Scaling up creativity. Finpro Luovimo company internationalization story. More info at http://www.finpro.fi/luovimo/scaling-up-creativity

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08 June 2012
STEREOSCAPE – DEVELOPING A VALUE PROPOSITON THAT
CRYSTALLIZES KEY COMPETENCIES AND FOCUSES ON
CUSTOMER NEEDS
Stereoscape is a leading stereoscopic 3D production services company in the Nordic region.
With headquarters in Helsinki, the Stereoscape has offices in London and Stockholm.
The story of Stereoscape is a benchmark for internationalization strategy. The Luovimo
mentoring, market intelligence and discovery mission in the UK helped Stereoscape understand
how to overcome the key challenges that will enable it to enter new markets and strengthen its
position in existing markets.
Stereoscape’s key deliverables for the Luovimo project were:
Defining the key market segments for whom Steresocape has the most value and
relevance: Film, TV, advertising, fashion, experiential marketing for brands.
Analysing and mapping the ecosystems and value chains in order to locate the
appropriate point of market entry within the chosen segments.
Understanding the challenges, trends, needs and drivers of the chosen creative industry
segments
Building a business case and business model for market entry.
Broaden Stereoscape’s understanding of challenges, opportunities and competitive
advantages in international markets.
Develop a compelling value proposition that addresses the needs of the creative
industries.
Headquartered in Helsinki, Stereoscape was founded in 2007. After an R&D phase that lasted
two years, Stereoscape was acquired by business angel Heli Nelimarkka and other equity
investors. In 2009 Stereoscape produced the 2D-3D conversion of the first Nordic stereoscopic
3D feature film, Moomins and the Comet Chase.
The Stereoscape value proposition is to manage the 3D production process on behalf of the
client from project inception (idea stage) all the way through filming, post production and
delivery to the viewer via cinema, 3DTV, laptop, online or mobile devices. A key ambition within
the company is to continue to develop its extensive and unique knowledge of stereoscopic 3D
and to extend their international network of 3D professionals into new territories.
Stereoscape applied to the Luovimo project because it was clear that the overall demand for 3D
services was limited in the company’s home market. It was vital to have a presence in larger
European territories such as the UK, where there was more activity in the 3D segment, and
therefore also more opportunities for business development, partnerships and learning from
benchmark organisations. Parallel to the Luovimo project, which was focused in the UK market,
Stereoscape was developing a presence in Russia and Sweden, applying the lessons learned
from the UK and building an approach that was appropriate for these other new markets.
Although Stereoscape had a London-based representative with strong film industry contacts, it

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08 June 2012
was clear from the beginning that an external consultant would be necessary to enable
Stereoscape to meet key decision makers within the various target segments. It was a strategic
decision to have an ongoing presence in London during the programme, so that the value
proposition and business case could be continually improved based on the market intelligence
gathered. This would enable Stereoscape to grow the business in existing international markets
and at the same time prepare for expansion into new markets. The Finpro representative
effectively became part of Stereoscape’s UK team. This enabled Stereoscape to concentrate on
building its business model based on the evidence of the Luovimo discovery mission.
The timing of Luovimo was critical because the release of a number of high profile 3D
Hollywood films and the launch of the Sky 3D channel created a buzz about stereoscopic 3D in
the professional film and TV circles. It was the right time to contact people and get them
interested. Although interest was generally high, there was still a high degree of “educating the
clients” about what stereoscopic 3D was, what it cost to make, and so on – suggesting that the
market was definitely still at an emerging stage. In addition to effectively needing to “create a
market” through educating clients, Stereoscape realised that it lacked a comprehensive and
compelling marketing value proposition that fully articulated its core competencies and how it
could satisfy the needs of the market place. Stereoscape also lacked a segmentation strategy,
without which it was unable to articulate a proposition that addresses the specific needs of
different creative industries.
Consequently, a significant challenge for Stereoscape was to consolidate its resources in order
to ensure that it was able to:
Fully understand the trends within the film, TV, advertising, fashion and experiential
marketing segments
Mobilise its resources immediately and effectively.
In order to achieve this, Finpro’s representative in the UK worked closely with Stereoscape’s
senior management in Finland and the UK to “stress test” the existing value proposition,
business case and business model and to define improvements and enhancements. This
enabled Stereoscape to fully understand the cultural, commercial and technological trends so
that is could strengthen its positioning and marketing proposition to film and TV producers,
fashion and advertising creative teams and corporate marketing directors.
Finpro’s UK resources were employed to scrutinise the appropriate creative industries. The
objective was to identify the most appropriate companies, key stakeholders and decision
makers. This market intelligence enabled Stereoscape to embark on a discovery mission to the
UK facilitated by Finpro’s UK Trade Centre.
During the Luovimo discovery mission, Stereoscape was able to present its value proposition
and business model to a community of decision makers in the UK creative industry. This
provided valuable feedback on the local challenges, barriers to market entry, competition,
opportunities, pricing models and skill gaps.

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08 June 2012
A significant discovery for Stereoscape was that there was a skills gap in the UK creative
industry in the transition of professionals – whether filmmakers or marketing executives – from
traditional (2D) filming and project management, to working in 3D. Because the differences
between working in 2D and 3D extend throughout the value chain and lifeline of the project –
from the way a project is planned all the way to how it is viewed – there is a niche for players
like Stereoscape who are able to manage and oversee the entire 3D project on behalf of the
client from start to screen. Stereoscape became aware that it is perfectly positioned to provide
this consultative service. This enabled Stereoscape to redefine its business model from a
technology provider of 3D assets to a provider of knowledge-intensive 3D production services to
the creative industry. The change of strategy and positioning will enable Stereoscape to migrate
from short-term asset production to a long-term value-added, consulting partnership. This will
have a direct effect on the viability of Stereoscape’s service offering proposition and the value of
its brand. The discovery mission also enabled Stereoscape to crystallize its key competencies
and further develop its business model.
The Luovimo process taught Stereoscape to focus on tailoring and perfecting the value
proposition for individual segments before approaching prospective business partners. Because
Stereoscape offers a high value, specialist b2b project management service, the way the
proposition is communicated across the board is critical – from first point of contact through to
negotiations and delivery. Adding to the importance is the fact that purchase decisions tend to
be highly driven by personal relationships and trust – not simply price and quality.
Stereoscape founded a UK subsidiary company in London during the Luovimo programme in
order to have a local presence and local team. The company applies a similar model in
Sweden, with a vision of building expert networks around the local teams.
Read the 7 findings in internationalizing creativity from Luovimo companies at
http://www.finpro.fi/luovimo/scaling-up-creativity