Yesterday evening Nikolaj Stagis appeared as a guest in the TV-programme Deadline on DR2 for a debate on authenticity. Together with lifestyle expert Christine Feldthaus and anthropologist Karen Lisa Salamon he discussed the nature of authenticity in the context of lifestyle and consumption. A relevant context indeed, however the outcome of the discussion was left in a blur as the concept of authenticity was never really discussed on an informed basis. Nikolaj tried to set the stage by defining that being authentic means finding and using your inner strengths in everything you do. Nevertheless, the definition was quickly angled in a way that explained authenticity through baking spelt bread and celebrating an old-fashioned way of life. A bit of a shame, if you ask me. 

Personally, I would have preferred that the discussion had concentrated on why and how we can become authentic and the value this will lead to. A person might reach happiness, harmony, self-esteem or inner peace for instance. Things that are difficult to measure, but makes quite a difference in life. 

In terms of giving the debate substance beyond spelt bread Nikolaj pointed out that authenticity is all about passion and "who you are" - not necessearily nostalgia, romance and "doing things the old-fashioned way". There are many ways for a person to become authentic. Being an entrepreneur for instance is a way to self-realization and doing what you are passionate about. 

Although the theme of the debate was focused on the individual, authenticity has the potential to make a similar difference for companies. And while the gain of an authentic lifestyle for the individual is mainly found in intangible values such as happiness and harmony, the benefits for the authentic company can be measured financially. LEGO is an outstanding example on how mobilising inner strengths can cause a radical turn-around. After years of trying to expand their product portfolio – e.g. into the textile and game industry – business was beginning to struggle from these new ventures. Only when the company went back to focus on their inner strengths - LEGO bricks – things started to improve rapidly. 

That angle would have taken the debate to a whole new level. Well, in my opinion anyway. But what do you think? Is dedication to spelt bread, paleo diet and living in the countryside the same as being authentic, or does the concept entail a wider definition?

Watch the debate on Deadline

The magazine Hotel&Restauration has published an article on authenticity in the industry of hotels and restaurants. Nikolaj Stagis points out that even though authenticity can seem a bit abstract it is really just a matter of companies being good at defining who they are and what they are good at. He mentions the Danish restaurant Noma and the Hotel Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok as excellent examples of truly authentic companies within the industry. Read the article or watch a video with Nomas CEO Peter Kreiner, who gave a talk at the launch event for "The Authentic Company" in February 2012.

With the office back in place, we would like to thank all the lovely people who dropped by to celebrate Stagis last night. Thank you for all the nice flowers and presents and a special thank you to the all the people who contributed with interesting perspectives on the recent 15 years of Stagis. 

Especially the kind words from some of our fantastic customers and partners made the evening memorable, and a short trip down memory lane with stories and anecdotes from the past 15 years with Stagis pointed out the strong ties and relations that makes Stagis go deep into the heart of companies and organizations. Lars Hargaard from OKI Printing Solutions told the story about how a grey color printer named 3400 became "OKI Identity" and how it was marketed as a piece of furniture that would fit an office or space in every possible color. Lars was quite surprised when he got the first prototype - his grey printer had turned into a ferrari-red designer-item. "There was a lot of talk about the market position and so on, and Stagis was quite secretive. But finally they unveiled this red printer and we really liked it!". Watch the case and a video. Birgitte Qvist-Sørensen told about her time at Helsingør Kommune where Stagis was involved in various design projects and Nikolaj Stagis showed a few glimpses from fifteen years passed. "It's hard to believe that fifteen years passed", he explained and talked about the development of Stagis in the year to come, when Stagis will turn 16. "The development of Stagis is dependent on the development of myself and the people that are in the company," he said. The evening also included a hula hoop show my Ms Mia which was quite fascinating. We enjoyed celebrating our 15th anniversary with all of you.

The Stagis team and I wishes you all a lovely weekend.

Over the past few months the largest bank in Denmark, Danske Bank, has been deploying a new strategy which involves cutting 2.000 jobs and closing some 75 - 100 branch offices. Today the CEO, Eivind Kolding, claims that the bank wants to "build trust". A statement that seems rather difficult at a point in time where most customers experience severe increases in financial expenses, and can expect a lower level of service in a near future. 

Casper Vorting and Nikolaj Stagis at the conference Autentisk vækst (“authentic growth”) at ARoS art museum in Aarhus May 24th 2012

Last week we did a great event in Aarhus called "Autentisk Vækst". The presenters at the conference were Winnie Johansen, professor in corporate communication at Aarhus University, Casper Vorting from Bøgedal Brewery (Bøgedal Bryghus) and Jette Orduna who is in charge of LEGO Charity and LEGO Idea House at LEGO Group.

Casper and Jette were there as representatives for two of Denmark’s most succesful companies in terms of defining the authentic identity of the company and driving their business forward. They both shared stories of the continuous development of their business’ authentic identity.

Casper Vorting would never use ad campaigns to market his products. “That would go against the authenticity of my business” he says. But he realizes that no business can survive without staging itself somehow.

Bøgedal Brewhouse’s success comes from the image that Casper has created of Bøgedal in his network of buyers. Only the best restaurants and wine merchants in Denmark and abroad sell beer from Bøgedal. They have all bought in to the story, the craftsmanship, the presence, the organization and the process that is Bøgedal. What's important here is the fact that the "story" is not just something Casper invented in order to tell a story and market his product. He actually does what he believes in and one the concerns of his partner, Gitte Holmboe, during the first year the brewhouse was built at their farm house was, whether Casper would ever finish building it, start brewing and actually get the product out in the market. His inspiration and motivation seemed to be the process of the ingredients and the primitive brewing process, not the marketing, the business or the customers. And that's what makes Bøgedal such a great brand! You could say they are introvert, but that secluded life, almost 'secret' to the public, has an enormous attraction and that it is this code of authenticity which drives the stories told by sommeliers and wine merchants.


Jette Orduna from LEGO Group shared the story of the crisis that LEGO experienced some years back. The crisis that was threatening the LEGO company in 2003 and 2004 forced the management group of the company to go through a change process with the goal of rediscovering the company's authentic identity. This process helped LEGO restore confidence and credibility among its customers and adult fans, called AFoLs. What these two examples so brilliantly show are that companies need to focus on their own inherent strenghts and not on opinion polls. If a company only aims to satisfy the interests of its surroundings, then that company’s identity becomes unclear and its credibility diluted.

I think one of the key learnings of the day was that the management of the company must explore inner strenghts of the company and use these to drive development and growth.

The conference on authentic growth ("Autentisk vækst") at ARoS art museum in Aarhus was held May 24th. Some 70 managers and business students attended the event and the following networking session.

Our next event on The Authentic Company:
On June 12th Copenhagen Business School and Stagis will jointly host the conference “The authentic company” at Copenhagen Business School. The speakers are professor Majken Schultz and myself. Read more on stagis.dk (Danish conference and website)

"Inspiring and sympathetic management book with analysis and cases of international quality and scope." This is how the danish newspaper Politiken starts its review of Nikolaj Stagis' book The Authentic Company. Politiken uses hearts as a rating system, and the book recieves five out of six hearts from the reviewer, Kresten Schultz Jørgensen.

Here is a short extract of the review in Danish:

”Inspirerende og sympatisk lærebog, hvis analyse og cases har internationalt vingefang. Man fatter jo ladestokken og strammer kuglen helt nede i løbet ved mødet med endnu en bog om ”autentisk” kommunikation. Som Henrik Marstal så rigtigt analyserede begrebet i Politikens kronik 17.2 er ”autenticitet” pr. definition en relativ størrelse, en kamelæon, der kan bruges til at betegne næsten hvad som helst afhængigt af sammenhæng. Så hvad i alverden, kan man spørge, vil en tænksom kommunikationsmand som Nikolaj Stagis med en bog udgivelse om den autentiske virksomhed? Grave et spadestik dybere med en øvelse, der faktisk lykkes med en gennemarbejdet og klog bog om et begreb, man sagtens kan grine af, men som ikke rigtig kan undværes (…)
Bogens kommunikationsprojekt er en linedans: Forfatteren redegør for, at vi lever i postmoderne tider, hvor beskueren insisterer på at have ret, og hvor spin og overflade dominerer. Svaret er ifølge Stagis, at virksomhederne – hvis de har noget at byde på – i stigende grad søger indad efter identitet og de vandbærende lag. Dér ligger, i en verden af mediestøj og markedsanalyser, muligheden for at fremstå autentisk”.

On April 18th Stagis is hosting DDA Bar in cooperation with Danish Design Association (DDA) in Stagis’ office in Kompagnistræde, Copenhagen. The event is themed around architecture and design, and the speakers professor Kristian Kreiner, Copenhagen Busines School and Nikolaj Stagis, CEO Stagis will each provide insights on the idea of authenticity as a way of developing the design agency and it's ability to compete - even under a strict set of rules.

Professor Kristian Kreiner is on the verge of publishing his book “Dialog og konkurrence” (Dialogue and competition) on architectual competitions. At the event, he will discuss the need for designers with an approach based on autheticity in today’s design competitions. His argument is, that is has become more and more common that competitions today are so organized, that the creative aspect of design is suffering.

The event will be concluded with networking and refreshments from Bøgedal Bryghus (Boegedal Brewery). Sign up for the event on DDA’s website.