What Stendahls does

Stendahls (legal entity Stendahls Reklambyrå AB) is a full-service Swedish creative and communication agency headquartered in Gothenburg with a secondary office in Stockholm. Founded in 1954, it is one of Sweden's oldest creative companies and has been part of iO, a European digital agency network with 2,000+ specialists across 12 campuses in five countries, since 2021. Following a 2024-2025 reorganization, Stendahls' digital team was fully integrated into iO, while Stendahls now operates as the brand and communication arm within the iO network, retaining its distinct creative identity.

The agency delivers end-to-end services across three pillars: branding and communication (strategy and positioning, creative and craft, production and activation), digital experience and platforms (strategic design, large-scale digital platforms, mobile apps and IoT), and marketing operations (HubSpot Elite Partner implementations, Salesforce, Sitecore, Tridion integrations). Its core technology stack spans HubSpot, Sitecore, Salesforce, Optimizely CMS 12, and custom iOS/Android development for connected experiences such as the Polestar app platform with digital key, service booking, and remote climate control.

Stendahls generates revenue through project-based engagements and retainer arrangements sold via direct enterprise sales, with named business development contacts for Brand and Marketing and for agency partnerships. The client base is concentrated in enterprise and mid-market brands across automotive (Volvo Cars, Volvo Construction Equipment, Polestar), insurance (Länsförsäkringar Göteborg och Bohuslän), industrial and outdoor equipment (Husqvarna, Sandvik, Stena Metall and Stena Recycling, Toyota Material Handling Belgium), energy (Göteborg Energi), food/sustainability (Greenfood), healthcare (TENA / Essity), fitness (Weekly Revolt), and nonprofit (RFSL) sectors. Notable award-winning and AI-adjacent work includes the Human Writes Font for RFSL, the Laika AI Teenager for Länsförsäkringar, and the Detoxify music-driven algorithm hack, alongside the 2024 Sitecore Experience Award for the Volvo Construction Equipment global platform program.

Name

Stendahls

Legal name

Stendahls Reklambyrå AB

Website

https://stendahls.se

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Stendahls is a Swedish full-service creative and communication agency (founded 1954, part of iO since 2021) that delivers branding, strategy, digital platforms, mobile apps, and marketing operations to enterprise and mid-market clients across automotive, insurance, industrial, energy, and nonprofit sectors in the Nordics and Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Advertising & Marketing Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Marketing Technology, AdTech & MarTech Services (BPAFAAAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Digital Strategy & Transformation (BPAHAEAA)

Keywords

• Brand strategy services
• Digital platform development
• Creative advertising campaigns
• Marketing operations consulting
• Mobile app development

Headquarters

HQ city

Göteborg

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Branding & Communication Services: Full-service communication agency providing brand strategy, creative campaigns, digital experiences, and marketing operations services to enterprise and mid-market clients. Revenue generated through project-based engagements and retainer arrangements.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Stendahls is a full-service creative and digital agency that delivers branding, communication, and marketing services to enterprise clients. Offerings span strategy and positioning, creative campaign development, production and activation, digital platforms (including Sitecore and Optimizely CMS), mobile apps with AI capabilities for iOS and Android, and marketing operations consulting anchored by HubSpot Elite Partner status. Following 2024–2025 restructuring the firm's digital team operates as iO while the branding and communication team continues as Stendahls – part of iO.

Product overview

Stendahls is a full-service creative and digital agency (part of iO since 2021) offering a comprehensive portfolio of services organized around three main pillars: Branding & Communication (Strategy & Positioning, Creative & Craft, Production & Activation), Digital Experience & Platforms (Strategic Design, Digital Platforms, Mobile Apps & IoT), and Marketing & Operations (HubSpot Services, Marketing Operations). Their work spans traditional advertising campaigns, digital platform development, mobile applications with AI capabilities, and specialized tools like the Human Writes Font for AI-resistant content creation. The Distinctiveness Audit is an advisory offering that complements their brand-building services. Notable campaigns include Detoxify (music-based algorithm hacking), Laika (AI mental health research), and the Human Writes Font tool. All services are delivered by their teams in Gothenburg and Stockholm with access to iO's 2,000+ specialists across Europe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategy & Positioning Brand strategy services that help brands define their edge, role, and positioning, then translate positioning into competitive differentiation. Includes commercial strategy, brand positioning and communication strategy for enterprise clients.
• Creative & Craft Campaign and idea creation services including brand identity, communication concepts and campaign development across global and tactical initiatives, designed to earn attention and engagement for enterprise brands.
• Production & Activation Content production and campaign activation services including PR, social media, studio production, and implementation with performance measurement for enterprise and mid-market clients.
• HubSpot Services HubSpot CRM, marketing automation and sales enablement implementation and optimization. Stendahls is a HubSpot Elite Partner (held by approximately 2% of HubSpot partners worldwide), providing strategic consulting, setup, integration and dedicated support teams.
• Marketing Operations Marketing technology implementation and optimization connecting platforms like HubSpot, Salesforce, Sitecore and Tridion, including workflow automation, data integration, KPI dashboards and multi-market scaling for enterprise clients.
• Strategic Design Design thinking and innovation consulting connecting user needs with business goals, including market analysis, business cases, UX methods, prototyping and testing for enterprise clients.
• Digital Platforms Large-scale digital solution design, development and operation including UX, development, and content creation for multi-market platforms and customer portals. Platform-neutral with strategic tech partnerships (Sitecore, Optimizely CMS 12).
• Mobile Apps & IoT Mobile app design and development for iOS and Android with AI capabilities including voice interaction, health data analysis and real-time personalization, delivered full-lifecycle from strategy through launch and ongoing optimization.
• Distinctiveness Audit Brand assessment service reviewing visual identity, brand tonality, key assets and competitive landscape to provide distinctiveness and consistency ratings with actionable recommendations for marketing leaders.
• Human Writes Font Adversarial font tool that bypasses AI content moderation systems while remaining readable to humans. Created for RFSL (Sweden's LGBTQ+ organization) to circumvent Meta's political ad ban, available as a free web tool allowing any organization to craft ads that evade automated classifiers.
• Laika AI Teenager AI-simulated teenage persona developed for mental health research and education, whose personality and behavior are 100% shaped by social media content and platform algorithms. Used to study potential risks of social media on youth without exposing real children.
• Detoxify Campaign Music-based campaign for Länsförsäkringar using voice commands in song lyrics to help teenagers hack their social media algorithms toward more positive content, rolled out in schools and achieving over 15 million views.

Quantifiable outcome

• Volvo Construction Equipment: 100% increase in lead generation per site visit
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability10 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• iO (Parent Company)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Stendahls became part of iO in 2021. The digital team is now fully integrated into iO while the branding and communication team continues as Stendahls – part of iO. This provides access to 2,000+ experts across 12 campuses in Belgium, Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, and Bulgaria.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• HubSpot (partner ecosystem): Marketing automation and CRM platform where Stendahls holds Elite Partner status. Relevant as an ecosystem enabler, not a competitor, but defines the martech services channel that anchors Stendahls' marketing-operations revenue.
• iO (Parent Network): Direct parent company of Stendahls since 2021, a European digital agency network with 2,000+ specialists across 12 campuses. Relevant as the integrated digital delivery counterparty and potential acquirer/pivoter of Stendahls' digital engagements.

Direct peers

• Great Works: Stockholm-headquartered independent digital creative agency focused on digital experiences, content, and brand platforms. Overlaps with Stendahls in digital platform delivery and creative campaigns for Nordic brands.
• Forsman & Bodenfors: Sweden's leading independent full-service creative agency headquartered in Stockholm and Gothenburg, with globally awarded work for Volvo and other Scandinavian brands. Directly comparable as a Swedish creative+strategic agency targeting enterprise clients.
• INGO Stockholm: Major Stockholm-based full-service creative and digital agency owned by the Sweden-based INGO Group. Competes with Stendahls for the same Nordic enterprise and consumer brand accounts across strategy, creative, and digital execution.
• Åkestam Holst (part of NoA): Swedish full-service creative agency, part of the NoA Nordic network, known for advertising and integrated campaigns. Direct Swedish competitor in creativity-led enterprise and consumer brand work.
• Garbergs (part of NoA): Stockholm-based creative and branding agency within the NoA network. Comparable as a Swedish full-service creative shop with strong brand-strategy and campaign capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• McCann Stockholm: Swedish office of global advertising network McCann Worldgroup. Provides overlapping creative, digital, and media services to Nordic enterprise clients but operates as part of a much larger global holding group.
• DDB Stockholm: Swedish arm of global creative network DDB Worldwide, offering full-service advertising and digital services. Competes for Nordic enterprise RFPs as part of a global holding-company network.
• MediaMonks (Monks): S4 Capital/Monks global content, creative, and digital production network. Overlaps with Stendahls in digital platform delivery, campaign production, and AI-enabled creative services at global scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stendahls
• Instagraminstagram.com/stendahls
• Xx.com/stendahls

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Stendahls