Creating Demand through Marketing To earn value, we must first create it. To create value, we must understand the consumer. It sounds simple. But for most brands, it’s not. We talk endlessly about capturing demand. About nurturing leads. About staying top-of-mind. But that’s not driving business; that’s chasing it. But real growth happens earlier. It happens when we create new value. When we challenge what value even means in the first place.

For a long time, “sustainability” has been treated as a product feature or a brand/campaign theme. But when diving into The NXT Consumer Germany 2025, the dream sustainability brand from a consumer perspective looks very different. It’s no longer defined by how green it sounds, but by how human and inclusive it feels. Today, consumers decode sustainability through a wider lens. When asked what makes a “sustainable dream brand,” Germans don’t start with carbon footprints or

What if you could unlock months of strategic work in just a few weeks? That’s the idea behind My Creative & Strategic Sprints, a fast, focused, and insight-driven process that helps brands make smarter decisions without the weight of a full-scale strategy project. Because let’s be honest, not every brand needs a 100-page strategy deck or a six-month agency retainer. Sometimes what you need is clarity: a way to align your team, sharpen your direction, and turn ideas into acti

Most brands know the outdoor consumer isn’t one group, yet the way they segment is still too simplistic: urban vs. nature, lifestyle vs. activity, everyday vs. hardcore. These divisions ignore the deeper drivers, emotions, and behaviours that truly shape decisions. Without understanding those nuances, strategies lose relevance and brands lose credibility.

Future Fatigue: How brands can help consumers out of climate paralysis

from the Transformation Conference with Scandinavian MIND during Copenhagen Fashion Week and CIFF · Copenhagen International Fashion Fair to the EuroSIMA European  #SurfSummit in Seignosse, the Scandinavian Outdoor Group (SOG) Networking Days in Stockholm, and the European Outdoor Group (EOG) #OutdoorImpactSummit in Munich together with EOCA European Outdoor Conservation Association.

In this contribution for "Beyond Nonsense," Fredrik Ekström, founder of Above The Clouds, explains why German consumers are demanding proof over promises. Drawing on The NXT Consumer Germany 2025, he shows how outdoor and sporting goods brands must move from slogans to substance if they want to earn lasting trust.

Ipsos 2025 reports that 70% of consumers now prefer to buy products made in their own country. A huge shift, especially for global lifestyle brands. In our Above The Clouds x studioMMO4—The NXT Consumer Germany—report, when people were asked what characterizes a “sustainability dream brand,” only 3% mentioned that local production characterizes a brand towards being a sustainability dream brand.

In this contribution for "Beyond Nonsense," Fredrik Ekström, founder of Above The Clouds, explores how second-hand has shifted from a sustainability paradox to a mainstream business case. Drawing on fresh data from his “The NXT Consumer Germany 2025”, he shows why resale is no longer just a niche choice but a growth engine for sporting goods and outdoor brands.

Together with The Federation of Norwegian Industries, we gathered around 50 journalists, experts, and outdoor profiles for an evening dedicated to #innovation, #sustainability, and #outdoor #culture. Eight Norwegian brands presented their latest innovations—from unbreakable snowshoes developed for NATO by Rottefella AS and the new Traverse fjellpulke designed for expeditions and families by Fjellpulken FÂR Norway AS , to heritage knives and axes from Øyo AS since 1882, or ReB