COPYWRITING
CREATIVE DIRECTION
BRANDING
PHOTOGRAPHY
WHAT MORE?
Hats off to you for finding your way here! My real name is Fredrik Silow, although my children’s friends stubbornly insist on calling me Mannen i hatten – the man in the hat. More on that another time. For now, let’s focus on what I can help you with.
One way to see me is as a tiny advertising agency that can handle most things. Another way is as someone who helps business owners, executive teams and entire organisations see and understand their own inner core more clearly: what makes you and what you offer special, meaningful and worth choosing.
The result is what I call a core concept: a simple model that helps everyone in the organisation work in the same direction, make better decisions, communicate more clearly, and build a stronger brand every day.
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A man with far too many hats. Could that possibly be useful – yet another flamboyant generalist? Not quite. I freely admit to an almost pathological need to learn new things and solve problems. Over the years that’s produced a very full hat-rack, each hat with its rightful place.
The tale of this particular rack begins some thirty years ago. Back then I was a science nerd who wanted to become an astronomer but ended up studying engineering. The academic hat never quite got finished, yet the parts still come in handy. Instead, my young creative ego was lured by advertising’s endless possibilities – and, if truth be told, its endless parties. As the wrinkles advanced, the parties dwindled. The hats, however, multiplied.
I’ve served time as a young graphic designer, spent a decade as an art director (a bit megalomaniac one) and then half a working life as a brand strategist and meaning-seeking copywriter, with an occasional stint behind a camera. Over the years, that’s grown into a whole stack of strategies, platforms, concepts, profiles, commercials, websites, apps and campaigns. I’ve been both happily employed and happily self-employed – valuable lessons from both sides.
Thirty event-packed years – through my own expeditions and my clients’ journeys – have shown me the reward of daring to take risks, and the cost of saying one thing while doing another. I’ve seen how easily a ship on an unpredictable sea can lose its course when every role isn’t crystal-clear, meaningful and adaptable to the situation.
A little over ten years ago life told me to start a family and strike out on a new trail. I put on all my hats and began climbing the mountain – this time to help companies find their keel, draw a map and compass and set the right course.
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Today, together with a few wise people I’ve met along the way, I help owners, leadership teams, and organisations articulate their purpose, define their arena, and describe the future they want to share – building a stronger strategy so they can set the right goals and start doing the right things. Then we craft communication that builds the brand and opens doors to business. The process is holistic, engaging, exploratory, educational and hands-on.
Out of it comes a tool that captures the company’s being in one simple model – a Core Concept. So: a full-body scan, a learning journey, a straightforward model to work from. Does it work? Ask any of the companies below. Day-to-day work runs more smoothly when everyone understands the direction, feels involved, and can act – without flipping through binders.
You’ve likely wondered why your firm has a sea of strategies, values, models, policies and manuals when no-one at the coffee machine can answer the fundamental question: “What’s the point of our company – and why do you work here?” If that feels depressing, take heart: you’re in good company, and nothing new needs inventing. The answers are already inside you; the pieces just need to be found and the puzzle assembled. That’s my purpose – to bring out yours.
Some friends, past and present:
1/ Branning, Kaptensgården, Uman Sense, Resursgruppen, Lunds Universitet, Byggfabriken, Malmö Stad, Headbrands, Inkonst, Appreciate People. 2/ Henri Lloyd, Senab, STCC, Wihlborgs, Rumrum. 3/ Brio Care, Brio Toy, Alga, Puma, Honda, Sembo, Gleerups, Tretorn, Tetra Pak, Isbjörnens Kaviar, Berendsen, Koenigsegg, Getraw, Campbells, MKB. 4/ Rörstrand, Colorama, Sjuhärad, Guldfynd, Högskolan i Borås, Salming Underwear, Onsalakorv.
1/ Direct client 2/ In collaboration with Storm
3/ At Top Dollar 4/ At Mecka
COPYWRITING
PHOTOGRAPHY
CORE CONCEPTS
Mannen i hatten & Storm
Since 2016 I’ve linked arms with Robert Nilsson of Storm. Sounds adventurous – especially for a man in a hat – and it has been. Together we’ve refined the power and business potential of the Core Concept. We team up on many larger assignments and tap into a shared network of specialists in communication, business development, HR and leadership.
A CORE CONCEPT,
THE MEANING OF IT ALL
IN A NUTSHELL
A Core Concept is, at heart, a simple, clear and unifying description of why a company exists, how it creates value and where it’s heading. It helps everyone understand their role and the organisation’s purpose, making it easier to decide, collaborate and build a strong brand.
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Isn’t a business plan or brand strategy enough?
Most firms overflow with documents, goals and strategies – yet few can answer: “Why do we (as a company) exist, and why do I work here?”
A Core Concept goes deeper than what you offer. It shows why you’re here and the difference you want to make. With that clarity it’s easier to:
Set the right goals and priorities
Foster engaging leadership and followership
Build a brand that actually matches reality
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A simple model that holds the whole company
Think of a walnut kernel: all the tree’s DNA in miniature. That’s a Core Concept for a company – a clear map and compass capturing your why, how and what. It consists of:
Purpose – why you exist and the difference you make
Vision – where you’re going and the future you want to share
Principles – how you move forward and what matters in your culture
Arena – whom you’re for and where you do the most good
It fits on a single page yet becomes a strong guiding star for everyone. Business goals, planning and decisions all get easier with a well-worked Core Concept.
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A “full-body scan” where the answers are already inside you.
A Core Concept isn’t dreamed up alone in a meeting room. It engages the whole organisation in investigative, learning and implementing work. We facilitate a process where we:
Map the current state – getting to know your business, culture and history
Highlight the unique – articulating why you exist and where you want to go
Set the frame – defining purpose, vision and principles
Manifest the concept – visualising everything in a simple, communicable model
Move from words to action – anchoring it in everyday life through concrete activities, goals and decisions.
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A sharper direction, a stronger brand and people who are truly engaged.
When the Core Concept is firmly anchored, everyone in the organisation understands why you do what you do and how to make it happen – so you set the right goals and focus on the right actions.
More specifically:
Everyone sees their place in the whole, which fuels motivation and initiative.
Choices and priorities come faster because you share a single compass.
A strong brand grows naturally – everything you do springs from a genuine purpose, not a pasted-on facade.
Talking with customers and partners gets easier, because you can spell out your mission and offering with crystal clarity.
Appreciate People, Henri Lloyd, Senab, STCC and Huski Wear are among the companies that have gained Core Concepts, copy and branding via our collaboration.
Curious how we can help?
Here’s one thing we can reveal.
Because a Core Concept gives a visual, instant aha of a company’s innermost business secrets and strategies, we can’t just show them off. Sometimes we get permission to explain how a firm works with its Core Concept, but we can always show how the work is done in practice – and we’re happy to share references and testimonials. Interested?