When people don’t feel, they don’t buy
If people don’t feel something for your brand, chances are – you simply don’t exist in their world. Brands that neglect the emotional experience risk wasting money on communication that doesn’t move the needle – or worse: slowly losing ground to competitors. But there’s a better way. That’s where Pool comes in.
Pool’s values
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We believe in the power of long-term relationships – with clients, colleagues, and the surrounding community. For us, long-term thinking means creating communication that strengthens both brand and business over time.
We aim for partnerships where we do something meaningful together – where you, we, and the end customer feel that what we create truly matters. That goes for both the results and the collaboration.
Internally at Pool, long-term commitment means fostering a culture where people want to stay, grow, and make an impact. We know that’s the foundation for lasting client relationships as well.
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Pool is a communications agency where kindness is our default setting. It shapes how we treat each other, our clients, and our partners. When we genuinely want the best for one another, we build relationships that last – even when times are tough.
We don’t believe in hierarchies or finger-pointing, but in the power of lifting each other up. To us, kindness isn’t just a value – it’s a way of working.
Our processes are designed to foster psychological safety, creative excellence, and long-term relationships. Quite simply, we grow as individuals, teams, and as a company by being kind.
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We genuinely love what we do. Passion drives every idea, every meeting, and every delivery. It’s what brings us to work with joy, curiosity, and a sense of purpose. It’s the voice that says: “Today, I’m going to make a difference. For the team. For the client. For the person we want to reach. And ideally, for society at large.
” When we’re passionate about a project, it shows. It shines through in our solutions and it strengthens our collaborations.
Passion isn’t just a feel-good quality – it’s a key success factor.
From Digital Pioneers to Experience-Driven Communications Agency
In the late 1990s, two newly graduated graphic engineers saw a window open. Digitalisation was about to change everything, and Hanna Steiner and Arvid Axland wanted to help shape the future. They founded Pool Interactive – one of Sweden’s first web agencies – helping companies find their footing in a rapidly emerging digital reality.
But Hanna and Arvid quickly realised it wasn’t just about new channels – it was about new ways of creating value. Communication needed to become more human, more emotional – and above all, more experience-based. Inspired by the experience industry and in close collaboration with the Kaospilots in Denmark, Pool developed its own creative and strategic process to help brands, regardless of industry, undergo transformation and become more emotionally engaging in their communication. And most importantly: to see themselves as creators of meaningful experiences for the world around them.
Soon, the term “ad agency” began to feel too narrow. This led to a new positioning as a communications agency with a clear ambition: to help businesses create meaningful experiences in everything they say and do.
We wrote the book Catch the Feeling (originally Jakten på känslan), which became a manifesto for our philosophy, and began sharing our insights through lectures and coaching – to help more brands play a more meaningful role in people’s lives.
The Agency of the Future
Pool has been called an ad agency, a branding agency, a communications agency, and an experience agency. To us, the label matters less than the outcome. What truly counts is what we help create. Over the years, we’ve helped numerous brands define, amplify, and communicate their brand promise in ways that bring meaning to people’s lives – and deliver stronger margins for our clients.
The results speak for themselves: many acclaimed and award-winning initiatives, and most importantly, real business impact and highly satisfied clients (just ask them!).
Pool is still only 28 years young, and we look forward to inspiring and supporting many more clients in the decades ahead. Our ambition is to keep leading the development of emotional communication and experience design. Our mission is to help businesses and people grow through meaningful experiences. We do that through client collaborations – and by sharing our knowledge in books, talks, and workshops.
How to create meaningful experiences
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IF IT ISN'T FELT, IT WON'T STICK. That simple truth is at the heart of this book. We often think people act on facts and logic - but it's really their feelings that guide them. Both in private life and at work.
When you begin to design for what people feel, not just what they think, everything changes. That's when true engagement - and great value - is created.
We're in the middle of an experience revolution. People's view of what really matters - in life and in their relationship with businesses - is undergoing a fundamental shift. We no longer just chase stuff, thrills or status symbols. We seek meaning, emotion, and stories worth sharing. That shift holds enormous potential for those who understand the power of designing experiences that leave a lasting impression.
Catch the Feeling - The Art of Designing Meaningful Experiences helps you grow the value of your business in ways that are both meaningful and sustainable - while contributing to a better world for the people who matter to you.
This book offers key insights, inspiring real-world examples, and practical tools for creating experiences that truly make a difference - whether you work in leadership, communication, business development, customer experience or public service. You'll gain a deeper understanding of what moves people - and why. You'll find tools and models you can apply directly. And you'll learn how to build more human, engaging and profitable relationships - with your customers, your team and your community.
Whether you're transforming an entire organization or planning a dinner for someone you love - this book gives you the mindset and methods to make it meaningful. Catch the Feeling will make your (work)life more joyful, more purposeful - and more profitable.
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On our morning sofa, people who do not usually meet, skills from completely different industries and in completely different roles, meet. Here we gather selected people for intimate, confidential conversations about trends, challenges and big issues. It is a space for sharp perspectives, honest reflections and unexpected insights – where experience meets curiosity and where there is no answer.
Get in touch with Arvid Axland to learn more and book your seat on Pool’s sofa