Open Communications challenges Hyper Island students to reinvent brand storytelling for the digital age

Students create brand storytelling recipes for Volvo Cars, The Gap, Blackberry and Reebok in an innovative workshop.

STOCKHOLM – In today’s fragmented digital landscape, it’s easy to see why companies are struggling to tell their brand stories in honest, engaging and coherent ways. Should brands co-create content with consumers and morph into whatever people want them to be, or keep a tighter grip over their brand experiences? How do you strike the balance between control and collaboration?

These are just a few of the questions posed by international marketers at Open Communications AB, an independent brand consultancy, to 78 Interactive Art Directors at Hyper Island, the acclaimed digital school based in Stockholm, Sweden.

In an intensive half-day workshop, students were challenged to find innovative ways to keep brand stories alive, reach modern consumers and cater to short-term attention spans. The spotlight was turned onto four brands currently under pressure: Volvo Cars, The Gap, Blackberry and Reebok.

Watch the video of the workshop here.

“It’s simple: content is king and anything that’s irrelevant or uninteresting will be ignored,” says David Gray, Founder and Creative Director of Open, who led the workshop with Richard Hammond, VP Business Development.

The workshop challenged students at Hyper to deliver strategies for the post-advertising world. How do you keep a brand story alive in a compelling way using platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest – without being watered down or losing your way?”

Breaking into six groups, the students set out to determine how “controlled” or “collaborative” their respective brands were, or how they ought to be positioned. They were asked to analyze brand stories and suggest suitable interactive communication channels to bring them to life. To make their point, Gray and Hammond donned boxing gloves and “fought” each other in front of the students, taking opposite sides of the issue in a simulated boxing ring.

Students point the way for Volvo
The winning team, which chose Volvo Cars, concluded that Volvo needs to update its long-standing emphasis on family and safety. The students suggested that the company redefine luxury in a more “toned down” Swedish way, noting that Scandinavian design is still appreciated worldwide. They also suggested that Volvo try to collaborate with Google in China and emphasize modern family values, with the car providing innovative real-time safety and other interactive features.

Many small steps for Reebok
As for others brands, one group suggested that Reebok stop trying to copy Adidas and focus more on its heritage. Here the focus could be on “the many small steps” that can be done to maintain a more natural and fun approach to fitness.

The Gap - own different eras
It was suggested that US clothing retailer, The Gap, should play on its heritage extending back several decades and make different year themes for the different floors of its department stores. This suggestion was combined with a novel range of interactive tools.

“It was truly a pleasure to work with the students and see how engaged they became,” says David Gray, who sees a great need on the international stage to explore new approaches for brand storytelling.

“Today brands are not so much competing against each other as they are with filmmakers, writers, entertainers and other types of creative content providers. So a workshop like this is a good way of finding an integrated, interactive solution.”

For further information, please contact

David Gray, Founder & Creative Director
Open Communications, Stockholm
Tel: + 46 708 24 22 58
Email: david@open.se

David Gray is the American-born Founder, Owner and Creative Director of OPEN, with experience working on such brands as Absolut, IKEA, H&M, Bentley, Ericsson, Virgin and Electrolux.

Richard Hammond is the British VP Business Development of OPEN and former Senior Group Account Director for GYRO/HSR with experience from brands like Chrysler, Heinz, Blackberry, Samsung and more. He previously ran his own internationally focused agency in London.