A Methodology Built on Understanding, Not Assumptions
How we approach marketing challenges differently—and why that difference matters for sustainable results.
Back to HomeThe Principles That Guide Our Work
Our methodology didn't emerge from theory—it developed from watching what actually works when organizations try to make their marketing more effective.
Discovery Before Solutions
Most marketing engagements start with solutions looking for problems. We reverse this. Understanding the actual situation comes first, always. You can't solve what you haven't properly understood, and understanding takes time.
Reality Over Aspiration
Your employer brand should reflect who you actually are, not who you wish you were. Content should leverage what you've already created, not just chase what's new. Technology should serve your actual needs, not theoretical capabilities.
Transfer of Knowledge
Our goal isn't to become indispensable—it's to make ourselves unnecessary. We succeed when your team understands the methodology well enough to apply it without us. This means teaching why, not just what.
Honest Assessment
Sometimes the answer is that you don't need what you think you need. We'd rather have that conversation early than deliver something that doesn't actually address your situation. Honesty saves everyone time and resources.
The Helix Notion Method
A systematic approach that spirals outward from core understanding to comprehensive implementation. Each phase builds naturally on what came before.
Contextual Discovery
We start by understanding your actual situation, not the idealized version. This means conversations with people across your organization, examination of what you're currently doing, and honest assessment of what's working and what isn't. The goal is accurate diagnosis before any prescription.
This phase typically reveals patterns you hadn't fully recognized—gaps between intention and reality, assets being underutilized, or assumptions that need questioning.
Strategic Framework
With clear understanding of your situation, we develop frameworks that address your specific challenges. This isn't about applying templates—it's about creating approaches that fit your resources, culture, and objectives.
For employer branding, this means messaging architectures rooted in actual culture. For content, systematic repurposing approaches. For technology, rational evaluation criteria. Each framework is tailored to you.
Collaborative Execution
Implementation happens together, not to you. Your team is involved throughout because they'll be maintaining this work long after we're gone. We provide expertise and guidance while building your internal capability.
This phase includes regular check-ins, adjustment based on what we're learning, and explicit knowledge transfer. The goal is progress with understanding, not just task completion.
Sustainable Practice
The final phase ensures that new approaches become standard practice. We document processes, establish success metrics, and verify that your team can maintain momentum independently.
By the end of this phase, the methodology belongs to you. You understand not just what to do, but why it works and how to adapt it as circumstances change.
Grounded in What Actually Works
Our approach draws from organizational behavior research, communication theory, and behavioral economics—but explained without the academic jargon.
Research on employer branding consistently shows that authenticity matters more than polish. Candidates can detect misalignment between messaging and reality, and that detection undermines trust. Our focus on culture-based branding reflects this evidence.
Content repurposing effectiveness is well-documented in marketing literature. A single piece of quality content can generate 3-5x the value when thoughtfully adapted across formats and channels. The challenge isn't the concept—it's systematic implementation.
Studies on marketing technology adoption reveal that organizations typically use less than 40% of their tools' capabilities. The problem usually isn't the technology itself but unclear strategy and inadequate training. Our audits address both dimensions.
We also maintain professional standards around client confidentiality, transparent pricing, and clear documentation of our work. These aren't just courtesies—they're fundamental to building trust and ensuring accountability.
Where Conventional Marketing Services Miss the Mark
We're not interested in criticizing competitors, but understanding limitations of typical approaches helps explain why we work differently.
The Template Problem
Many agencies apply similar solutions across different clients because that's more efficient. But your organization isn't generic, and generic solutions rarely address specific situations effectively. Templates have their place, but not as primary methodology.
The Dependency Dynamic
Traditional agency models create ongoing dependency—you need them to maintain what they've built. This can be profitable for agencies but doesn't serve client interests long-term. We prefer transferring capability over creating dependence.
Execution Without Strategy
It's easier to jump straight to execution than to invest time in understanding. But executing tactics without strategic clarity often wastes resources. You end up busy without being effective. We insist on clarity first, even when it takes longer.
The Metrics Misdirection
Focusing solely on easily measurable metrics can optimize the wrong things. Vanity metrics look impressive but don't necessarily indicate meaningful progress. We track what matters, even when it's harder to measure.
What Makes Our Approach Distinctive
We're not claiming revolutionary innovation—but we do work differently in ways that matter for outcomes.
Integration Over Isolation
Marketing doesn't happen in a vacuum. Your employer brand connects to your actual culture. Your content reflects your expertise. Your technology supports your processes. We look at how these elements interact, not just how they function independently.
Adaptive Methodology
While we have a clear framework, we adapt it to your context. A three-person marketing team and a thirty-person department need different approaches. We scale our methodology to fit your reality, not force you to fit our process.
Technology as Tool, Not Driver
We're comfortable with marketing technology but skeptical of technology-first approaches. The right tools support good strategy, but they don't create it. We help you use technology purposefully rather than accumulating it hopefully.
Continuous Learning
Our methodology evolves based on what we learn from each engagement. When something works particularly well, we incorporate it. When an approach doesn't deliver expected results, we examine why and adjust. This keeps our work current and effective.
How We Track Progress and Success
Measurement should build confidence and guide decisions, not just generate reports. Here's how we approach it.
Leading Indicators
We track early signals that suggest you're on the right path—clarity in decision-making, alignment in messaging, efficiency in processes. These predict later outcomes.
Outcome Metrics
Depending on the service, we measure things like candidate quality improvement, content usage rates, or technology cost efficiency. Always tied to your actual objectives.
Progress Benchmarks
We establish clear milestones so you know what progress looks like at each phase. This removes ambiguity about whether things are working.
Capability Assessment
Can your team maintain and build on what we've created? This is often the most important success metric—your independence from us.
A Methodology That Respects Your Intelligence
The Helix Notion methodology emerged from a simple observation: organizations don't need more marketing tactics—they need clearer thinking about marketing strategy. Once strategy is clear, tactics follow naturally.
Whether we're developing employer brands that actually reflect organizational culture, creating content repurposing systems that multiply value, or auditing marketing technology stacks for effectiveness, the methodology remains consistent. Understand first, strategize second, implement third, transfer knowledge throughout.
Our competitive advantage isn't proprietary tools or secret techniques—it's commitment to understanding over execution, clarity over complexity, and sustainable change over quick fixes. These principles sound simple but prove surprisingly rare in practice.
We're based in Stockholm but work globally, bringing Scandinavian sensibilities around honesty and practicality to marketing challenges that transcend geography. The fundamentals of effective marketing communication don't change much across markets, even when execution details differ.
What makes our methodology effective is its transferability. You learn not just what we did but why it worked and how to adapt it to new situations. This knowledge becomes organizational capability that compounds over time.
See How This Methodology Applies to Your Situation
Every organization's challenges are different. Let's discuss yours and explore whether our approach might help address them.
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