We help companies see, live and express their authentic brand identity. Come see us, read our book or invite us to talk.

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We create purposeful brands

We are a strategic brand agency with a narrow focus on identity and a wide set of skills. We help private and public companies, organizations and cities transform into purposeful and relevant brands.

Every company has the potential to develop a strong brand and strategy that will help the company develop, grow and prosper. We help you make that transformation from the inside out, as we strongly believe that you have to know who you are and act in line with it.

The most vibrant and successful companies use their heritage in a meaningful way, they have a strong purpose and they are extremely good at communicating who they are

Read our book and learn from the strongest brands

The Authentic Company teaches how to use the inherent strengths of your company to develop strategy and transform your business into an authentic purpose brand.

Nikolaj Stagis has interviewed the CEOs and owners of some of the world’s most successful brands, who are lead by their purpose and authentic identity. René Redzepi from Noma talks about redefining Nordic food and the journey to worldwide recognition. Jørgen Vig Knudstorp from LEGO, Jan Ryde from Hästens and Federico Minoli from Ducati share insights from rediscovering the inherent potentials of their companies and how they used them to attract talents, strengthen their image and grow a healthy business.

This Danish bestseller provides you with theory, tools and inspiration for reinventing your brand and transforming your business from the inside out.

Stagis' project is both inspiring and sympathetic. In noisy times, companies have every reason to look inwards for the fundamental values that can be justified historically or ethically - and which are actually not up for discussion.

Kresten Schultz Jørgensen
Communications advisor

The authentic company is an exciting work that asks the manager to look inwards instead of spending time on market analysis and excel sheets.

Henrik Ørholt
Reviewer and business commentator

How to create authenticity in companies is still in its infancy, but Nikolaj Stagis fills in many gaps with his insightful book. Pay special attention to his words: Find your company's authentic identity and help it live out its inner strengths

B. Joseph Pine II
Author of The Experience Economy, Authenticity and Infinite Possibility

How do we focus on developing our business by focusing on the internal strengths? The book's many tools for the journey is an absolute advantage, which can be used both by the organization's leaders, HR department, or marketing and communications department.

Henrik Jørgensen
Reviewer and business commentator

There is no contradiction between thinking reflectively and be commercially oriented in ones actions. There is no contradiction between using the past actively and influencing the future. Much thinking in the management literature works with simplistic opposites. This book does the opposite. It demonstrates how many of the leading companies become authentic.

Majken Schultz
Professor at Copenhagen Business School

Authenticity may seem like a vague idea. However, as Nikolaj Stagis strongly demonstrates a company's ability to understand and express itself can have a significant impact on both employees and customers. Authenticity is the essential source of relevance and success.

Dr. Nicholas Ind
Author of "Living the Brand"

It is always essential to provide added value for the customer, when you want to grow your business. To create value and an authentic position in the market, you have to understand the company's authentic identity. This is the best book ever written about organizational authenticity.

Jan Ryde
Owner and chairman of the board at Hästens

Buy the book Read about the book

Book us to facilitate your strategy process

Are you developing new strategy, renewing your brand, defining the purpose of your company or increasing your employee engagement? Book Nikolaj Stagis to organize and lead your process.

We assisted the Danish Ministry of Culture in conceptualizing, planning and facilitating their annual 24-hour summit for some of the most influential directors, board members, politicians, and artists within the field of culture and the arts. When the city of Kolding needed a new vision, we led 600 local participants through a four-hour workshop about the city’s future vision and transformation.

We organize conferences and give talks

Are you organizing a conference or need an inspirational talk for your company’s development process? Book us as event organizer and Nikolaj Stagis as speaker or facilitator. We do 30-minute inspirational sprints and 24-hour seminars for organizations such as HP, Danske Bank, Novo Nordisk, and Folkekirkens Nødhjælp. Our talks provide tools for creating purpose, inspire your brand through cases and raise challenging questions that help develop your company and leadership.

Book workshop or talk

Really useful and concrete Breakfast Briefing. Good structure and explanation of why purpose is so important. Good cases and last but not least good advice and a process on how you best get started.

Malene Kjær
Vice President, Global Marketing, Uhrenholt A/S

It was a really interesting and relevant talk that got us thinking how we can work with our purpose and strengths.

Participant
Innovation talk at Danske Bank

The Breakfast Briefing really started some thoughts on how we can work with a relevant and attractive purpose. Great examples from cases. Nikolaj Stagis is talented and inspiring!

Gitte Bergø-Enkebøll
Product Manager & Portfolio Marketing Lead, Diversey Danmark

Why authentic brands are attractive brands

Why are we drawn to authentic brands and how do you express your company's inherent strengths? Nikolaj Stagis presents his inspirational book The Authentic Company at the launch.

Creating inspiring and distinct city brands

As host and speaker at the Danish City Branding Conference, Nikolaj Stagis explained how to transform cities into ambitious and popular brands.

Mission

We believe a corporate brand is not just a mark or a concept – it is the very nature, behaviour and expression of the company. We are fascinated by authentic companies who have a clear purpose, who serve that purpose by their actions and lead the way for others. These companies inspire their employees, customers and fans to make the world a better place. At Stagis we want to help companies to become authentic brands through our diverse services.

We help companies see, live and express their authentic brand identity through development of organizational culture, corporate design and communication

Vision

Our vision is to help companies, organizations and places to develop their authentic brand identities. By doing that we are creating better work places, sustainable services and businesses that do good. We want to become a large team of brilliant strategy and brand consultants who work around the globe. We help our clients answer the essential questions: Why are we here and who are we?

Our history

The history of Stagis started in Odense in 1997, where the company was founded by the only 20-year old Nikolaj Stagis. Take a trip down memory lane and explore the highlights from 20 years of transforming businesses and brands.

20-year old Nikolaj Stagis founds advertising agency

After just one year as a creative at a local ad agency, 20-year old Nikolaj Stagis establishes Stagis Advertising Agency in Odense and hires the first employee, Ida. The original idea was to create advertising that reflects the soul of the corporation and focuses on corporate visual identity.

Digital solutions early on

Stagis was developing digital solutions early on, and designed the logo and website with a full online shop for Friluftlageret.

Introducing Randstad temping agency in Denmark

Sejersen Vikar is acquired by the world’s third biggest temping agency, Randstad. Stagis helps with the company’s transition from Sejersen to Randstad, and introduces the Dutch agency through several campaigns that express its fundamental values.

Increased media attention

The article “Advertising-adventure in the backyard” raises media attention, and results in two new clients: University of Southern Denmark and the City of Odense.

Stagis recruits creatively but face the dot-com crisis

Stagis’ recruiting campaign “He jumped” gets national attention and attracts several national and international talents. But later that year, the dot-com crisis results in staff being cut and the year ends with a million deficit.

Moving from Odense to Copenhagen

Despite the economic crisis, Stagis stays in business, and move from Odense to the pulsating Vesterbro in Copenhagen. Freelancers are hired to offer more diverse brand services. The new structure proves to be financial, practical and provide a creative advantage.

Less advertising, more communication

The company introduces a new name and visual identity. The name Stagis is introduced, loosing "Advertising" as a deliberate move to avoid associations to traditional advertising. The new Stagis focus on brand identity and two-way communications between the company and its stakeholders.

Creating a documentary with Nobel Prize winner

In collaboration with The Danish Art Council, Stagis creates the documentary “Fairytale Shadows” starring the German Nobel Prize awarded Günter Grass. The documentary generates massive attention from the press, and helps promote Danish children's literature internationally.
Learn more about Fairytale Shadows

Introducing the corporate blogging in Denmark

All employees start blogging and Stagis is featured in a number of magazines and newspapers, regarding the corporate potential of blogging. Stagis becomes a first mover in creating dialogue between organizational members and the outside world.
Visit our journal

Authentic brand identity method on formula

Nikolaj Stagis writes the thesis “Authentic organisational identity – between action and meaning”, which presents the process of mapping the organisation’s authentic strengths. Stagis become known for focusing on authentic identity as a foundation for brand development.

OKI printer brand becomes all fashion and style

OKI strengthen their position in the market by transforming its ordinary grey printers into a design product, promoted in fashion and interior magazines and stores. Stagis transformed the OKI brand from delivering simple office products to talking about interior and style.
Read the OKI case

Transforming the image of Danish bus drivers

To change the internal pride and the external image of the Danish bus drivers Stagis undertakes a four-year change program. Developing "Movia Academy", creating hundreds of events, initiatives such as “bus driver of the year” and a massive press effort gave the profession a new image.
Read the Bus Industry case

Claus Hempler opens Stagis Museum

Stagis celebrates its new corporate museum, which highlights 15 years of helping clients achieve their potentials. The museum functions as an inspirational space, showing visitors who we are and reminding employees of fundamental principles.
Read more about the museum

Doubling applicants for CBS master program

By identifying the strengths and changing the strategic and visual communication of the MMD master program at Copenhagen Business School, Stagis helped doubling the number of applicants. Through a combination of events and press communication we expressed the new identity of the program and attracted executive professionals.
Read the CBS case

Winner of the Danish Communications Award

Stagis wins the prestigious award “KOM-prisen” for best professional communication effort in Denmark. The award is given for changing the image of the Danish Bus Industry. Through a massive effort, the internal pride of the bus drivers was strengthened, ensuring better service and improved reputation.
Read about Stagis receiving the award

Launching The Authentic Company book

Nikolaj Stagis’ book The Authentic Company is released. The book explains how to find the organization’s inner strengths to support the strategic development of the company. Cases with world leading organizations such as BMW, LEGO, Absolut, Noma and Ducati illustrate the idea.
Get your copy of the book

National city branding conference

Half of the Danish municipalities gather to talk about city branding at the event Kommunebranding13. Among the speakers are the international brand guru Wally Olins, and head architect at BIG David Zahle. The city branding conference becomes a yearly event, with different themes and acknowledged speakers each year.
Learn more about branding cities

New purpose and brand for Hedeselskabet

Hedeselskabet’s brand identity is redefined for the first time since 1984, and Stagis develops a new purpose and visual brand, which creates value in an increasingly digital society. The clear brand strategy, visual concept and digital solution support the brand and subsidiary businesses of the Hedeselskabet group.
Read the Hedeselskabet case

Inspirational meetings combines knowledge and art

A new series of meetings called Re:garding is introduced, offering different themes with cultural, financial, aesthetic or human perspectives. Speakers such as Birgitte Henrichsen from A.P. Moeller Maersk and editor Lars Damgaard Nielsen from DR are some of the many speakers who have provided inspiration.
Join our next event

Transforming companies to purposeful brands

The board and employees of Stagis develops the company’s 2020-strategy, and a new brand promise rooted in Stagis’ history is defined: “We transform your company into a purposeful brand. We discover your inherent potentials and help you live and express your brand. We deliver purpose-driven growth.”
Read the brand promise

Celebrating our 20 year anniversary

Stagis celebrates 20 years of transforming organizations into authentic and purposeful brands. Clients, neighbors and other friends came by to celebrate this memorable landmark in Stagis’ history.
See the photos from the celebration