Smoooth is more than an ad concept for a payment provider/bank. It’s an idea that portrays what Klarna is, aims to be and the feeling you get using Klarna’s services. It’s a fully integrated concept that influences everything from outdoor ads and commercials to the smallest icon in the app, the store checkout, newsletters and invoices. It guides how the CEO does PR, how customer service replies to your questions, how the HQ offices looks like, communication visuals, tone of voice and names of products… It’s an idea that moves the Klarna brand to the opposite end of how other banks and financial services corporations usually behave and act.

Ice-cream melting on warm car hoods, shampooed long-haired dogs and pencils being pushed into huge jelly pastries. Klarna's new identity is definitely not your average bank speaking.

In order to get the Smoooth concept all the way through all the touchpoints of the brand, we created a brand DNA – a way of being – no matter where you’d face Klarna. The new brand DNA includes not only a new logo, custom made headline- and body typeface, icon language, colors, patterns and new imagery, but is a fully expanded concept with rules for motion, UX, UI, conceptual press imagery for the CEO and founder, and probably most importantly – those little badges that makes you actually choose a payment provider. Smoooth is a concept that moves the whole brand towards a completely new user experience – transforming rational payment transactions into an emotional shopping experience for consumers.

The 2017 campaign had an earned reach of 148 932 910, and while the market for payments is growing, other big actors are decreasing in numbers in terms of brand when Klarna is increasing. Numbers below from first week 2017 to first week 2018, Sweden only.

Brand awareness top of mind

Klarna +21%

VISA/Mastercard -20%

Paypal -43%

Relevant set (consideration)

Klarna +5%

VISA/Mastercard -4%

Paypal -14%

Loyal users (prefer Klarna)

Klarna +41%

VISA Mastercard -4%

Paypal -16%

Brand attribute

Status

Klarna +10%

VISA Mastercard -3%

Paypal 0%

Brand attribute

A brand I tell others I use

Klarna +2%

VISA Mastercard -9%

Paypal -3%