and industry events across Europe, sharing insights on consumer behavior, branding, and sustainability. My workshops turn data into clear direction, helping teams understand what’s changing and how to act on it.

The Business Case for Nature: Together with Dan Yates at EOCA, European Outdoor Conservation Association, presenting a keynote and workshop on how to make nature-positive thinking part of business growth and consumer trust.

Outdoor Impact Summit, Munich

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From Sustainability Fatigue to Cultural Relevance. Sustainability isn’t dead; it’s just been misunderstood. Unpacks the emotional paradox modern consumers face and explains how brands can win them back through consumer-centric, insights-based messaging.

CPH Fashion Week, Copenhagen

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How do we win the future outdoor consumer. Based on The Future Series Report of 3800 Respondents focusing on consumer needs through knowledge of aspirations, trends, triggers, and barriers. 

European Surf Summit, Seignosse 

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News / Beyond Nonsense.

My editorial space for insights, trends, and thought leadership. Here I break down the signals shaping the future: from consumer shifts to sustainability, culture, the outdoor and fashion markets, all with a sharp, no-nonsense perspective.

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Let's Connect & Collaborate

I offer a freelance consultant service where you as a client get the benefits of in-depth expertise across a number of specialty areas without having to increase your permanent staff or contract a full size agency.

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Let's Connect & Collaborate

I offer a freelance consultant service where you as client get the benefits of in-depth expertise across a number of specialty areas, without having to increase your permanent staff or contract a full size agency.

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