Swedish entrepreneur rethinks advertising – brings media company to top
After starting with a small team of eight, N365 Group CEO Johan Rikner has seen his company quickly grow to become one of the most well-respected names in Swedish media – and in under four years. The vision behind N365 is simple: combine prior experience and know-how to help fill a lucrative gap in the market.
It all began in 2011. Then marketing manager for the popular gambling company, Bwin, a young but determined Johan Rikner decided it was time for a change.
Pairing previous journalism experience with extensive knowledge of the gaming world, Rikner launched content agency Nyheter365.
Other native advertising agencies did exist in the market at the time – but the general trend was branding and awareness campaigns – rather than actual measurable impact.
There, Rikner discovered a gap that could be filled – and alongside a handful of associates began running native advertising, conversion-based campaigns – all the while digging into the data-driven journalism trend that was growing at the time. Rikner already knew a thing or two about conversion-based campaigns – most gaming companies’ primary marketing strategy.
“We knew there was a general desire for companies to see concrete, tangible results,” he said. “So we needed to prove that our model worked – and we managed to do this within a shorter time than we’d predicted.”
The strategy that ensued was as simple as it was effective: produce compelling editorial content and disseminate through relevant media channels. Then, check results, optimise, and perfect.
N365 Group’s proven success with conversion-based campaigns quickly grew and within just a few years, attracted several of the biggest players in the Swedish gaming industry as clients, including LeoVegas, Maria Casino and Betsson.
Broadening the Scope
But while many of Nyheter365’s first clients were gaming companies, Rikner’s new formula also compelled a wide variety of businesses to jump on the bandwagon, attracted to this new form of advertising and curious about data-driven optimisation and results.
From supermarkets to tourist agencies, to hardware stores – Sweden was sold – and pretty excited about it all.
This results-focused approach continues to make Nyheter365- renamed N365 Group following its 2016 global expansion to several international markets including the UK and Malta – a highly respected agency with a proven track record.
The company’s flexible and avant-garde approach sees it continue to test new marketing approaches and recognise the need to adapt in the fast-paced digital world.
“We’re extremely proud of how far we’ve come, but continue to remain humble, which is one of our key philosophies,” Rikner explained. “Meanwhile, we’re keen on growing even further – to reach more markets and more businesses and prove that our kind of data-driven digital marketing is a top advertising choice today.”
Less is More
While working with a wide range of big customers, such as giants SAS and Huawei, N365 found a different niche also willing to give its model a shot: small, local e-commerce startups such as Swiss Clinic, which they helped grow internationally and has just received large investments from private equity company, Equity.
“Because our model is impact-based, smaller companies with smaller budgets turn to us – for them, every dime counts,” Rikner said. “In many ways, we actually prefer to work with smaller companies where we’re a big part of their media spend. This, of course, brings on the pressure to show a positive ROI from day one.”
And this, N365 has managed to do with flying colors.
“Our in-depth knowledge and experience has been at the root of our growth,” says Rikner. “This is why our clients keep coming back – they know we have the background to give them results – at the same time, they know we’re constantly seeking out new ways to do things.”
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