Between 2022 and 2024, Klarna transitioned from a hybrid startup into a profitable global bank, growing overall revenue by nearly 50% and US revenue by 38% during the period. At the same time, Klarna was expanding rapidly across EMEA, scaling campaign delivery from a limited number of core markets to 25+ regions.
Brand campaigns were emotionally driven and high visibility, a differentiator in FinTech, but the localisation model supporting them was largely internal and ad hoc. As expansion accelerated, inefficiencies, friction, and quality risks became increasingly visible. Freedman supported Klarna through this period of growth, strengthening the localisation model that underpins the performance and consistency of their global brand today.
Without intervention:
Localisation quality would vary significantly across markets
US/UK-centric campaign concepts risked cultural misalignment
Regulatory and clearance exposure would increase in financial communications
Friction between internal copy teams and regional marketers would continue
Duplication of work would drive cost inefficiencies
Campaign timelines would become harder to control as scale increased
At Klarna’s rate of expansion, these pressures would compound quickly.
Freedman took ownership of global campaign localisation and production across EMEA, operating between HQ marketing teams, in-house writers, regional marketers, legal stakeholders, and production partners to stabilise delivery.
Where no single function previously owned adaptation end-to-end, Freedman became the accountable centre of execution during a period of rapid growth.
Freedman established clear ownership of the adaptation process, reducing ambiguity between internal localisation teams and regional marketers. We aligned stakeholders around tone of voice expectations and clarified decision rights to reduce friction. Where required, we acted as brand validators to protect consistency across markets, while working alongside Klarna’s legal teams to manage financial sector clearance requirements.
We introduced structured localisation workflows across 8 EMEA markets, creating earlier integration of local market insight to prevent downstream rework. Translation memories and glossaries were implemented to reduce repeated localisation of common phrases and improve text control. Quality control processes were strengthened to reduce rounds of amends and improve predictability under tight timelines.
Freedman localised and produced campaign assets across TV, OLV, cinema, and social channels. We selected talent, managed voiceover sessions, and handled trafficking and clearance across markets. Particular attention was paid to source copy suitability for international audiences, including the appropriate use of formal and informal pronouns where culturally required. This reduced local pushback and regulatory friction.
Insights from local markets were fed earlier into campaign development discussions, mitigating the risk of US/UK-centric concepts failing to travel effectively. Market playbooks and style guidance were developed to reduce rejection rates and build longer-term consistency across regions.
Localisation moved from a fragmented internal function to a centrally owned, accountable model capable of supporting growth across 25+ regions. Internal teams were able to focus on specialist product copy, while campaign adaptation and production were managed with clearer governance and reduced operational strain.
Control improved as scale increased, without slowing brand ambition.
When brand ambition scales faster than localisation maturity, risk accumulates quietly. Clear ownership of delivery prevents that risk from surfacing at the point of launch.
Marketing Manager
Public Affairs
