Forsman & Bodenfors

What Forsman & Bodenfors does

Forsman & Bodenfors is a Sweden-founded global creative advertising agency established in 1986 in Gothenburg and now operating as part of Stagwell Global following its acquisition by MDC Partners for $50 million. Its core offering is professional, project-based creative services spanning campaign development, brand strategy, digital content creation, and brand transformation, delivered through a "radically collaborative" embedded model rather than a traditional agency-of-record structure.

The agency's technology stack is its creative IP and process rather than software products: a "Floor" peer-review creative discipline, unified strategy-and-creative workflow, and 30+ years of award-winning work (134 Cannes Lions, including 1 Titanium and 7 Grand Prix; 241 Guldägg awards) constitute its underlying capability. Named enterprise clients include Volvo Cars, Coach, Oatly, SK-II, Allianz, Crocs, Therabody, Getinge, Visit Sweden, SSAB, Marie Curie, and Burger King, spanning automotive, fashion/luxury, food & beverage, tourism, healthcare, insurance, medtech, and consumer goods. Co-developed brand activations with publishers and platforms (Penguin Random House, Airbnb, Live Nation, IKEA, HYBRIT) extend the offering beyond conventional advertising.

Commercially, the firm monetizes through quote-based professional services engagements with no publicly disclosed pricing, retaining global brands across multi-year horizons and operating from offices in Gothenburg, Stockholm, Dublin, London, and New York. The firm reports between 51 and 100 employees in the firmographic record, with globally distributed senior leadership including James Jenkins (CEO Sweden), Jonathan Forrest (CEO Ireland), Tove Langseth (Head of Creative Sweden), Lyndsey Corona (President), Stephen Faulkner (Director – Data & Analytics), and Tobias Nordstrom (Head of Planning).

Name

Forsman & Bodenfors

Legal name

Forsman & Bodenfors AB

Website

https://forsman.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Forsman & Bodenfors is a global creative advertising agency founded in 1986 in Sweden, now part of Stagwell Global, that delivers brand strategy, campaign development, and brand transformation for enterprise clients including Volvo, Coach, Oatly, SK-II, and Allianz across Europe and North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Gothenburg

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Creative Agency Services: Project-based creative work including campaign development, brand strategy, digital content creation, and brand transformation engagements with long-term clients such as Volvo, Oatly, and Coach.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Forsman & Bodenfors is a global creative advertising collective that develops brand campaigns, brand strategy, and digital content for enterprise clients. The agency delivers project-based creative work including campaign development, brand transformation engagements, and digital content creation for global brands such as Volvo, Oatly, Coach, and Allianz. The firm operates through a radically collaborative model with offices in Sweden, Ireland, the UK, and the US.

Product overview

Forsman & Bodenfors is a global creative advertising agency, not a software or technology product company. They provide creative services including advertising campaigns, brand strategy, digital marketing, and campaign production for clients such as Coach, Volvo, Oatly, Burger King, H&M, and others. Their offering is service-based rather than product-based, with no standalone software products, platforms, or modules offered to clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Creative Campaign Development End-to-end creative advertising campaign development for enterprise brands, including concept ideation, campaign production, and cultural-impact storytelling. Used by clients such as Volvo, Oatly, Coach, and Allianz to create award-winning brand campaigns.

Quantifiable outcome

• 700% increase in demand for Oatly since partnership began
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Live Nation & LugerminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Joint initiative with Live Nation and Luger to create The Shuffle Ticket - a scratch ticket providing randomly selected concert experiences. Covered in 75+ articles in 10 countries with 27 million reach.
• IKEAminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2021Leveraged IKEA product naming (Lake Bolmen toilet brush) for Discover the Originals campaign - used humor to connect IKEA customers to actual Swedish destinations.
• Women's AidminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Three-year partnership between Allianz and Women's Aid Ireland for the World's Strongest Women campaign addressing domestic violence, which increased 43% during COVID-19.
• Penguin Random HousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnique partnership with publisher Penguin Random House for Coach's Explore Your Story campaign. Created collection of fully readable book charms featuring banned titles exploring themes of gender, diversity, and identity.
• AirbnbcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Airbnb for Visit Sweden's 'Sweden on Airbnb' campaign - listing the Swedish Freedom to Roam law on the platform, describing lakes as infinity pools, forests as pantries, and coasts as ocean views.
• Dr. Nirav Patel and Fredrik BerseliusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration between heart surgeon Dr. Nirav Patel and Michelin Guide chef Fredrik Berselius to create The Heart Surgeon's Cookbook - recipes requiring dexterity for Getinge.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mother London: Independent global creative agency known for award-winning work and brand transformation, with similar collaborative culture and enterprise client base as Forsman & Bodenfors. Comparable in size, independent positioning, and creative-led reputation.
• Anomaly: Independent creative agency founded as an alternative to traditional ad networks, focused on brand strategy and creative for global enterprise clients. Direct competitor for transformational brand briefs and Cannes-level work.
• Wieden+Kennedy: Iconic independent creative agency with strong global footprint and award-winning portfolio. Closely comparable model: independent, creatively led, serving enterprise brands like Nike, with deep cultural impact work similar to F&B.
• Droga5: Acclaimed creative agency (now part of Accenture Song) known for culturally impactful campaigns for major enterprise brands. Direct competitor for premium creative assignments and shared talent pool in New York.
• BBH (Bartle Bogle Hegarty): Long-established independent creative agency with global offices (London, New York, Shanghai, Mumbai). Comparable independent heritage, award track record, and enterprise client base including luxury and consumer brands.
• 72andSunny: Independent creative agency with offices in Los Angeles, New York, Amsterdam, and Sydney. Comparable model of culturally driven, award-winning work for ambitious global brands like Google, Adidas, and Activision.
• Jung von Matt: Leading independent creative agency network headquartered in Germany with European-wide presence. Comparable independent positioning, award-winning creative output, and similar focus on culturally resonant campaigns for global brands.
• Marcel: Independent creative agency founded in Paris by Publicis veterans, part of the Publicis Groupe. Comparable independent creative culture and enterprise brand focus, with strong European pedigree and award-winning portfolio.

Regional players

• The Monkeys: Australia-based independent creative agency (now part of Accenture Song) known for culturally resonant work. Comparable independent creative model, but primarily serves APAC enterprise clients rather than directly competing in F&B's European/US markets.

Broad incumbents

• Saatchi & Saatchi: Global creative agency network within Publicis Groupe with broad enterprise client roster. Overlaps with F&B in targeting ambitious global brands but operates at significantly larger scale and as part of a holding company portfolio rather than independent model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forsman-&-bodenfors
• Instagraminstagram.com/forsmanbodenfors
• Xx.com/forsbodenfors
• Facebookfacebook.com/ForsmanBodenfors

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Forsman & Bodenfors