By Janus Boye
Storytelling is more important than ever according to Aarhus-based Pernille Rahbech. Pernille just celebrated her 2nd anniversary as a solopreneur focusing on communications and in particular helping her customers tell stories and sell dreams.
Her small business still doesn’t have a website and she’s simply using her own name to brand herself, so she knows a thing or two about good stories and the importance of a strong network.
Pernille Rahbech at the Boye 20 Aarhus conference using her body language to get her point across. Photo: Ib Sørensen
Pernille has specialised on communication on major construction projects in a new part of town and she is our expert of the month.
Becoming an independent communications consultant
In our conversation, Pernille shared that she never really had a lifelong dream of flying solo. She studied communications at DMJX - the Danish School of Media and Journalism and while studying, she also did both an internship at the National Aquarium in Copenhagen Den Blå Planet and worked as a communications consultant for Aarhus-based branding agency Creative ZOO.
In 2018 she then won her first assignment as a freelancer. Since then, she’s completed her studies and experienced a flow of new projects. Small tasks grew bigger and her involvement in the projects were extended.
Pernille talking to an international crowd at the Boye 20 Aarhus conference. Photo: Ib Sørensen
She’s naturally considered the pros and cons of getting a normal day job, but she really enjoys the benefits of being her own boss. Pernille sums it up eloquently:
“How much do I want to work and what do I want to work on”
Recently she moved to a new coworking space in Sydhavnen, where she is able to work closely together with some of her regular partners.
Selling the dream
Communicating around new buildings, in new parts of town is all about creating attractiveness and at the end of the day naturally also about selling real estate.
Signage for one of the major projects Pernille has been involved with - Lighthouse in Aarhus Ø
The focus for Pernille has been storytelling to prospective buyers and making people see the possibilities of how life could be in a new part of town. To Pernille, it’s also making it as realistic as possible while recognising that things might change along the way, from the colors on the wall, to new buildings in the neighborhood. Naturally while keeping in mind that from when the project starts, it usually takes about two to three years before someone actually moves in and fills the property with life.
As in other industries, it’s key to work with the stakeholders. To Pernille this means the developers and understanding their vision and bigger picture. On her recent big projects, the emphasis has been less on oldschool construction and more on uncovering city life before housing and people before buildings.
When I asked her to take me through a project to better understand her contribution, she was quick to mention that she works with many partners, notably a local design agency called Vokseværk. As a team, they also act as a kind of bridge between the developers and the buyers aiming to turn the vision into reality for those who decide to make the new buildings their future home.
She mentioned some of these as typical project deliverables:
A printed brochure created for the Lighhouse project in Aarhus
Creative workshops to understand what are we trying to create. What’s the target audience, key stories and how do we incorporate the ideas from the architect and developer
Working with designers to create a coherent brand, messaging and tone of voice
Creating the actual concept
Traditional comms deliverables like website, printed brochure, SoMe, and outdoor signing (like banners for those walking by)
Video
Advertising
Project management
Outdoor signage for Karrerne in Aarhus Ø
Recent projects include Lighthouse, which will have 45 floors and become the tallest residential building in Denmark. She’s also involved in Karréerne ved Bassin 7, which is also currently under construction and once completed will house 177 new homes.
2020 is about people and relationships
When I asked Pernille to reflect on this past year and her lessons learned, she said:
We buy with the heart, so everything that’s human is now more important than ever
When it comes to branding buildings, she’s been thinking about how to achieve the best mix between digital and print. Printed material still has great value according to Pernille and as she said:
On digital you easily drown in other shouting louder than you, data, the need for speed
With the good story becoming more and more important, print still has it’s place and we’ll certainly be following Pernilles progress closely.
Learn more about best practices in communication
In September 2019, Carrie Hane hosted an update on planning and modeling digital products for today and tomorrow - read Designing Connected Content - A 2019 Update.
Based on peer group meetings and previous conferences, I also wrote this piece in 2016: How To Create Evergreen Content.