An exciting new international collaboration has come together, bringing together Norwegian outdoor heritage, Scottish market knowledge, and a shared love of the outdoors.

I am very pleased to be working with a Norwegian outdoor equipment brand as it prepares to open its first physical outlet outside Scandinavia. Scotland will be the first UK market it enters.

It’s a great opportunity to help an established Norwegian business bring its products, values, and brand story to a new audience, while maintaining the authenticity that has been such a key part of its success in Norway.

Norway and Scotland: A Natural Partnership

Norway and Scotland have a lot in common, not least of which is the rather unforgiving weather and our apparently irrational love of being outdoors in it.

Both nations have a very strong cultural connection to their natural environment. The mountains, the coastlines, the forests and the wild landscapes are not just beautiful in themselves. They’re absolutely fundamental to national identity, outdoor recreation, and the way people live.

They also have a real appreciation for quality, durability, sustainability and responsible business practice. All of that is obviously very relevant in the outdoor equipment space where the customer is increasingly looking at the business, the craftsmanship and the principles behind the product as much as the product itself.

Whether you’re out in a Norwegian fjell or tackling a Scottish Munro, you know what a good piece of kit is and how important it is in the right sort of environment. You know what you’re looking for in terms of equipment, design and the sort of product that will actually survive in the conditions you’re likely to be in.

That shared outdoor culture makes Scotland an interesting place for a Norwegian brand to start in the UK.

Bringing an Established Brand into a New Market

International expansion is full of exciting possibilities, but getting into a market successfully is a lot more than just making the product available in that country.

It’s about understanding the local customer, being aware of cultural differences, getting the market positioning right, and developing a marketing strategy that builds awareness, credibility, and demand.

For Makin Marketing, the challenge is to take a genuinely Norwegian brand and translate that into something that will work as a proposition for a Scottish and wider UK audience.

The aim isn’t to reinvent what makes the brand so special. It’s simply to retain those qualities and make sure the story, the products and the values of the brand actually speak to a new market.

This is about marrying strategic brand building with practical marketing activity to lay the foundations for sustainable growth and long-term customer relationships.

International Experience, Local Understanding

Working in businesses all over the world has reinforced my belief that good marketing starts with an understanding of people.

Customers often share similar interests and values worldwide, but their expectations, buying behaviour, and relationship with the brand can differ greatly.

A successful international marketing strategy must account for those differences without compromising brand identity.

Through Makin Marketing, I offer businesses senior-level marketing leadership, brand strategy, and practical support to help them enter new markets, improve their positioning, and identify growth opportunities.

This new Norwegian collaboration is a chance to bring that experience together with a real knowledge of the Scottish market and a real passion for the outdoor sector.

An Exciting Adventure Ahead

I’m really looking forward to working with our new Norwegian colleagues, learning more about their business, and helping build the brand in Scotland and, indeed, further afield.

There’s a hell of a lot of work still to do, but that’s precisely what makes projects like this so satisfying.

And given the shared Norwegian and Scottish love of mountains, wild places and horizontal rain, we’re likely to have loads to talk about beyond the marketing.

More news on the collaboration and the UK expansion to come in due course.

Velkommen til Skottland! Welcome to Scotland!