---
title: "Lantmännen: Long-term brand building from “Jord till bord” to “Länge leve jorden”"
url: https://nepa.com/blog/long-term-brand-building-from-jord-till-bord-to-lange-leve-jorden/
description: "Lantmännen: Long-term brand building from Lantmännen: From \"Jord till bord\" to \"Länge leve jorden\" (\"Farm to fork\" to \"Long live the earth\""
last_modified: 2026-06-15T07:58:03+00:00
source: Nepa AB (https://nepa.com)
---

# Lantmännen: Long-term brand building from “Jord till bord” to “Länge leve jorden”

Lantmännen is a textbook example of how a company can go from being known within its own silos to becoming one of Sweden’s most respected sustainability brands. During the [Nepa Breakfast Session](https://nepa.com/blog/long-term-brand-building-in-practice-lessons-from-the-nepa-breakfast-session/), Mark Robinson, Director Group Brand & Marketing, and Andreas Befrits, Manager Brand Planning & Insight, opened the hood on the 2025 100-watt award winner.

*“You’re never really finished.”* – Mark Robinson, Lantmännen

What emerged wasn’t the story of a single hit campaign – but of **nearly 20 years of consistent work on one and the same brand platform.**

### 1. The starting point: strong name – weak overall picture

In the mid-2000s, Lantmännen faced a challenge:

- The brand was **well-known** in certain parts of the country and within agriculture.
- But **very few** were aware that Lantmännen was a broad food industry player.
- The general public mostly saw an **agricultural company** , not a group with mills, bakeries, and strong consumer brands.

At the same time, several rising trends were identified:

- Increased focus on **responsibility, origin, and sustainability**
- Growing interest in **the journey of food** and **the quality of raw ingredients**

With operations across the entire chain from farm to fork, Lantmännen realized they were sitting on something unique – but that it wasn’t visible to the outside world.

### 2. The bold decision: one shared Lantmännen everywhere

The solution came in the form of a number of strategic decisions:

- **Unite all operations** – mills, bakeries, machinery, etc. – under *Lantmännen* as a clear sender.
- Use Lantmännen as an **endorser/guarantor** on consumer brands such as:
  - Kungsörnen
  - AXA
  - Start
  - and others
- Invest in a **long-term brand platform** , where the promise “Från jord till bord” ( *From farm to fork)* ties together the chain from farmers to the store shelf.

This was far from obvious. Many product brands had strong positions of their own, and there was internal concern that a group brand would:

- Take up too much space on packaging
- Create confusion in communications
- Be hard to coordinate across different business areas

But they chose to stay the course, and over time contribution studies have shown that **awareness of Lantmännen as a sender contributes positively to virtually all important attributes** for the product brands: quality, value for money, sustainability, and so on.

*“Our strength has been that we’ve had the opportunity and the conditions to stay the course for a very, very long time.”* – Mark Robinson, Lantmännen

### 3. From “Jord till bord” to “Länge leve jorden” (“Farm to fork” to “Long live the earth”)

The “Från Jord till Bord” ( *From farm to fork)* platform has been stable, but Mark described how a few years ago they saw a need to evolve the expression:

- Consumers were placing **higher demands on companies taking responsibility** .
- The “foundation” in agriculture was **well-liked but sometimes perceived as conservative** .
- The brand partly lacked **forward momentum, innovation, and modernity** .

Instead of changing strategy, they landed on adding a new layer:

- **“** ***Länge leve jorden”** (* Long live the earth) – a concept that:
  - Talks about why Lantmännen exists.
  - Focuses on the future of agriculture and food supply.
  - Holds everything together from TV ads to digital campaigns and PR initiatives.

*“This feels new, but it’s also very familiar and a natural step forward.”* – Mark Robinson, on the first execution of “ ***Länge leve jorden*** “

What’s important here is *how* the shift was made:

- Through **iterations** , not abrupt swings.
- Through **systematic pre- and post-tests** of new creative executions.
- By **measuring impact over several years** , not just campaign by campaign.

The result has been a sense that every new phase of “ ***Länge leve jorden*** ” feels both **new and familiar** – a natural step on the same journey, rather than a new chapter with a new protagonist.

### 4. A robust framework: how Lantmännen measures and steers over time

Behind the communication sits a clear framework where different types of measurements interlock across the year.

Some central building blocks:

- **Continuous tracking**
  - Monthly and quarterly follow-up on brand strength, trust, and associations.
  - Shows long-term trends – e.g., the “Trust over time” graph where each year and major campaign can be linked to shifts in the curve.
- **Contribution studies**
  - Measure how Lantmännen as a sender contributes to the business and to the various product brands.
  - Used in discussions with internal stakeholders about how much space Lantmännen should have in things like packaging design, campaigns, and storytelling.
- **Campaign tests (pre/post)**
  - Pre-tests ahead of major new executions or concept shifts.
  - Post-tests after launches, often in several waves (post 1, 2, 3) to see wear-in effects.
- **MMM and other effect studies**
  - Link media investments to business results and help optimize budget over time.

All of this is placed within a **two-year planning window** , where they:

- Build the framework for measurement and follow-up.
- Plan major creative shifts well in advance.
- Use recurring **internal reviews** to adjust focus without losing the whole picture.

### 5. Long-term thinking + quality = a mandate to be bold

A common thread in Lantmännen’s story is the combination of **long-term thinking** and **quality** :

- The concept and brand platform live for a long time, which makes it **worth investing in high production quality** .
- They accept that **new creative steps sometimes lead to a short-term dip** in certain metrics, but at the same time track how impact **builds over 1–2 years** .
- External validations like **the 100-watt award, the Sustainable Brand Index, etc.** are used as additional internal proof that the course is right.

Mark described it as a way to both:

- Create **pride internally and among members** , and
- Earn yourself a **mandate in the boardroom** to keep investing in what works.

### 6. What does it take to stand on the 100-watt stage again in 2026?

Looking ahead, Lantmännen sees themselves:

- Continuing to develop **“ ***Länge leve jorden*** “** into a third phase.
- Doing **multiple campaign measurements on the same campaign** to track wear-in effects, not just the one-off effect of a launch.
- Sticking with the same brand platform while letting the expression evolve in step with the world around them.

The goal is that every new case:

- Should feel **clearly anchored in Lantmännen’s core** , and
- Still take the brand **one more step forward** – both creatively and commercially.

*“If you’re going to win a 100-watt award, well, then it has to really land. It has to be the kind of thing where you’re seriously nervous when you broadcast that film.”* – Johan Öhlin

### 7. Three principles from Lantmännen you can copy

1. **Build from the core – not from the next campaign idea.** Start with questions like “Why do we exist?” and “What’s our contribution?” and let the campaigns become chapters in the same story.
2. **Set up a measurement framework that spans at least two years.** That way you’ll see real brand impact, not just short-term campaign peaks.
3. **Dare to be consistent – and demand quality.** A strong, enduring concept creates room to invest in good production. That gives more impact per krona over time and makes it easier to argue for brand budget in next year’s planning.

**Want to know more?**

If you’re curious about how Nepa can help you work more data-drivenly with brand, campaigns, and media investments – [contact us.](https://nepa.com/contact-us/)