SEK
SEK is a Helsinki-based creative brand house founded in 1935 and part of Salomaa Group, employing ~130 professionals to deliver brand, advertising, design, motion, social, coaching, and B2B branding services to enterprise and public-sector clients across Finland and the wider Nordics.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1935
- HeadquartersHelsinki, Finland
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What SEK does
SEK is a Helsinki-based creative brand house founded in 1935, operating as a third-generation family business within Salomaa Group, the largest family-owned marketing communications group in the Nordics. The firm employs approximately 130 professionals and delivers brand, experience, advertising, communications, design, motion, social, coaching, and B2B branding services to enterprise and public-sector clients across Finland and, through partner networks, the wider Nordics and Baltics. Its client roster spans consumer goods (Valio, Fazer, HK), travel (Finnair, a client since 1935), technology and industrials (Nokia, UPM, ABB), public sector and healthcare (HUS, Visit Finland), gaming (Veikkaus), and NGOs (UNICEF, Diak).
The business model is a professional services model: SEK earns revenue through project fees, retainers, and production engagements scoped to client marketing and brand objectives, with no disclosed proprietary technology platform or software product. Service delivery relies on multidisciplinary creative teams, augmented by a dedicated AI & Digital practice that incorporates AI tooling into motion, digital, and coaching offerings. Geographic reach is extended through Salomaa Group affiliations with global networks (WPP, AKQA, GREY) and the Nordic+ alliance with INGO, UNCLE, and TRY across Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Latvia, and Estonia, allowing SEK to serve cross-border mandates without proportional fixed-cost expansion.
SEK has no disclosed ARR, headcount growth trend, or external funding; financial standing is inferred from three consecutive years of Platinum certification as a top 3% Finnish company, an award record spanning Cannes Lions, SABRE, and Finnish Comms Awards, and continued enterprise client retention. There are no announced acquisitions, M&A activity, or capital structure events in the input data.
SEK firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SEK
- Legal name
- Oy SEK Ab
- Website
- https://sek.fi
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1935
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- SEK is a Helsinki-based creative brand house founded in 1935 and part of Salomaa Group, employing ~130 professionals to deliver brand, advertising, design, motion, social, coaching, and B2B branding services to enterprise and public-sector clients across Finland and the wider Nordics.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SEK industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Creative Advertising & Brand Communications Services
- NAICS
- Advertising Agencies (541810), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Lead Generation & Performance Media (B2B/B2C) (MPAAACAK)
Keywords
Where SEK is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Helsinki
- HQ country
- Finland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
SEK business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Professional Services: SEK generates revenue through comprehensive creative and marketing services including brand strategy, advertising, communications, design, motion, social media, and coaching. The agency operates on a professional services fee model serving enterprise clients with project-based and retainer engagements.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
SEK product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SEK is a full-service creative brand house offering nine integrated professional services: Brand (strategic brand development and positioning), Experience (brand experience design and customer journey mapping), Advertising (creative campaigns and content), Comms (strategic communications, PR, crisis, and stakeholder communications), Design (brand identity, packaging, visual communication), Motion (motion graphics and video production using 3D and AI), Social (social media and influencer marketing), Coaching (communication skills training and media coaching), and B2B (business-to-business branding). The agency serves enterprise clients with project-based and retainer engagements primarily in Finland and internationally through network partnerships.
Product overview
SEK is a full-service creative brand house offering a comprehensive suite of professional services organized around nine core disciplines: Brand (strategic brand development), Experience (brand experience and customer journey design), Advertising (creative campaigns), Comms (strategic communications and PR), Design (visual and packaging design), Motion (video and motion graphics), Social (social media and influencer marketing), Coaching (communication skills training), and B2B (business-to-business branding). The agency works with clients across various industries including food and beverage (Valio, Fazer), travel (Visit Finland, Finnair), telecommunications (DNA), industrial (ABB, UPM, Abloy), and public sector organizations. SEK operates as a creative services firm rather than a software product company.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Brand
- Experience
- Advertising
- Comms
- Design
- Motion
- Social
- Coaching
- B2B
Quantifiable outcome
- 2500+ media hits across 190 countries with 11.1 billion potential reach for Visit Finland Masterclass campaign
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use SEK
Customer profileNamed customers19 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
SEK technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
SEK partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- WPPcoreWPP is the world's largest advertising company with 109,000 people in 110 countries. SEK is part of this global network providing international reach for Finnish clients and local expertise for WPP clients.
- AKQAcoreRenowned global design and innovation agency. AKQA Sweden visited SEK for creative inspiration, indicating close collaborative relationship for design and innovation projects.
- GREYcoreGREY ranks among the world's top advertising and marketing organisations, serving one-fifth of the FORTUNE 500.
- INGO (Stockholm & Hamburg)minorPart of Nordic+ network collaboration between leading local creative agencies in the Nordic region for integrated regional brand services.
- UNCLE (Copenhagen & Århus)minorPart of Nordic+ network collaboration between leading local creative agencies in the Nordic region.
- TRY (Oslo, Bergen & Riga)minorPart of Nordic+ network collaboration between leading local creative agencies in the Nordic region.
- Salomaa GroupcoreSEK is part of Finland's largest family-owned marketing communications group. The group companies serve all modern marketing needs combining creativity, data, and technology. SEK operates as part of Salomaa Group which is also part of AKQA Group and GREY internationally.
- DAGMARcorePart of Salomaa network, providing integrated marketing communications services in Finland.
- QURUminorPart of Salomaa network, analytics and data services.
- RADLYminorPart of Salomaa network, providing specialized marketing services.
- Visit FinlandcoreLong-term strategic partnership for Finnish tourism marketing. Collaborated on Masterclass of Happiness, Helsinki Happiness Hacks, and Rent a Finn campaigns that generated significant international media coverage and tourism growth.
- Helsinki PartnerscoreCollaborated on Helsinki Happiness Hacks campaign with Visit Finland and SEK, targeting global travelers to discover Helsinki.
Scale indicators17 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
SEK competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- TBWA Helsinki: Helsinki office of TBWA, a global advertising network, providing full-service creative and advertising services to Finnish clients. Directly competes with SEK in the Finnish advertising market.
- Folk Finland: Helsinki-based creative agency offering brand strategy, advertising, and design services to Finnish and Nordic clients. Directly comparable in scale, geography, and service mix to SEK.
- Dagmar: Helsinki-based marketing communications agency that is part of the Salomaa Group alongside SEK. Provides integrated marketing services in Finland and serves overlapping enterprise and B2B clients with similar full-service capabilities.
- Uncle Grey: Copenhagen-based creative agency and SEK's Nordic+ network partner, offering brand, digital, and advertising services. Directly comparable as a Nordic full-service creative agency.
- Kurio: Finnish creative and digital agency based in Helsinki providing brand, advertising, and digital experience services. Competes with SEK for similar Finnish enterprise clients in B2B and consumer categories.
- TRY Apt: Oslo-based creative agency and SEK's Nordic+ network partner, providing brand strategy, advertising, and communications services. Comparable in scale and creative positioning across the Nordic region.
- Hasan & Company: Helsinki-based creative and communications agency operating in Finland with similar full-service brand, advertising, and communications capabilities. Competes for the same Finnish enterprise and public sector clients.
- Nord DDB: Stockholm-headquartered creative agency network serving Nordic and international clients with brand, advertising, and digital services. Comparable in creative positioning and Nordic geographic focus.
- INGO: Stockholm-based creative agency and SEK's Nordic+ network partner. Provides brand, advertising, and communications services with similar full-service creative model serving enterprise and consumer clients.
Emerging players
- Avidly: Nordic marketing and HubSpot solutions partner providing digital marketing, content, and technology-enabled services. Comparable as a Nordic-region marketing agency but more digitally-focused than SEK's traditional brand house model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SEK social profiles
Digital presenceSEK compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
SEK financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SEK leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
SEK funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SEK M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SEK
What does SEK do?
SEK is a full-service creative brand house offering nine integrated professional services: Brand (strategic brand development and positioning), Experience (brand experience design and customer journey mapping), Advertising (creative campaigns and content), Comms (strategic communications, PR, crisis, and stakeholder communications), Design (brand identity, packaging, visual communication), Motion (motion graphics and video production using 3D and AI), Social (social media and influencer marketing), Coaching (communication skills training and media coaching), and B2B (business-to-business branding). The agency serves enterprise clients with project-based and retainer engagements primarily in Finland and internationally through network partnerships.
Is SEK a public or private company?
SEK is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was SEK founded?
SEK was founded in 1935. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is SEK based?
SEK is headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, in the Europe region.
How does SEK make money?
One revenue line is on record: professional Services.
Who are SEK's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are TBWA Helsinki, Folk Finland, Dagmar, Uncle Grey, Kurio, TRY Apt, Hasan & Company, Nord DDB and INGO. Avidly is listed as an emerging player.
Does SEK have an API?
No public API is recorded for SEK.
What industry is SEK in?
SEK's product category is Creative Advertising & Brand Communications Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAACAK, Lead Generation & Performance Media (B2B/B2C). Its NAICS code is 541810 and its SIC code is 7311.