News & Articles - Advertising Finland

A year away from market launch, gaming operators see potential in Finland

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 09:48:43 GMT

A year from now, Finland will launch its reformed gaming system, and the interest operators are showing in the market exceeds expectations. At SBC Summit in Malta, hot topics included media inventory and the final interpretations of the gaming legislation.

The initial estimate of the number of gaming companies aiming to operate in Finland was 40 to 50. Right now, the number of licence applicants is between 70 and 80 – a clear sign that operators see Finland as a market with great potential.

”A panel in Malta identified Finland as one of the most significant market openings in sight at the moment,” says Sanoma’s Client Partner Janne Lappalainen , who attended SBC Summit together with Client Partner Antti Jalonen .

One of the factors at play is Finland’s relatively low tax rate for gaming operators – 22 per cent – when markets such as the UK and the Netherlands have recently raised their rates.

Final interpretations of the law are still to come

While there will be no more major changes to the gambling legislation in Finland, operators, media and other stakeholders are waiting for clear interpretations of the finer details.

For example, the law requires the digital media used for advertising to be equivalent to print media. The practical implications of this are still obscure.

”Larger operators especially are not willing to take any risks. Whatever the final interpretations, they want to stay on the safe side. As a big media house with both print and digital channels, Sanoma is a reliable choice,” says Antti Jalonen.

Get started now to secure media inventory and quality content

A year to go before the market launch, these are the final moments to contact potential media partners and secure your media inventory for 2027. Starting August 2026, Lappalainen and Jalonen say, all operators will be looking to form partnerships.

”Especially if you have your eye on special solutions such as branded entertainment productions, quality takes time. Branded content is one way of making use of your own influencers outside social media,” Lappalainen says.

At SBC Summit, Jaakko Soininen , Managing Director of Finnplay, stressed that the limited inventory should be used to the max by working on brand and strategy well ahead of time.

”Sanoma’s insight and strategy services and data partnerships are excellent when it comes to targeting and enriching your data,” Jalonen points out.

The Finnish team spirit benefits all parties

The atmosphere among Finnish media, sports and sponsorship agents has always been friendly and open, and Jalonen and Lappalainen applaud the spirit in Malta, as well.

”Since the beginning, there’s been a Finnish team spirit and a will to properly pull off the market change. There are things we can develop together even if we work in different fields,” says Jalonen.

”The sports and sponsorship folks have their own goals and we have ours, but we help each other out and share, for example, our views on the legislation,” Lappalainen adds.

Get started with your gaming advertising in Finland!

Finnish media usage is one of a kind

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 13:05:38 GMT

Here’s how to gain the Finns’ trust with your brand

Finland might look like your average Nordic country, but there are tricks to the way we use media and react to new brands. A little extra effort into marketing in Finland might just turn good results into excellent ones.

It’s easy to assume one advertising strategy is enough to cover the Nordics as a whole, but we will stop you right there with one question: are you getting the best possible results by tackling big areas at once?

If your goal is 5% of growth in the Nordics, a little extra focus on Finland could give you 5,2%. The difference between good and excellent lies in that tiny extra push.

We believe taking a closer look at Finland as a market of its own is a decision that will pay off.

Our clients’ numbers reveal that the same tactics that work in Sweden or Norway might not work here. We’ll give you an example: there was a big international online store that saw good conversion in other Nordic countries, but for some reason, with the same actions, Finland was lagging.

Learn more – download our free, research-based guide to Finnish media usage

You'll learn media usage from different categories. If you catch an average Finn on an average day, they’ll be spend-ing more than 10 hours of it with different media, “watching” makes up 41% of the overall time spent with media. “Listening” is 22% and “reading” is 18%. The share of time spent on social media is 12%. Online usage in all these categories keeps growing.

Amplify your reach with offline media

Why is this, then? We see a slight conservatism to the way Finns approach media and buying. Research shows that offline media holds its ground in Finland. Going all digital in Finland might not do the trick, while print media or TV will give your brand and message a nice reach and a more attentive audience.

In younger generations, the differences compared to other Nordic countries are smaller, but our population pyramid is very top-heavy and traditions sit tight. Of course, this also means we will see big changes in the coming years.

The biggest factor that makes Finns different from their Nordic counterparts is suspiciousness. For us, it generally takes a little longer to trust new things and offers. Finns like to compare and hear recommendations.

Read more:

Build trust with localization

When speaking to the Finnish audience, building trust is the key component. This can be done by first getting to know the Finnish market and consumers, then translating and localizing your brand and message to fit the surroundings.

Finnish is a small language but all the more meaningful to its speakers. Domestic media is exceptionally strong in Finland, and even international TV formats see a surge in popularity when they are done in Finnish, with Finnish participants. Finnish music is highly popular compared to domestic music in other parts of the world.

Locality, of course, is a global megatrend but it’s especially apt in the case of Finland. Here is a powerful piece of advice:

Be a boldly international brand that speaks Finnish to your Finnish customers. Apply localization to all other aspects of your brand, too – it’s a big factor for a brand to look like it belongs. Go the extra mile for Finns, and we will reward you with our loyalty. This is what we in Finland call being customer centric!

Nordic, but different – download our guide to Finnish media usage and make the most of your media presence in Finland!

Want to talk? Contact us!

Boost memorability and purchase intent with native advertising in HS Visio

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 09:22:08 GMT

The magic of native advertising lies in the unique way it increases memorability and purchase intent. An effective campaign has a clear angle and gives readers valuable information that has a connection to their lives. Helsingin Sanomat, HS Visio is an excellent advertising environment when your target audience is interested in work, business and technology.

Helsingin Sanomat is the biggest daily newspaper in Finland reaching over 2 070 000 (print + digital) Finns weekly. Native advertising is an opportunity to showcase the unique selling points of your product while linking it to timely topics relevant to your target group. According to Sanoma’s latest data, a native campaign on digital news media increases purchase intent by 600 per cent on average.

”Instead of being forced to consume advertising, the reader makes an active decision to spend time with a native article. That’s already a sign of interest, and readers of native advertising tend to be potential customers,” says Ria Vaahto , Business Manager of Native Advertising from Sanoma.

In Helsingin Sanomat, one native article gains around 11,000 page impressions a week. In tabloid Ilta-Sanomat, the figure is over 30,000.

”We’re not talking about millions of Finns here, but those who read the article truly concentrate on your message. They spend more time with your brand than in the case of, say, display advertising.”

HS Visio – business, technology and all things work

HS Visio, a media brand under Helsingin Sanomat, focuses on business, technology, the stock market, leadership, start-ups and international economy. It offers in-depth journalistic content on the corporate world, innovation and self-development to 552,000 unique visitors a week.

HS Visio’s readership consists of highly educated, working-age city dwellers, some of whom are business decision-makers. Almost 60 per cent are men. If this is your target audience, Vaahto says, it’s a match made in heaven.

“Native articles in HS Visio often focus on different aspects of life at work, from workplace health to education and space planning. It’s also an ideal advertising environment for forward-thinking B2B businesses that wish to position themselves as trailblazers.”

Find the right balance between your message and the audience’s interests

Although the purpose of a native article is to communicate the advertiser’s message, the first things to consider are your audience’s interests and topics that are relevant to them.

“What’s at the intersection of what you as an advertiser want to talk about and what your customer wants to see?” Vaahto asks.

Four tips for planning and creating an effective native article:

Choose your angle and stick to it. Although it may be tempting to add everything but the kitchen sink, a rambling article isn’t a good fit for a journalistic environment and will quickly lose the reader.
Link your message to the reader’s reality. Your audience needs to see a connection – direct or indirect – between the topic and their lives.
Study a subject instead of merely stating facts. If the reader could form a comprehensive idea of the topic with a quick Google search, your article has no added value. Bring something new to the table.
Include someone with expertise or experience. The article needs to deliver credible value, and first-hand advice or insight provides just that.

When native advertising is done in Sanoma’s news media, content produced by Sanoma’s own professionals tends to perform better by every metric, including page impressions and time spent with the content.

“Our writers know the angles, style and tone of voice that work with our readership. Readers will spend more time with content that aligns with their expectations for the media environment.”

Get to know Sanoma Content Studio – a team of experts for every aspect of content production!

Budget examples: add display advertising and tactical measures to cover the entire sales funnel

The prices of native campaigns vary. Ria Vaahto gives a rule of thumb: the larger the budget, the more touchpoints and continuity it allows for. The goal is to have the results accumulate over time and to create an impressive presence.

In practice, this could mean using display marketing to build reach or adding tactical measures that cover later stages of the sales funnel. Insight, on the other hand, provides proof of the campaign’s effect on the brand and purchase behaviour.

Here are two campaign examples for two different budgets:

Campaign 1: One native article and digital visibility, €12 000 + VAT

Native article: 2 days of fixed front page visibility on the HS main news feed and 7 days in HS Visio
Digital full page for additional visibility
Audience reporter analysis on the readers of the native article
Production of the native article and digital full page

Campaign 2: Continuity with two articles and retargeting, €24 000 + VAT

Two native articles: 4 days of fixed front page visibility on the HS main news feed and 14 days in HS Visio
Digital full page for additional visibility
Retargeting to drive sales
Brand lift study to analyse the impact of the native campaign
Production of the native article, digital full page and retargeting parade

Ready to kickstart your campaign planning?

Sports and entertainment are perfect advertising matches for gaming brands

Wed, 13 May 2026 10:46:25 GMT

Juuso Puranen uses his experience from inside the gaming industry to craft advertising packages that hit the spot with Finnish players. Sports and entertainment content provide particularly exciting advertising environments for gaming brands.

It’s safe to say Juuso Puranen has a rare set of experience when it comes to gaming marketing. Currently Commercial Manager, Gaming at Sanoma, he found his footing in the gaming industry when living in Malta and doing marketing, content creation and brand building for an online casino and betting company.

A deep understanding of the industry and its challenges, limitations and opportunities is essential now that Puranen works with productising Sanoma’s sports and entertainment content into advertising packages for all advertisers, but especially gaming companies.

“Gaming operators have had their hands tied in terms of marketing, which has forced them to be creative. A part of my job is to help them maintain their innovative and resourceful approach when the advertising moves on to traditional media in Finland.”

Big sports events provide high brand visibility

As a former Product Manager for IS Urheilulehti , Puranen sees sports content as a natural advertising context for a betting company. Advertising in multiple media around a sports event is an effective way to build brand visibility and awareness among a target group with lots of potential. Read more about Sports Marketing & Advertising.

The multimedia approach is easy to implement with a large media house such as Sanoma. In one season of the Finnish Hockey League Liiga, for example, Sanoma’s news outlets publish thousands of articles that accumulate tens of millions of impressions. Other content formats include radio show IS-Kiekkokierros, a printed season guide in IS Urheilulehti and real-time match reporting in news media.

This year, Puranen has built advertising packages around the Winter Olympics, the Ice Hockey World Championship and the FIFA World Cup.

“The packages allow our partners to grow their share of voice with all the content related to these events. They can utilise contextually targeted digital and video advertising, print media as well as podcasts and fantasy league games.” Read more about:

Go multimedia with popular entertainment brands

The power of multimedia advertising also applies to entertainment. Sanoma offers a wide range of contexts from successful international and domestic TV formats to iconic radio brands such as Radio Suomipop’s morning show Aamulypsy, several big music festivals, popular podcasts, magazines and news media.

“If you partner with Radio Suomipop, sponsoring their festivals is a logical next step. In addition to a TV sponsorship, you can appear on a related podcast. Retargeting can be used to reach people who have read articles on a particular show.”

Partnering with a star that hosts the show is another way to expand a sponsorship.

“Of course, we still don’t have the final interpretation of everything the new gambling laws allow. Sanoma has the expertise to stay on top of discussions and find ways to run impactful multimedia campaigns within the limits of the legislation,” Puranen says.

Sanoma’s strength in entertainment advertising lies in three things:

Multimedia reach at scale , combining TV, radio, digital advertising, podcasts, print media and live events
Iconic local brands and global entertainment formats with a strong audience loyalty
Deep expertise in regulated advertising ; navigate legislation without sacrificing impact

A widely trusted media partner is a sign of reliability

Gaming is a field that sparks controversy. Working with a media partner known for their ethical advertising practices provides an element of reliability.

“It’s a statement in itself to be linked to a strong and trustworthy media brand,” Puranen says.

In all media, the consumer comes first. This is why Sanoma’s priority is advertising that does not interfere with the reader’s or viewer’s experience.

The preparations for the opening of the gaming market have been going on at Sanoma for several years already.

“We have all departments involved from strategy to insight, tv and audio, digital advertising, print media and so on. The team has an incredible amount of expertise on what the new gaming market will bring and what Sanoma has to offer.”

Advertising to families with children? Build trust and communicate safety!

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:32:09 GMT

Families with children are not a uniform group; their needs and media use habits vary according to the phase of life they are in. Finnish parents go for safe and sustainable, so advertising should build trust and offer facts and support. Sanoma ensures all marketing related to children adheres to strict regulations.

Families with children are not all cut from the same cloth. The versatile group can be divided into smaller segments by, for example, the ages of the children and the life phase the family is currently going through. These factors impact the needs and media use of parents and children alike.

”Overall, families tend to value practicality and time-saving solutions that simplify their everyday life. The quality-price ratio matters, especially today. Peer support is also important to parents, whether they have babies or teenagers,” says Siiri Medina , Client Manager at Sanoma.

Finns are thorough information seekers. This is highlighted even more where children are concerned, so communicating the safety, sustainability, durability and educational value of the product is a must.

“Finnish parents need to trust the brand, which is why brand building needs to come before tactical measures. Use facts to help your target audience make informed decisions.”

From morning cartoons to radio – catch families in their busy day-to-day

Family life can be hectic, and availability of time often decides parents’ media consumption. Depending on the children’s ages, advertising may reach parents through morning cartoons on the TV, digital news media as they go about their day, or magazines media and lifestyle content that provide a welcome break.

“My family spends a lot of time in the car, where we pay attention to radio ads and even have conversations about the best ones. They are quite effective when the children are older and have hobbies to get to,” Medina shares.

The parents’ buying decisions are also influenced by trending phenomena and conversations with peers. Consistent brand building is a doorway into the discussions going on in social media groups and by the football field.

Siiri Medina points out that a reliable news environment can be a safe and effective place to make use of social media trends.

”Older children come across all the viral ideas. Making your own version of, say, a trending recipe and promoting it on news media can convince parents to try it out using your products. The context makes a difference to the perceived reliability of the message.”

Families with children through the lens of Sanoma segments

Sanoma has divided Finnish consumers into eight segments. Families with children show up in these three, especially:

Busy balance seeker
Quality-conscious information seeker
Comfort-loving enjoyer

Getting to know the motivations, values and media preferences of your best target audience helps get your message across to the right people in the right context.

Don’t forget the grandparents! Many of them spend money on their grandchildren and may have a say in some of the families’ decisions. Learn more about Sanoma segments

Safety first when advertising to children and families

There are several safety aspects to consider when targeting advertising to children or displaying it next to content consumed by them. First, both the product and the advertising need to be safe and appropriate for children. The child must not be pressured into influencing the family’s decisions.

In Sanoma’s channels, advertising related to children is highly regulated. In the children’s news outlet Lasten uutiset, for example, the final decisions on advertising are made by the editor-in-chief.

“The parents can rest assured that it’s safe to let the children watch or read the content on their own,” Medina says.

The choice of an advertising environment is also a case of brand safety when your product is aimed for children or their parents. News media not only provides precise targeting and accurate metrics but also beats social media in safety. A trusted news outlet lends some of its credibility to the advertising, too.

Examples of where and how to encounter families and children:

Lasten uutiset is loved by primary schoolers in Finnish homes and schools.
The Finnish Donald Duck reaches 430 000 Finns weekly – with an emphasis on 7- to 54-year-olds.
Native advertising on news and lifestyle media allows you to showcase your story, sustainability viewpoints and other aspects your target audience values.
Contextually targeted advertising attaches your message to the topics and site sections your audience best connects with.
Radio is effective in reaching busy families on the go.
Total TV : the attention levels of streaming service Ruutu surpass those of YouTube. Popular children's programmes are shown on television in the mornings.
Sanoma’s influencers include several parents with children of different ages – they are valuable partners to brands wanting to reach families.

Now is a great time to start preparing for the end-of-year season.

Top 5 things to consider when entering the Finnish gaming market

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 10:00:55 GMT

The opening of the Finnish gambling market also opens up a selection of ways for game companies to market their services and build a brand in Finland. This is the time to take a fresh look at the tools and channels you use as well as the partners you may want to take on board.

“Do you know how to best reach the Finnish consumer and your specific target audience in Finland? Are you willing to invest in brand awareness to boost your tactical actions?” asks Janne Lappalainen , Client Partner at Sanoma.

Lappalainen listed five key points to consider when planning your entrance to the Finnish market.

1. Do your research on the Finnish consumer

Your potential customers’ preferences and behaviour should inform your marketing choices. Sanoma’s wide range of research on Finnish consumers, media use, and different industries offers valuable insight to back up your decisions. Research conducted by our experts and partners creates a vast pool of knowledge to draw from.

You can also dive deeper with a tailor-made research project. Sanoma’s high-quality consumer panel Suomitutka gives you a wider view of the average Finnish consumer, while defined target audiences can be researched with the help of our partners.

Tip: Also get familiar with Finland-specific popular sports such as pesäpallo (Finnish baseball) and floorball.

2. Get to know the way Finns use media

While global megatrends and changes in media use do manifest in Finland, there are some characteristics that set the Finns apart from other Europeans. Being aware of those differences adds to the effectiveness of your marketing and brand building.

Traditional media hold their ground in Finland. Offline media such as TV, radio and print magazines remain popular, so you may not want to invest in digital marketing alone. Reach outside the digital world and make your marketing a combination of online and offline.

Download our guide: Finnish media usage is one of a kind

3. Invest in brand building in digital and offline channels

The gambling reform brings new marketing channels and media at your fingertips. Many of them are excellent for building a strong brand that will bolster your tactical efforts. Tactical marketing alone will not get you the market share you’ll be reaching for.

When it comes to digital channels, look beyond the international ones. Finns place a lot of trust in domestic media, which makes them a powerful spot to build high-quality brand awareness. The reach of Sanoma’s digital media exceeds that of Meta’s services in Finland.

4. Utilise your own data as well as that of your partners

There are numerous ways to use data to be present in the right place at the right time.

Combine your own data with that of Sanoma’s to create specified audiences in Sanoma’s channels.
Make use of Sanoma’s widespread knowledge on the consumers’ media use to find the contexts where your potential customers spend their time – from digital media to TV favourites.
Find relevant data from our partners such as Taloustutkimus.
Use programmatic buying to get the most out of your own data and targeting as well as Sanoma’s quality content and trusted media brands.

To make the most of these opportunities, make sure your data is usable from the get-go. Double check your cookie policy before entering the market to ensure you’re securing permission to use the data in all relevant ways.

5. Get ahead by starting early

While the legislation process related to the gambling reform is still underway, now is the time to start preparing your entrance to the Finnish market. Make use of the months ahead: get to know the market, decide the focal points of your marketing, and define your target audiences. Check and prepare your data collection processes to be able to utilise data to the max.

Sanoma is already discussing the best steps and solutions for gaming companies to build a strong presence in Finland . These conversations are best had long before the market opens, says Janne Lappalainen.

“This is a big change for our team, too, and there’s a lot of excitement in the air to find the best solutions for our new gaming partners. By starting now, we’ll be able to hone the focus of the marketing, build fruitful long-term partnerships, and avoid hurry when the market finally opens.”

From insight to execution: Sanoma’s services for a gaming company

A designated team of experts with experience of the gaming industry
Multichannel video advertising: planning, execution, metrics
Programmatic buying with personal customer service
Relatable and effective content marketing with the help of Sanoma Content Studio
The most popular and trusted news and entertainment brands
The knowhow of the leading media house in Finland at your fingertips
And so much more!

It’s time to make plans for your entrance into Finland – give us a call and let’s get talking!

Janne Lappalainen
Client Partner
eCom & Gaming
Book a meeting
janne.lappalainen@sanoma.com

Long-term e-commerce growth requires brand marketing and close customer relationships

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 09:16:17 GMT

Top-of-mind awareness is what differentiates successful e-commerce brands from the rest. Those who invest in brand building will also see the best results for their tactical marketing. This, along with nurturing the relationship with your customers and meeting them in multiple channels, helps secure your e-commerce success in 2026 and beyond.

The cold, hard truth is that only a fraction of your target group is ready to buy in the moment they come across your advertising. The way to unlock the potential in the rest of your audience is to make a lasting impression and create top-of-mind awareness.

A consumer with a spontaneous need will first turn to a familiar brand. Top-of-mind e-commerce brands may even steal some of the impact of their competitors’ advertising: when an ad sparks a will to buy, the consumer may still compare the prices and selection to the stores they know and prefer.

“A strong brand brings more organic sales and allows you to use advertising as more of a reminder. In addition, when economic times are tough, trusted brands tend to do well,” says Client Manager Sebastian Wikman from Sanoma.

Brand building adds to the effectiveness of performance marketing

According to WARC, brand building does not compete with performance marketing but rather multiplies its effectiveness . The brand sparks interest, emotions and connection and performance marketing turns them into sales.

If the goal is long-term growth, the amount of brand marketing you do should exceed that of tactical efforts; WARC recommends a ratio of 60–40.

Memorable details and consistency in brand image create subconscious recognition. Sebastian Wikman warns about the pitfall of being too generic.

“Not appealing to every single consumer can be a strength for a brand. Don’t be afraid to talk to your most important audience the way the want to be talked to.”

TV and video advertising are great brand marketing tools. A TV sponsorship, for instance, effectively attaches your brand to a specific target group. Digital and print media, on the other hand, allow for a combination of brand and tactical marketing: digital media enable click-throughs, while in print , you can showcase your product selection.

Long-term customers are a valuable asset

Bringing in a new customer is a much more arduous task than retaining and serving a happy, existing one. This is especially true when it comes to e-commerce. Long-term customers spend 67 per cent more than new customers; they gladly recommend the store and reach a buying decisions with less marketing.

When the trust is there, consumers are more willing to receive personalised messaging. Email marketing and applications are excellent channels for timely or targeted promotions or, for example, presenting the customer with a gift on their birthday.

Communicating directly with your customers also gives you an opportunity to develop your business with your most valuable clientele in mind.

“And if the customer decides to leave, it should not be made difficult for them. Ending the relationship should be just as easy as joining and buying. The customer needs to be there willingly,” Wikman says.

Meet the consumer in multiple channels

Today, catching the consumer and making an impact often requires a multichannel approach.

Back in 2014, the consumer had an average of nine interactions with the brand before purchase. In 2023, the number of touchpoints was anything between 20 and 500 depending on the complexity of the product.

The best media mix for your brand depends on your target group. Older demographics can still be reached effectively through a limited selection of media, but the media use of younger generations is much more fragmented.

“Having a media partner with multiple wide-reaching channels in their repertoire can save you a lot of time,” Wikman notes.

AI and new technologies simplify the buyer’s journey

E-commerce brands have led the way when it comes to new technologies that simplify buying. Voice search is one example of removing steps from the path towards purchase.

AI has made AR and VR more approachable than ever. A virtual try-on opportunity, for instance, can make all the difference to the consumer’s online shopping experience.

AI also streamlines the search for the best-priced product that matches the consumer’s needs and values. Sebastian Wikman has three keys for an e-commerce brand to secure their position in this age:

“Make sure your product selection is sharp and caters to the target group’s taste. Stay on top of trends and offer information and content for AI to find and use.”

E-commerce trends in 2026 – from interactivity to virtual assistants and more

Ready to talk about building your e-commerce brand in Finland?

Insight is the key to effective marketing – 6 questions to help you identify your data needs

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 13:39:04 GMT

Consistently making the right marketing investments requires data and insight about your campaigns, target audience and competition. Discover the answer to these six questions to get a head start in the Finnish market!

At first glance, the word ‘insight’ may sound slightly intimidating. Tiina Virtanen , Head of Insight and Marketing Solutions at Sanoma, admits this but offers words of encouragement:

“In reality, all you need is a vague idea of your research need. Our experts will walk you through it in human terms.”

A team that masters both research and media will help you turn the data into actionable ideas and marketing concepts. Start with these key questions to identify your main needs for insight, and feel free to reach out anytime !

1. What does your target audience think of your brand?

Brand awareness in one market does not directly translate into awareness in another. This is why a market entry should involve research on how well your target group knows your brand and what they think of it. Even long-established brands should not rely on past awareness forever.

”It’s about using facts instead of a hunch as your baseline. Brand tracking helps you make sure your marketing is pushing you to the right direction”, says Tiina Virtanen.

Sanoma’s solutions:

Brand Tracking compares your brand to a maximum of five competitors, observing aided and unaided awareness, consideration, ad recall and preference. This is a popular, low-effort way of tracking the development of your brand. Prices start from €2200 per round for two rounds a year or €1800 per round for three or more.
Tailored research projects offer a chance to deep dive into specific questions about your brand’s position in the market.

2. Do your campaigns strike a chord with the right people?

The effect of an advertising campaign is hard to prove without measuring it. While sales and clicks offer one angle to the effectiveness of a campaign, qualitative metrics such as brand image should not be overlooked.

“It’s important to know if your message is clear, if it reaches the right audience, and what reactions and emotions the advertising evokes. Does your target audience like the creative execution or does it irritate them? Do the ads generate action?”

Sanoma’s solutions:

Multimedia research sheds light on the impact of the entire campaign and the value that each added media group brings. The research can include media outside of Sanoma, e.g. OOH or social media.
Other opportunities include measuring individual channels (digital, print, audio or TV) as well as research on TV and video solutions.

3. Are you aware of all your potential target groups?

Tiina Virtanen recalls a case in which an ad click analysis revealed a male audience the client had not previously recognised. It also turned out quite a few of them listened to Radio Rock. The logical next step was to create an audio campaign for said radio station.

Another advertiser ended up reconsidering their budget allocation when research revealed their target group had a pronounced interest for events and the music show Vain elämää.

“A closer look at your audiences can shake things up. You may uncover a new group of people or realise the consumers’ media use has shifted,” Virtanen says.

Sanoma’s solutions:

The Audience Reporter is a tool for analysing the interests and other attributes of your own CRM audiences, those who clicked your advertising or readers of native articles. Get started with, for example, an Audience Reporter analysis of a native article for €400.
Sanoma Segments divide Finns into eight categories according to demographics, attitudes, values, consumption and media use. They can be used to enrich your own client data, target advertising and find new ways to approach your audience. An updated version of the segments will be released in April, so now is a great time to get in touch!

4. Do you understand the complexity of the buying process?

Studying the process the customer goes through before making a purchase allows you to recognise the critical points at which your message needs to reach them. The path to a big decision – say, buying a car – can be surprisingly complex.

“When it comes to B2B decision-makers, research also debunks stereotypes related to their media use and information seeking,” Virtanen adds.

Sanoma’s solutions:

Sanoma has researched the buying process in various industries and the media the buyers seek information from. Tailored research projects offer a closer look at a specific industry.

5. Where do you stand among your competitors?

Industries and markets change, and a once well-known brand may not stay that way when surrounded by newcomers or rapid growers.

Industry research looks at the situation among competing brands, covering topics such as top-of-mind awareness, consideration, ad recall and the likelihood of the consumer choosing a specific brand.

“This helps you stay in the group of brands the consumer considers. If, for example, your brand awareness or consideration has dropped since the previous year, it’s time to make more measurements and evaluate your marketing actions.”

Sanoma’s solutions:

Twice a year, Sanoma tracks brand attributes in different industries: daily consumer goods, fashion, cosmetics, sports equipment, household electronics, car dealerships, banks and so on. This provides an overview of the industries and changes in them. The latest trackings were done in early 2026 – contact us for fresh data!
A timely example of industry tracking is Sanoma’s recent research on the gaming industry and Finnish players . The Finnish gaming market will open to competition in 2027 .

6. Where is consumption headed on a larger scale?

What do consumers think of the state of their finances and the economy at large? Are they willing to spend their money or hesitant in their decision making?

Sanoma collects data on Finnish consumption through a survey that gauges the growth or waning of consumption and explores how open consumers are to, for example, switching brands or service providers.

Data on the thoughts and expectations of consumers comes in handy when making long-term marketing plans.

“In addition, our marketing strategists keep on eye on larger trends. For an advertiser entering Finland for the first time, their insight is invaluable,” Virtanen says.

Sanoma’s solutions:

The Kulutuspulssi (Consumption Pulse) survey tracks changes in Finns’ attitudes toward consumption and their purchasing behaviours in different product and service categories. The next survey is taking place in spring 2026 .
A team of Sanoma’s marketing strategists follows local and global trends and provides insight for both Sanoma’s experts and advertisers.

As the biggest media house in Finland, Sanoma knows the ins and outs of Finnish consumption and media use. The combination of insight and marketing expertise ensures the data turns into action.

We have insight on your industry and customers. Would you like to hear more?

The Finnish gaming market attracts operators – new companies need to localise and build trust

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 13:01:20 GMT

International gaming operators see the potential in the Finnish gaming market – and are ready to make decisions and form partnerships even as the details of the legislation are in the talks. This is crucial time that will determine which operators will make it in the reformed market.

The opening of the Finnish gaming market sparked conversations in ICE Barcelona , one of the world’s largest gaming events. Sanoma’s team visited the event in January, and Sales Director Karri Ahonen is ready to share the most burning talking points.

”The discussions we had at ICE made it clear that operators are willing to make decisions before they know every legislative detail. The customer understanding gained, partnerships formed and media choices made right now will seal the success stories,” Ahonen says.

Establishing trust is key in a crowded market

Moderate taxation, a relatively liberal view on marketing and the Finns’ neutral attitudes towards gaming make Finland an attractive market to international gaming operators. In ICE Barcelona, it was estimated that as many as 40 to 60 companies may apply for a licence to operate in Finland. This exceeds earlier estimates.

Not all companies will commence their operations immediately. Still, the competition for consumers’ attention will start on day one, and building trust will be key.

The current monopoly holder Veikkaus – who will continue to operate in the reformed market – has a long-established trust among Finns. A previously unknown operator will need to gain that same trust by approaching the consumer in the right contexts with the right message.

“It’s not only about the volume of marketing, but about what you do and how you do it,” Ahonen says.

Read more: Get to know the Finnish player

Localise by understanding both your audience and the media

Though appealing, Finland also has a reputation as a demanding market. Finns are critical, media literate and quick to point out inauthenticity. Ahonen reminds operators not to enter the market with a ready-made playbook but to invest in careful localisation instead.

”Rather than simply targeting marketing to those who tend to play the most, you need to understand the cultural framework, including the humour and visuals that appeal to Finnish people. This is not a game of copy and paste,” Ahonen says.

Marketing that enriches and interacts with its context is highly influential. If the goal is to, for example, take over a certain sport, a logo on a jersey only goes so far.

”The priority should be to understand both the audience and what they wish from that media. In what ways could you attach yourself to that sport or journalistic context?”

The biggest gaming operators do high-quality marketing

The state of gaming marketing in Finland from 2027 onwards is a topic that raises questions among both operators and consumers. Karri Ahonen has an educated guess:

”The 10 to 15 biggest operators entering Finland will do marketing communications of extremely high quality. At the other end of the spectrum are companies with less resources who will have a more of a trial-and-error approach.”

Event marketing done by gaming operators will boost the visibility of specific sports. Overall, ownership of sports and influencers will be sought-after. However, the extent to which influencer partnerships can be utilised is still uncertain.

”The practical tools and measures of marketing will become clearer as the legislation is finalised,” says Ahonen.

Gaming companies want a full-service partner

Instead of talking media space only, gaming companies are currently looking for partnerships that cover consumer understanding and localised content that supports customer retention and brand loyalty.

”Gaming operators want to attach themselves to different phenomena in multiple channels. If the goal is to own the ice hockey scene, our job as a marketing and media partner is to create the toolkit needed for that,” says Ahonen.

Through vast experience, segmentation and extensive first-party data, Sanoma has a solid grasp on the Finnish media user.

”Our multichannel marketing experts are familiar with the daily race for the consumer’s attention. Sanoma’s wide selection of media also guarantees that if a regulation change affects one media group, we can shift the focus to another,” Ahonen concludes.

Advertising Finland is your doorway to the Finnish market. As the international sales unit of Sanoma, the leading media house in Finland, we connect you with top marketing professionals and help you find the right media solutions.

Book a meeting with our gaming team!

Media–audience relationships matter – discover three recent changes in Finnish media

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 10:49:56 GMT

In the age of AI, journalistic media can thrive by nurturing their relationship to their audience. Sanoma’s Sebastian Wikman and Veli-Matti Nurmela analyse some of the changes that major Finnish media have made recently to stay relevant to both readers and advertisers.

One fact demonstrates the quality of media–audience relationships in Finland: most of the traffic to media sites is direct. Instead of asking AI and never ending up on the news site itself, Finns like to find their news right at the source.

Business Manager, Data Veli-Matti Nurmela sees a connection between the rise of AI content and recent decisions made by publishers.

“As AI gives everyone an opportunity to produce content, the signature of a trustworthy news media will only grow in relevance. A news outlet’s credibility in all channels, media–audience relationships and potential for advertisers are all connected,” Nurmela says.

Clickbait no more – Helsingin Sanomat refreshes their headline practices

In early June 2025, Helsingin Sanomat declared they will no longer use clickbait in any of their channels. In her statement , editor-in-chief Erja Yläjärvi defined clickbait as a headline that uses mystery and exaggeration to deliberately conceal the point of the story.

“It is not the same as a good and inventive headline meant to spark interest in the piece. Without interest, journalism goes to waste,” Yläjärvi stated.

In August, HS shared results : the perceived quality of the paper improved, the calmer headlines performed above expectations, and average read times of digital articles increased. Articles that would have previously relied on a flashy headline to pull readers did not do as well with a moderate one, which was an indicator to raise standards.

The shift was praised by Sanoma’s international network of B2B sales representative agencies.

“The consensus was that rejecting clickbait adds to the credibility of the paper, the publisher and the advertising environment. A big player such as Helsingin Sanomat carrying its responsibility in this area makes a positive impression,” says Sanoma’s Client Manager Sebastian Wikman .

Newsletters and curated content serve the reader

Even large media are now harnessing the power of curated content sent straight to the reader’s inbox. The active choice the consumer makes by subscribing gives the newsletter great potential as a content distribution channel.

Newsletters and other ways of serving the reader outside the main news channels reinforce media–audience relationships.

“The journalists behind newsletters know their readers and can pick topics that are valuable to them,” Veli-Matti Nurmela points out.

For an advertiser, a strong bond between a media and its readers means greater impact and perceived reliability of advertising.

The newsletter options of Helsingin Sanomat include the latest headlines in different news categories and the popular Good News newsletter. Email courses, on the other hand, instruct readers on how to eat better, exercise and manage their finances.

“Sanoma’s hybrid strategy is to give the consumer the option of both digital and print media. Newsletters are one way of carrying out this strategy and expanding it to different formats,” says Nurmela.

Iltalehti becomes the first to adopt ‘consent or pay’ in Finland

The Finnish tabloid Iltalehti recently adopted a ‘consent or pay’ model that requires their readers to either consent to targeted advertising or prohibit the collection of targeting data for €1.99 a month.

While the model is common in many other European countries, Iltalehti is the first Finnish news outlet to utilise it. The decision sparked some controversy and complaints to the Data Protection Ombudsman.

The European Data Protection Board has found that in many cases, the model does not comply with the requirements for valid consent. However, national media may not be considered ‘large online platforms’ such as the ones EDPB refers to in their statement .

The model brings both benefits and risks.

“The amount of precise data it produces is attractive to advertisers. The concern is whether it will affect the size of the readership,” Sebastian Wikman ponders.

For now, Sanoma’s data collection and targeting is founded on strong media–audience relationships. Logged-in users account for a considerable amount of traffic on Sanoma’s news sites, which is also a testament to Finns’ willingness to pay for quality content.

“Of course, we keep an eye on trends and new developments,” Veli-Matti Nurmela adds.

Want more insights on Finnish media and consumers?

Programmatic advertising in the new era of the Finnish gaming market

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 13:51:40 GMT

How to prepare for 2027

The Finnish market will soon open its doors to an entirely new industry as the reformed Gambling Act allows many gaming companies to launch business operations in Finland in 2027. How will this affect the landscape of digital advertising and programmatic buying? Sanoma’s Miia Salmi and Janne Lappalainen respond.

While the concrete practices and restrictions are still in the talks, Senior Programmatic Manager Miia Salmi can already offer reassurance to those worried about the availability of ad inventory in 2027.

”The competition for media coverage will increase, but at Sanoma, we will only make a certain part of our inventory available to the gaming market. This will most likely apply to both direct and programmatic buying.”

Restrictions to the inventory available to gaming advertisers will cover not only digital media but also TV, audio and print. These limitations are in the interest of advertisers, consumers and media brands alike.

“We will take care of the consumer’s experience of our media by ensuring that, say, the front page of Ilta-Sanomat will not be flooded with gaming ads,” Salmi says.

Now is the time to plan and build connections

When it comes to tangible actions to ensure your visibility through programmatic buying in 2027, Miia Salmi and Client Partner Janne Lappalainen recommend establishing connections with publishers in good time . Things are bound to get busier as the opening of the gaming market approaches.

If you have previously done programmatic buying mainly through open auction, deals are a great option to consider at this point . They ensure your access to all Sanoma’s programmatic products and inventory and give you a head start in a slightly more crowded market.

In addition, if you wish to target advertising with your own data , now is the time start the conversation and prepare for using custom audiences. Planning, groundwork and contracts all take their time.

“As long as the specifics of the restrictions and situation on both programmatic and direct buying are taking shape, the best way to get started is to get in touch with us or your own Sanoma contact,” Salmi says.

“The biggest gaming companies will not go to extremes”

The Gambling Act aims to protect vulnerable groups from gambling-related harm. The legislation requires advertising to be moderate and relatively neutral and prohibits the glorification of gaming. Finns are used to seeing gaming marketing from the current monopoly Veikkaus, but the entry of several new operators is bound to bring a visible change.

“Even if each operator advertises in a moderate and neutral way, the consumer will inevitably notice the overall increase in gaming marketing in media and on the streets,” says Janne Lappalainen.

Gaming ads often recall colourful neon lights and aggressive messaging, but Lappalainen believes most of the advertising will be considerably less intrusive.

“The biggest companies entering Finland will not go to extremes. They understand the necessity of building their brand in a new market instead of only urging the consumers to play.”

Gaming companies will be required a licence to operate in Finland. For publishers, programmatic deals are a surefire way to ensure only licensed operators can buy their inventory. Sanoma will, however, hold the reins with open auction, too.

“The market opening does not mean that any operator can automatically get hold of our inventory,” Miia Salmi assures.

Three steps to successful market entry in Finland

Sat, 24 Jan 2026 09:16:26 GMT

Marketing effectiveness relies on understanding your target audience and the market. This is especially true when making an entry with a new brand or concept. Sanoma’s experts share a simple and scalable method for building advertising success from the ground up when your plan is to enter the Finnish market.

The three-step model for market entry helps you lay solid foundations for effective campaigns and content. When done right, the process becomes an iterative cycle that adapts to different needs.

”The idea is not to go through the steps and call it a day, but to begin with insight and strategy , create content for your chosen media, and finally measure and learn before starting again with a refined plan,” says Tiina Virtanen , Head of Insight and Marketing Solutions at Sanoma.

Thorough groundwork brings results on campaign level. To recognise and demonstrate those results, you need clear, measurable objectives.

”If you base your strategy on a hunch or pick a goal that is too vague, such as simply entering the market and growing brand awareness, it’s hard to measure success and develop further. A clearly defined goal allows you to align your content production and prove the effectiveness of your advertising,” says Sanoma’s Director of Video Sales Anssi Heikka .

Whether you're launching a new product or expanding your presence, whether you're an agency or an in‑house marketer – we're here to ensure your success . Contact us!

Step 1: Fill knowledge gaps with research and insight

Contrary to popular belief, Finland is not a miniature Sweden. The unique nuances of the Finnish media environment as well as the way Finns use media and relate to advertising make it worthwhile to put effort in research.

“Start by taking a moment to consider your existing knowledge. Are there any blind spots that need addressing?” Virtanen suggests.

Sanoma offers a multitude of ways to better find and learn about your audience:

Eight media consumer segments based on Sanoma’s research help you scope out your potential audience and learn about their media use.

Brand Tracking gives you a clear picture of how your marketing actions affect your image and brand awareness.
The Audience Reporter reveals new approaches or previously overlooked potential by shedding light on the characteristics and interests of those who clicked on your advertising.
Measuring the creative execution and effectiveness of your advertising across media helps you refine future campaigns.

A tailored research project provides the answers to your most pressing questions regarding the market and your target audience. It offers useful data for launching a new product of brand, pre-testing marketing or getting to know a specific target group.

“The benefit of working with Sanoma’s experts is that you have a professional by your side to interpret the data and translate it into suggestions for your next marketing actions,” Virtanen shares.

Step 2: Invest time in strategy and create authentically local content

The age-old challenge in marketing is finding the intersection of your favourite topics and what your audience wants to see.

“There are no shortcuts to finding the advertising sweet spot. You need to first locate your audience, understand their interests and figure out the topics your brand should own. Time invested in creating a strategy is time well spent,” Anssi Heikka explains.

When it comes to concepting advertising in Finland, authenticity and Finnish content are the way to go. Locally made content has proven time and time again to be more effective than that localised from international (or even Nordic) material.

“I like to say that Finland is the European equivalent of Japan in that we have a distinct language and a culture formed in the intersection of east and west. Because of this, the Finnish consumer tends to quickly recognise if so-called local advertising is actually that,” Heikka says.

Step 3: Boost your message with a cross-media approach

By the time you have gone through steps 1 and 2, you will have a deep understanding of the market and your audience, a content strategy and a set of campaign materials ready to go.

When you are ready to launch, make sure to pick more than one channel to advertise in.

According to Sanoma’s research, every added channel results in an image lift of 13 % and an activation lift of 15 % on average.

“Going cross-media is a way to make sure your target audience comes across your message throughout their day. This is ever more important as media use gets increasingly fragmented. When you have already invested in a campaign, it’s no use only choosing one channel,” Tiina Virtanen states.

Having a single team to lead you through the entire process makes life simple and ensures a smooth flow of information. Sanoma’s 500+ professionals are there every step of the way from information gathering to content creation.

Finns enjoy stirring TV phenomena – quality advertising can enhance the experience

Wed, 21 Jan 2026 13:15:49 GMT

The rise of streaming has not put an end to big TV sensations – it has merely changed the way we engage with them. Finns are a versatile people that enjoys the escapism offered by high-quality TV. At its best, creative advertising adds to the story and emotions of the content.

There is no one way to describe the Finnish TV viewer. As such, the best method for a broadcaster to secure widespread attention is to build a varied programme selection.

Still, two genres are sure to find their viewers time after time: music-based entertainment and reality TV starring celebrities.

“For us Finns as a Nordic people, TV has always been a doorway to other worlds. It’s a place of escapism,” says Mirko Baas , Head of Domestic Content at Nelonen Media.

In decades past, we used to gather around the TV together, at the same time, to catch the latest hit. Today, the hits are still being watched, only at a moment that best suits each viewer. This allows the shows to find new audiences and grow further.

“Big TV phenomena are still the foundation of everything we do,” Baas says. “While linear TV competes with everything else – other channels, dinner, friends, sauna slots, hobbies – VOD allows the viewer to find a distraction-free time and truly tune in to the show. They are much more present that way.”

Nelonen Media’s spring 2026 – favourites and new sensations

The Voice of Finland returns for a fifteenth anniversary season and introduces Jenni Vartiainen , one of Finland’s most beloved pop queens, as a new coach.
Petolliset (The Traitors) has grown into a bigger phenomenon with each new season. ”I have watched this spring’s season and can tell you it’s amazing and very different compared to the past ones,” Mirko Baas reveals.
Erikoisjoukot , based on the British format SAS: Who Dares Wins , was the most popular TV show in Finland in 2025. The reality show returns in spring 2026 with new competitors and challenges.
Hildur , a Finnish–Icelandic drama series based on Satu Rämö’s bestselling book series, premieres on Nelonen and Ruutu in late January. The books have sold over 1 million copies in Finland, and the new series is one of Nelonen Media’s biggest drama acquisitions to date.

From spots to sponsorships, there are many ways to evoke emotions

Behind the scenes, preparations for the next spring or autumn begin right as the results from the previous one come in. The last programme acquisitions are made four to five months before showtime. This means that advertisers, too, should enter the conversation in good time.

“With sponsorships, a year in advance is ideal. The earlier we hear from you, the better we can work together with the production company, writers and directors to incorporate your brand into the show,” says Baas.

At its best, brand placement enriches the content. Baas gives an example: Back in 2022, Selviytyjät (Survivor) teamed up with Burger King to offer burgers as a reward to the competitors. After two weeks in the jungle, the competitors’ reactions to the burgers were invaluable.

“The sheer joy as they cried over the Whoppers! You don’t get that sort of emotion even if you hire actors,” Baas reminisces.

Discover the best TV advertising solution for you , from spots to sponsorships – or book your next ad production with Sanoma Content Studio !

Building a TV sensation is hard work

There’s much more to TV than broadcasting content: rights and contracts, scheduling, marketing, PR and media, recommendations on Ruutu – the list goes on. Baas applauds Nelonen Media’s fantastic professionals who do their best for each show, gauge the mood of TV viewers and stay in touch with the most popular performers.

“It takes a lot of work to build a sensation and make a show come to life. The creative work requires and deserves time.”

But how do you recognise a hit? No one really knows, says Baas – otherwise, we would get nothing but.

“That’s the charm of this industry, you never know. You simply do your homework as well as you can and estimate which shows have the best chance for success.”

Take Erikoisjoukot , for example. The army-style show hits home with Finns, many of whom have personal experience of military service. The timing is spot-on, too: interest in defence and survival skills has increased in the past few years.

With that and many other potential hits on the menu, what does Mirko Baas most anticipate from spring 2026?

“I’m looking forward to reaching every single Finnish TV viewer with our diverse line-up.”

Make the most of moving image with a mix of Total TV and news media video advertising

Fri, 28 Nov 2025 07:28:59 GMT

The moving image is a psychologically powerful tool for standing out, evoking emotions and telling stories. Combining Total TV with news media video advertising allows you to make effective use of the strengths of different media.

Total TV gives you access to all generations of TV viewers

TV viewing is changing, even in Finland, where linear TV remains strong compared to many other countries. Sanoma’s data shows that older generations prefer linear TV while 25 to 44-year-olds are the biggest viewer group of the VOD service Ruutu. Total TV is the key to reaching viewers across age demographics.

A telling example of the change in the Finnish TV viewing habits is Sanoma’s most viewed show Erikoisjoukot , based on the British format SAS: Who Dares Wins . Streaming is what earns the show its leading position.

“For the second season in a row, half of the views of Erikoisjoukot come from Ruutu, which underlines the growth and significance of VOD,” Sinkkonen says. “Overall, most of Sanoma’s shows are non-live entertainment that lends itself well to VOD viewing.”

TV commercials have an average watch time of 12 seconds – compared to the 2 seconds of video ads on social media – which makes them a great canvas for storytelling. Effective TV advertising also makes clever use of sound.

“Not all viewers watch ad breaks, but they often hear the audio as they scroll on their phones or go get a snack. We know that on average, 4 out of 10 ads are watched with eyes focused on the TV screen, while the remaining 6 are mostly listened to. A recognisable audio utilises that.”

An added plus is that a good audio is usable in audio advertising, too – a great opportunity if you aim to reach the Finnish masses.

News media video advertising – visual clarity and pinpoint targeting

Use peace and tranquillity to rise above the noise

We live in an overwhelmingly online world that provides a constant influx of stimuli. To both combat the effects of this and make your brand stand out, Tuomo Sinkkonen recommends making use of calmness and ease as a theme and narrative style.

Instead of speeding things up as concentration wanes, try using tempo, imagery and colours that give the recipient space to absorb your message.

“With the world as full of noise and distress as it is, tranquillity can be a winning strategy. We all need opportunities to breathe and rest. Why not use your ad to build a space for that?” Sinkkonen concludes.

Give us a Minute: Tuomo’s creative tips for eye-catching video advertising on news media

Ready to talk about the possibilities of moving image?

Your roadmap to results – meet the Pillars of Effective Marketing

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 08:33:56 GMT

How do you ensure the effectiveness of your marketing and determine the right metrics to use? Sanoma’s 10+1 Pillars of Effective Marketing outline the key aspects to consider and double as a promise to our customers. This is marketing, the Sanoma way.

“In essence, effective marketing is marketing that reaches its goals. That requires clear objectives and metrics, whether your wish is to grow brand awareness, boost sales or strengthen your customer relationships,” says Reetta Thurman , Marketing Strategist at Sanoma.

The 10+1 Pillars of Effective Marketing, compiled by Thurman and her colleagues, are backed up by decades of experience combined with Finnish and international marketing research.

Pillars of Effective Marketing

Goal setting – you get what you asked for
Marketing is an investment
Know your target group
Maximise reach
Content determines the efficiency of advertising
Brand adds to short-term effectiveness, too
Going multichannel seals effectiveness
Media matters
Aim for consistent visibility
Take the wheel

+ 1 It’s time to enter the era of mental health economy

But what should you focus on as an international advertiser in Finland? Reetta Thurman picked three key pillars for closer inspection.

Goal setting – you get what you asked for

Effective marketing communications start with goal setting and finding the right ways to measure success. And it’s not just about the goals of an individual campaign – overall business goals are the foundation underneath.

“There are layers to it. You start with business goals and see what they could mean in terms of brand goals and, ultimately, the goals of a campaign. The different layers need to connect. If you’re looking to increase profitability, a discount campaign is not the logical next step,” Thurman explains.

When entering a new market, realistic goal setting requires research on the market itself as well as analysis of your starting position in it.

The challenge of setting goals and clocking success is the fact that measuring marketing is not an exact science.

“What we do with marketing is affect emotions, and that doesn’t always translate neatly into numbers. You need to accept some level of uncertainty and trust that consistent work in the right direction will bear fruit,” Thurman says.

Brand adds to short-term effectiveness, too

The brand is the biggest driver of effective marketing and increases the productivity and cost-effectiveness of all campaigns.

“People tend to notice the advertising of brands they are familiar with, so a strong brand creates a better response to tactical marketing, too,” Thurman says.

We know most consumers are not looking to buy at this precise moment, but brand marketing can get you on their shopping list when the need arises. That’s not to say it doesn’t have a direct response in sales.

“Tactical advertising is not the only way to the consumers’ wallets. People are more complex than that,” Thurman points out.

Focusing solely on the tactical side often fails to plant the seeds for future demand. This could lead to profits plateauing out and the risk of following the wrong metrics when making marketing investments.

A brand making a market entry often leads with the USPs (Unique Selling Points) of the product to get consumers to try it out – a valid and understandable strategy. Still, if the target group is at all familiar with the brand, it pays to focus on that, too.

“We often work with marketing executives to help them communicate the importance of brand marketing at this stage to financial or business executives within the company.” Read also: Three steps to successful market entry in Finland

Go multichannel for bigger impact

The more channels you choose for your campaign, the better its reach.

“Using multiple channels has a direct impact on brand recall and behaviour change. Allowing consumers to meet your message on several contact points gets it across more effectively,” Thurman says.

According to Sanoma’s research, every added channel results in an image lift of 13 per cent and activation lift of 15 per cent. Testing and metrics will help you build a media mix that aligns with your objectives and resonates with your customers.

An international advertiser also needs to get familiar with the characteristics of Finnish media and ways to use it effectively. Reetta Thurman gives a couple of examples:

“In many markets, radio tends to be a short-term channel, but here, it’s widely used as a brand-building tool, too. Then there are the news media and the boost in brand credibility they can give you. The Finnish consumer will trust you to be a legitimate brand when they see your advertisement on a reliable news channel .”

Want to know more about the Pillars of Effective Marketing? Get in touch and we’ll talk you through it!

Players’ expectations of responsibility set the bar for gaming marketing in Finland

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 07:56:05 GMT

When choosing a gaming provider, the Finnish player prioritises reliability, security and brand familiarity. A new brand in the Finnish gaming market needs to earn their credibility through open communication and walking the talk.

The Finnish player’s need for security is reflected in their expectations for gaming marketing: they value informative content that establishes trust over pure entertainment. This might have something to do with how Veikkaus, the state-owned company, has operated in the past.

“For decades, we have had one voice on gaming in Finland, and strict regulation. What’s more, we’re not really a nation that values overstepping any marks,” says Content Director Jenni Lieto from Sanoma Content Studio.

The new legislation could require all licenced operators to provide information on gaming support services on their advertising, along with taking several other measures to prevent harmful playing and monitor gaming behaviour.

“Finnish players have gotten used to a gaming provider that cares. They expect operators to have preventative mechanisms in place and openly communicate about them. Establishing your position as a company that looks after its customers is a positive factor,” adds Teemu Savolainen , Sanoma’s Client Group Director.

Moderate advertising targeted right – preventing the ad tsunami

Keeping gaming advertising on a level that consumers find reasonable is beneficial to both operators and media companies. As a cautionary example, Teemu Savolainen points out the tsunami of gaming advertising in Sweden.

“From a media company’s perspective, a good relationship with customers is essential, and excessive gaming advertising can drive consumers away. For this reason, the advertising inventory for gaming operators will be limited. Reach is a key factor, and this means the end user must be looked after,” Savolainen explains.

Sanoma has conducted a gaming survey of over 3 500 participants through its consumer panel Suomitutka. Combining the data with Sanoma accounts reveals the kind of content those interested in gaming consume in Sanoma’s media environments.

“This allows us to adjust inventory limits according to where the potential customers are and ensure that those not interested in gaming see as little advertising as possible. Our goal is to be a responsible partner for gaming companies by offering effective advertising environments and delivering measurable results while making sure that gaming advertising doesn’t disturb consumers,” Savolainen says.

Don’t just claim responsibility, walk the talk

The gaming industry comes with many negative connotations that can be partly tackled with transparency – but only if your actions are truly responsible and you have the proof to back up your claims.

“As a general rule in every business, responsibility starts where legal requirements end. Be willing to do more than you are asked of,” Jenni Lieto says.

Both Lieto and Savolainen raise the issue of protecting young people. Targeting tactical marketing to under 25s is not in line with the idea of safer gaming, even when the legal minimum age for gaming is 18.

As the amount of gaming marketing increases in Finland, it’s crucial for operators to invest in building a strong brand that Finnish players learn to recognise and trust.

“In all marketing, the biggest brand tends to reap some of the benefits of their competitors’ actions. In the gaming sector, what we will be facing is a host of previously unknown brands entering a market in which every single consumer is familiar with one brand. Your brand needs to stand out from the noise,” Lieto concludes.

Interested in Sanoma’s recent insights on Finnish gamers and gaming brands?

It’s time to plan your gaming marketing in Finland - here’s what to do while the legislation takes shape

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 07:22:23 GMT

Many gaming operators hesitate to take steps while the reform of the Finnish gambling system is still underway and the restrictions to marketing remain open. Sanoma’s experts share three concrete actions you can do right now to get started and ensure visibility from the get-go.

Gaming marketing – where and how to do it in an effective and responsible way – was a hot topic in the Finnish iGaming Conference in Helsinki in the beginning of September. The event pulled Finnish and international professionals in and around the gaming industry to discuss the significant shift happening in the Finnish gaming market.

Sanoma’s Client Partner Antti Jalonen describes the mood among gaming operators as hesitant.

“Currently, we are all waiting for the legislation to be finalised in parliament in late October or early November 2025. Until then, there will be some tentativeness in the air about the details and what you will or will not be allowed do,” Jalonen says.

Despite the uncertainty, you can already put in a great deal of work to ensure your brand will get off to a flying start when the market opens.

“Almost all operators declare they want to be all-in from day one. If that’s your plan, it’s high time to start preparing. Right now, some operators are mostly waiting to see how the legislation turns out, while others are already laying the groundwork,” says Client Partner Janne Lappalainen .

Use research and insight to get familiar with the market

“Marketing is the single element you can use to differentiate from competitors with a very similar product to yours,” Jalonen points out.

To make the most of your marketing, you need solid foundations: knowledge on the market and your audience in it. Sanoma’s media reach almost the entire Finnish nation, which provides wide-ranging data on Finns as consumers. This data is invaluable to a brand planning their marketing in a new area.

“Many gaming companies tend to benchmark Sweden, and this is something I wish to challenge. It’s not a given that the tactics that worked in Sweden will work in Finland. The two are not the same,” Lappalainen says.

Sanoma’s Finnish Player Survey, done in March 2025, was completed by 843 Finns, 730 of whom had played gambling games. The survey showed, among other interesting qualities, Finns’ tendency to make choices based on safety and credibility when trying out new brands.

Create customised audience segments

In addition to learning about the market, data is valuable when scoping out your audiences. The goal of creating custom segments is both to find the right people in different media and to add to your customer understanding. Segments also allow you to vary your message to appeal to different audiences.

“Custom segments can be created now from your own customer data, industry insight or other data on the target group. You will then have the segments ready to use in targeting digital advertising the minute the market opens,” Jalonen illustrates.

Ensure your visibility in the most relevant media

When you have a solid understanding of your most potential audiences, you can start figuring out the best combination of media for your brand. With limited advertising inventory available for gaming companies, establishing partnerships now is a way to ensure future visibility.

“When you have gone through the research, found your audiences and compiled creative concepts with a media partner, the next step of turning them into effective campaigns together comes naturally and effortlessly,” Jalonen says.

Want to take the first step towards mastering the Finnish market? Get in touch to learn more about the Finnish Player Survey!

Give us a Minute: Video marketing

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 10:21:49 GMT

In this minute long video Business Manager Tuomo Sinkkonen gives crative tips and shares three key insights on how digital news media compares to social media. Watch the video!

The role of the newsmedia in Finland is unique, news is trusted and typically consumed by visiting directly to mediasites or apps.

Read more about our research that shows how the attention value of video advertising in Sanoma’s news media environment beats social media giants.

Read how Juustoportti’s bold and colourful video advertising stopped thumbs in Sanoma’s news media. Dairy company Juustoportti’s eye-catching campaign boosted the launch of their new protein products.

Sanoma's news media reach the majority of Finns on a weekly basis. We have a high-quality, free media and an uncompromising professional ethic. Your brand is in a safe environment and with a creative video ad you can make the difference.

We will navigate the next steps with you.

Give us a Minute: How to succeed with content marketing

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 10:19:06 GMT

In this minute long video Content Director Jenni Lieto gives you three tips for successful content marketing in Finland. With these tips you can avoid costly mistakes. Watch the video!

We continuously study and measure the Finnish audience. We know what captures their attention. With deep local insight, we create standout content in every format – tailored to fit your brand perfectly.

We’re here to help. Our award-winning Sanoma Content Studio creators work for global and Finnish brands, concepting and creating content for both B2B and B2C audiences.

Give us a Minute: Data and Targeting

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 10:11:44 GMT

In this minute long video Data Business Manager Veli-Matti Nurmela gives you examples how to re-engage your customers with digital ads using your own data. Discover smart ways to boost reach, frequency, and brand visibility. Watch the video!

With our Custom Audiences product, you can target ads using your own customer data. Targeting in the Sanoma network is based on high-quality, first-party data. Since almost all Finns use Sanoma’s popular media daily, we are able to collect our data ourselves from our channels and websites. We do this with the consent of your customers and using the best data protection practices in the industry.

There are many smart ways to activate your existing customer base through digital ads, securely and at scale.

We are here to help!

Tap into your audience’s existing attention with contextual targeting

Tue, 26 Aug 2025 13:12:01 GMT

With contextual targeting, your message meets its audience where their interest has already been sparked with apt content. Instead of distracting the reader or consumer of content, the right ad in the right context can enhance their experience.

”I compare contextual targeting with entering an ongoing conversation at exactly the right moment. It places your ad next to content that has already piqued the interest of your target audience,” says Client Manager Siiri Medina from Sanoma.

Contextual targeting on digital media can do what full-page magazine advertisements have done for decades: utilise pre-existing interest and harmonise advertising with journalistic content to add value to the reader. It offers the same control over context but with infinitely more flexibility when it comes to creative execution and timing.

Tip! The digital equivalent of an impressive print ad is the Digital Full Page – a large-surface ad with high attention value that can be targeted contextually.

Keywords to video advertising – the many possibilities of contextual targeting

Sanoma offers three different ways to find the right context for your ad.

By site section : reserve a spot in a specific section of a news site, such as domestic or foreign news, economics, culture, sports, food or cars.
By IAB category : find content categories as specified in the IAB Content Taxonomy .
By individual keywords : go for pinpoint accuracy by choosing keywords to target with.

AI and self-learning models automatically locate the relevant content, which makes contextual targeting one of the most effective ways of targeting digital advertising.

“The different methods allow you to get extremely specific with your targeting. This level of precision may not be for every product or campaign, but if you’re looking for a niche audience, categories and keywords are helpful,” Medina points out.

Contextually targeted video ads on streaming service Ruutu are another useful tool for long-term advertising. You can target a specific show or choose from the themes of home, wellbeing, travel, food, sports and family .

Every campaign has its own characteristics that determine the best method to use. This is where Sanoma’s experts can help you!

Invest in campaign length and outstanding creative

To truly get your targeted ad campaign off the ground, it’s best to plan for a month-long campaign at a minimum so your message has enough time to reach the eyes of your target group. Another point to consider is the all-important creative execution.

“Effective targeting does not magically transform an otherwise bland advertisement,” Medina states.

Compared to print advertising – even the glossy magazines – digital media offers you any number of creative ways to display your message and product. Rich media advertising engages, surprises and entertains the reader. Choose from options such as a cross-screen ad with a parallax scrolling effect or an animated carousel to showcase multiple products.

”By principle, a good-quality creative combined with the right targeting and campaign length will bring you impressive results,” says Medina.

Find your effective mix of targeting methods

Combining contextual targeting with other targeting methods allows you to pick out, for example, interested readers in the right life phase or with a specific income. Try adding one of these targeting criteria:

Interests based on previous content consumption
Purchase intention in different product categories
Demographics: age, gender, education, income
Location
Household types and life phases
Media consumer segments
Retargeting

Sanoma’s digital network reaches 91 per cent of Finns weekly, which provides us with extensive first-party data. In Sanoma’s media, your advertisement appears in a trusted, valued and brand-safe environment.

“Sanoma’s reputation as a credible source of news and information is built on commitment to high-quality journalism, editorial independence and comprehensive coverage. This lends trustworthiness to the advertising done on our digital channels, too,” Medina concludes.

Got questions about targeting? Contact us to get started with planning the most effective solution for you!

Can you turn a boring topic into interesting marketing?

Tue, 26 Aug 2025 12:51:38 GMT

You absolutely can! Content Director Jenni Lieto from Sanoma Content Studio has three techniques s for content marketers.

I have heard it dozens of times: “Our topics are just too dull to be made interesting content” Each time I hear this, I get excited as I know that, without expception, that is not the case!

Here are my three top tips for turning a (so-called) boring topic into intriguing content.

Learn more: In a minute long video Jenni gives you more tips for successful content marketing in Finland.

1. Break the pattern and disrupt

The word disruption was trending fifteen years ago, but as a strategy it still works. The important task of marketing is to stand out and get noticed. And here's the good news: if your industry isn't sexy in the traditional way - you don't sell perfume, burgers or trendy sneakers, for example - it's actually much easier for you to be the one that stands out from the competition.

LinkedIn is a popular platform for B2B marketing. How about you created visually distinctive content there that carried a story more in a way of an arresting video on Instagram and less like a traditional business post? We created a strategy and content for our client that did just that, and the results were record-breaking.

Learn more about UPM's award-winning content marketing >

So, think about the channel you are on, whether it’s LinkedIn, a radio ad break or a news feed. What kind of message would stand out from the crowd in that environment?

2. Find someone who burns for the topic

There is no communication tool more powerful than a passionate person. The more obscure the issue, the more important it is to find a person who has a genuine zeal for it. Passion is contagious.

There are bound to be more than one people among your in-house experts or outside the company with a burning passion you could harness to communicate your message in a gripping way.

Tip: the fear that your systems designer or CEO wouldn't want or have time to appear in marketing content is often misplaced. Surprisingly,many are happy to be featured.

3. Find a myth - and debunk it

There are myths and misconceptions associated with every industry. Turn them into content!

The True or False content format is a classic for a reason. When you ask the dumb questions no one dares to ask, and answer them, many in your target audience will be grateful. This is why those doctor columns were the most popular content in teen magazines.

Busting myths or answering silly questions is a format that can be applied to almost any industry, from electricity to insurance and to finance to construction. Make sure to phrase the question in a compelling way.

For added interest, consider the format in which you provide the answers. Short Thumb-stopping videos might do wonders.

Got a tough topic? No problem. Reach out—we specialize in transforming the “unmarketable” into scroll-stopping stories your audience will love.

Video advertising on Sanoma’s news sites stops the scroll – research shows

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 06:39:47 GMT

Video advertising is one of the most effective ways to make an impact. These three researched facts gathered by Video Commercial Manager Tuomo Sinkkonen show that the attention value of video advertising in Sanoma’s news media environment beats the social media giants.

Fact 1: Video ads placed on news sites have higher view rate than you'd think.

People tend to spend more time on news media sites compared to other websites. The strength of news sites in terms of video advertising is that they are scrolled through 31 % slower than, for example, social media sites.

The biggest challenge for video marketing is to get your target audience to pause at your content. According to research, a video in Sanoma’s news media environment stops the scroll. With videos watched 25% through as the baseline, every tenth person (10.3% of the audience) continues to watch after the first few seconds when a video is posted on Facebook or Instagram feed, stories or reels. In Sanoma’s news environment, half (50.1%) of the audience is still watching at that point*.

1.8% of video ads on Facebook and Instagram are viewed through. In Sanoma’s news environment, the figure is several times higher: 24.9%**.

So, a video ad has a much better chance of being viewed when placed in a news environment. Creative execution naturally plays an important role in whether advertising is noticed or not.

Read how dairy company Juustoportti’s bold and colourful video advertising stopped thumbs in Sanoma’s news media and boosted the launch of their new protein products.

Fact 2: Video ads placed on news sites have better attention value than you'd think.

Viomba’s eye movement study measured the number of ad impressions on the screen, the number of the ones that loaded, how many participants at least glanced at the advertising, and the amount of time the video ad was viewed for.

The results show that in the mobile view of IS.fi, 83% of ads are seen in one way or another, while in a Facebook feed, for example, that number is no more than 46%***.

When it comes to measuring attention, a news environment does quite nicely compare with social media.

Fact 3: Creative makes the figures.

More than 600 video ads were published on IS.fi from January to March 2024. An analysis of them showed that a visually clear creative works best on news sites. The best-performing ads were the ones that provided visual pleasure. Playfulness, cheerfulness and colours do the trick, as do elements moving in a surprising direction. A close-up of a human face is an effective way to capture attention. Creative content made for social media can well be used in Sanoma’s network. When measured with video metrics, it’s likely to perform even better in that environment.

Watch this minute long video where Tuomo offers you some creative tips and shares three key insights on video marketing in Finland.

*Source: Spots of 0–3 seconds. Nelonen Media, HS, IS, Videolle. Meta Business Manager 2023–2024, 255 million ad impressions, videos viewed up to 25% in relation to starts. Sanoma’s outstream campaigns 2023–2024. 730 million ad impressions, videos viewed up to 25% in relation to starts.

**Source: Spots of 0–3 seconds. Videos viewed 100% in relation to starts. Nelonen Media, HS, IS, Videolle. Meta Business Manager 2023–2024, 255 million ad impressions. Sanoma’s outstream campaigns 2023–2024. 730 million ad impressions.

***Source: IS instream & outstream video advertising. Viomba January–March 2024. FB feed, Lumen digital panels, IG, TikTok, Lumen studies.

The multimedia approach: reaching target audiences throughout the day

Sat, 07 Jun 2025 10:20:32 GMT

Brands looking to reach their audiences often invest much in style and messaging while forgetting the importance of timing. “Different groups consume media differently, making media decisions and data about media consumers important,” says Tiina Virtanen, Head of Insight & marketing solutions at Sanoma.

Timing is often everything when it comes to advertising, especially when trying to reach particular audiences. Reaching audiences at different times is easier with knowledge about specific media, as they are consumed in varying ways.

Generational marketing stresses the importance of age groups in the formation of media habits. Think, for example, TikTok and print media – they naturally require unique touches but also peak at different hours.

What are some keys to reaching audiences at different touchpoints throughout the day?

Make media decisions based on audiences

We live in a shattered media landscape, where we consume more than one media daily. Therefore, your chances of reaching target audiences is much higher when messages are dispersed across different media.

“Television and radio is usually an excellent combo, as they complement each other and provide advertisers with a good starting point for reaching people throughout the day,” says Tiina Virtanen .

Reaching people at different times of the day requires its own touch. At Sanoma, it often starts with audience segmentation – finding out where and how specific groups consume media. Once the audiences most crucial for your specific brand have been mapped out at a highly specific level, you can use important data to find out the times and channels and for most likely reaching these groups.

We consume more than one media daily

Consider the unique traits of each media

Once you’ve decided on the media, designing messaging and other details with the media-specific characteristics in mind. Lose the generic approach to ensure the best possible reach for your advertising efforts.

Consider how the different media are consumed. Long spot TV ads, for example, don’t work in instream video advertising. Content and tone also matter in different media during different times. Mornings may be well-suited for more relaxed messaging and styles, whereas the daytime and evenings may require a different tone. Again, make it diverse: don’t just settle for reaching the early birds if you want large coverage.

"Content and tone matter in different media during different times."

Remember timing, too. Radio is the media that kicks off the day early on, whereas peaks for television and magazine consumption are often later. Even within different media, such as radio, the nitty-gritty counts: Which radio channel will work best?

Be consistent

Even with the characteristics of each media in mind, be consistent. When you build campaigns with recognizable, unique messaging distributed at different times and across touchpoints, you have the best chance of standing out and reaching the masses.

With a data-driven partner like Sanoma, brands can get valuable information on what certain audiences want to see and hear on different media, down to the specifics. International brands don’t need to know the Finnish market before getting started, except that it is different from the other Nordic countries. Sanoma also provides access to its extensive channels.

“Sanoma helps brands tailor their messaging so that it gets maximum exposure, in just the right groups. We are the only media house that can provide access to media consumers from morning to night,” Virtanen concludes.

Considering media advertising in Finland? We’d love to help.

Get in touch >>

Video demonstrates Sanoma's media reach people throughout the day.

Kia sparks conversations with their bold and satirical front-page ads

Tue, 27 May 2025 12:23:48 GMT

Kia’s front-page advertisements have resulted in plenty of earned media and boosted their brand as a forerunner in electric cars. Helsingin Sanomat, a trusted icon of Finnish media, lends both visibility and reliability to advertising on its pages.

Kia aims for strong growth in the electric car market, which is reflected in their brand concept ‘Counterforce to Status Brands’. The goal is to make people rethink their preference of certain electric car brands; these days, the alternatives are just as advanced.

“Lukewarm changes nothing, so we want to do something that stands out and move Kia’s brand image towards the premium segment,” says Head of Marketing & PR Niina Ahokas from Astara Finland.

Using satire to tap into societal talking points

Satirical humour invites the reader to put two and two together and makes as lasting impression. Kia Finland has made use of current talking points and wordplay to light-heartedly poke the status quo of the car industry.

“Comparative or playfully satirical advertising is highly successful abroad, but so far, there are few examples of it in Finland,” Ahokas says.

Kia is shifting its image from affordable option to forerunner

To determine the direction of their new brand concept, Kia carried out a strategic segmentation in Finland. This revealed that old perceptions die hard; Kia has had a persistent image as an affordable Korean car with a long warranty.

“In the past, Kia has been favoured by consumers looking for an affordable vehicle, and brand preference has been notably lower among those considering more expensive options. Our growth opportunities lie upmarket,” Ahokas explains.

Recent research shows a clear shift in the brand’s image.

“The uplift on the claim ‘Kia is a forerunner in electric cars’ is 175 per cent. Our brand image has significantly improved in the segment that prefers more expensive cars, and we’ve had encouraging feedback from our competitors, partners, consumers and the target group, especially.”

Additionally, there is remarkable growth in purchase intent and marketing recall compared to last year. Kia’s market share in electric cars is now 7,5 per cent compared to 4 per cent in mid-2024.

Helsingin Sanomat is a statement spot for brand advertising

Kia has had two front-page ads in Helsingin Sanomat following the new brand concept. Niina Ahokas considers the front page a statement medium.

“It’s a premium spot with an air of a big campaign that truly gets noticed. The first campaign already proved its effectiveness and profitability. The discussions our ads have started have gained us a significant amount of earned media,” Ahokas applauds.

Medina calls the Helsingin Sanomat front page ‘the crown jewel of Finnish media’.

“Especially when launching a new brand or uplifting your image like Kia, the front page boosts your credibility and helps reach an audience with significant purchasing power. It can also be used to message your plans and ambitions to potential partners or stakeholders.”

Naturally, the creative execution is crucial; when the spot is yours, it needs to be used well. Kia’s fully local campaign concept was designed by Folk Finland and ToinenPHD.

“Combining a front-page ad with digital platforms and targeting will bring even better results, and a smart and eye-catching concept creates impressions beyond print,” Medina says.

Create a local campaign that resonates with the help of Sanoma Content Studio

Summer events and festivals are an opportunity for authentic encounters with Finnish consumers

Tue, 27 May 2025 12:12:36 GMT

The Finnish winter is long and harsh, but when summer arrives, the entire nation comes alive. Summer events and festivals provide the perfect setting for brands to catch Finns at their most joyful and create lasting memories and impressions.

Festivals are an integral part of the Finnish summer. According to LiveFIN ry, there were 462 festivals in Finland in summer 2024, with 2.8 million visits in total.

“We have everything from rock to folk music and opera to rap parties. The winter makes it hard to organise big events, but in the summer, there’s at least one in every town and village,” illustrates Olavi Kajantie , Business Manager, Events from Sanoma.

The popularity of domestic music in Finland drives ticket sales. All ten songs and albums on Spotify’s Top 10 lists in 2024 were by Finnish artists. It’s a telling fact that Taylor Swift was the only non-Finnish artist to make it among the Top 10 most streamed artists in Finland.

“Finnish music is a huge part of our musical landscape. As with advertising, Finns relate to songs sung in their own languages.”

Sanoma’s Nelonen Media Live produces 13 summer festivals that attract a wide range of people across demographics. The titles include well-known and loved festivals such as Rockfest, Suomipop Festivaali, Tikkurila Festivaali, Jysäri and Raumanmeren Juhannus.

Making meaningful memories in real life

For a brand, a festival partnership is an excellent way to connect with Finns.

“A direct contact between a brand and a consumer in a real-life setting, with no interfering technology, leaves a mark. Events create quality contacts,” Kajantie points out.

Sanoma is on a mission to bring meaningful moments and encounters to the forefront of festival production. For brands, this means putting the product aside for a minute and focusing on presence and service.

“Festivalgoers often appreciate an opportunity to relax and take a breath, and a space for that is an excellent example of what a brand could offer. Instead of selling anything, you can create a lasting impression by being there when a need arises.”

The key is to provide an experience and match the environment. Create something fun and memorable – a glitter station or a jewellery workshop in your brand colours, for example.

“This is something that appeals to Gen Z, too. When asked, they claim they don’t want to be advertised to, but their media environment is filled with commercial messaging. The trick is, advertising needs to happen in a context, and festivals and events provide just that,” Kajantie says.

Expand your campaign across media

The best results come from including an event as a part of a bigger campaign that spans a variety of media. On top of handling festival production, Sanoma offers a wide range of media and expertise that makes it simple to plan a comprehensive campaign. Try some of these tricks:

Pair an ad campaign on radio with visibility at a music festival . Many of Sanoma’s festivals have a partnering radio station .

“A radio campaign that includes a ticket giveaway is an incredibly effective means of collecting data,” Kajantie says.

Radio is summer media, as our survey reveals A quarter of Finns listen to the radio more during the summer, according to the Summer of Audio 2025 (Audion kesä 2025).

Good vibes shared through social media generate buzz outside the festival gates, too . Take popular Finnish influencers on board and make sure to create content on the spot.

“A festival is a perfect place for content creation as people are genuinely happy and willing to appear alongside the brand with smiles on their faces. The joy is authentic, not staged,” Kajantie explains.

Keep the message and tone of voice consistent across media environments . The creative professionals of Sanoma Content Studio can help you there.

When in contact with your target group, use the opportunity to gather data . After the event, you can catch your audience in Sanoma’s digital media .

Ready to kickstart your campaign? Contact us!

Effective e-commerce marketing with data

Tue, 20 May 2025 12:26:38 GMT

Taking advantage of Sanoma’s data partnerships while utilising your customer data will accelerate e-commerce customer loyalty and sales growth. E-commerce Marketing Strategist Mia Lähdesalmi and Data’s Business Manager Veli-Matti Nurmela explain how you should use your data.

Read the summary:

Customer loyalty: In an online shop, customer loyalty comes from inspiring, personally tailored experiences based on trust and smooth service.
Benefits of Sanoma’s data partnerships: Personalised customer experiences, far-reaching messages and effective audience analytics reinforce customer preference, and guide purchasing decisions. This is how you drive conversions and build long-term customer relationships.
Loyalty programmes: Qualitative and quantitative data collection through loyalty programmes is key to understanding the customer experience – genuine value is created when data drives tangible actions such as personalised benefits and rewards.
Customer lifecycle value: Utilising your customer data will help focus your marketing efforts on the most productive customers and expand your target group to new customers that resemble the best customers today.
Sanoma’s channels: Sanoma’s channels help reach app users who have not given their consent for notifications or newsletters. Targeted advertising in different channels ensures that customers are reached effectively.

In an online shop, customer loyalty comes from offering the customer inspiring, personally tailored experiences based on trust and smooth service. You will succeed in this by using your customer data efficiently – and tracking loyalty trends with the right metrics. For example, the preference percentage – that is, how many customers choose your brand instead of a competitor’s – is a key indicator in monitoring customer loyalty. Sanoma’s data partnerships support the growth of this metric by providing timely messages, repetitive visibility and continuous interaction – elements that strengthen engagement with your online shop. This strengthens customer preference and keeps your brand top-of-mind exactly when the purchase decision is being made.

Target accurately and efficiently with Sanoma’s data partnership

Sanoma’s Custom Audiences service takes the utilisation of customer data to an efficient level. With the help of the service, you can reach those customers in Sanoma’s extensive digital network who are interested in your products or services,, or who have already purchased them. You can also expand your audience with look-a-like audiences that resemble your best customers and are ready to buy.

For example, in a campaign targeted at one of our partners’ current customers, just under 10% of the clicks came from their existing audience, but almost 60% of campaign conversions came from these clicks. This shows how effective it is to reach the right audiences at the right time.

Sanoma’s data partnerships enable more accurate analysis of customer behaviour, allowing you to create more relevant and attractive offers for your customers.

The power of your data in increasing customer loyalty – leverage AI, personalisation and customer feedback

Using your customer data actively is an effective way to improve customer loyalty. AI helps you analyse both purchasing behaviour and zero-party data provided by the customer, such as survey responses and product reviews. By using this data, it is possible to personalise offers more accurately and target rucksacks or other hiking products at people who bought hiking shoes, for example. This increases customer value and encourages the customer to come back and continue shopping.

By collecting and utilising both quantitative and qualitative data through a loyalty programme, it is possible to continuously develop the customer experience. Benefits, messages and rewards tailored based on data increase customer engagement – that is, a customer engagement metric that describes customer activity such as the use of points and responding to messages. When a customer feels they are getting value, their interaction with your online shop increases. You can also use your data to continuously develop marketing strategies according to the behaviour of the customer base, creating a potential cycle for customer loyalty and conversion growth.

Tip: Take advantage of Sanoma’s channels to reach users of your mobile app

It can be particularly difficult to engage users of your online shop app who have not given their consent to notifications or newsletters. Sometimes, customers have done this unknowingly and would actually like to interact with your online shop. This is where you can turn to Sanoma’s channels for help.

By leveraging Sanoma’s data partnership, you can reach this group in a targeted way through various channels such as banner advertising or videos. For example, your ad can appear to your customer as a 30-second video during the ad break for The Voice of Finland. This ensures that you reach your customers even if they have not consented to newsletters or notifications – you can still reach them in Sanoma’s channels.

Invest in the most productive customers and expand your customer base

If you are already monitoring your customer’s value over the entire customer lifecycle – Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) – utilising your customer data will help you focus your marketing efforts on the most productive customers or highlight those efforts for them. For example, if 20% of your customers generate 80% of your revenue, it pays to invest more in these profitable customers. At the same time, AI and audience analytics can help you expand your target audience to new customers that are best aligned with your existing best customers. This gives you the opportunity to achieve higher conversions and grow your business.

Get more effective campaigns, better coverage and customer loyalty with Sanoma

In a successful online shop, the utilisation of customer data is already self-evident, but to get the most out of it, you need smart tools and skilled partners. Sanoma’s data partnerships enable precisely targeted campaigns based on real-time customer behaviour. You will get a genuine boost in coverage – you can reach even the customers your channels do not reach. In addition, there is no need to constantly reinvent the message: unlike newsletters or notifications, you can repeat the same content effectively without it seeming distracting – you will get more repetition with less effort and expenses.

These factors together are what keep your brand top-of-mind. When it is time to make the purchase, the customer knows to go directly to your online shop instead of Googling. When your online shop remains visible and relevant throughout the customer journey, you generate not only one-time sales but also long-term customer loyalty, which can increase customer preference for your shop.

Contact us and take your business to the next level with Sanoma’s data partnership!

Sanoma’s Marketing Strategist Mia Lähdesalmi worked for five years on a global e-commerce marketing strategy in Zalando’s large markets in Central and Southern Europe. Data’s Business Manager Veli-Matti Nurmela is responsible for Sanoma’s targeting data business. He has over 10 years of experience in digital advertising and data.

Sanoma’s survey: Finns spend more spontaneously in summer

Tue, 20 May 2025 09:58:14 GMT

Sanoma’s survey: More than half of Finns spend money more spontaneously in summer than other times of year

A quarter of Finns listen to the radio more during the summer, according to the Summer of Audio 2025 (Audion kesä 2025) survey.

The most popular ways for Finns to spend the summer are staying at home, going to their summer cottages and travelling domestically. July firmly holds its place as the most popular summer holiday month.

People spend more money during the summer than usual, and more than half of Finns consume more spontaneously than in other seasons. Spending increases, especially in restaurants and cafes, at events, and when travelling.

People also make larger purchases during the summer. The most commonly considered purchase is a car.

Rental services are also preferred during the summer. Fifteen per cent of respondents are considering renting a summer cottage.

Consumers feel that advertising offers good tips for summer activities, products and services.

Tip! You can also purchase Sanoma radio channels regionally and target your message where it’s most needed.

You can also reach Finnish holidaymakers through the radio

Radio is the ultimate summertime medium. A quarter of Finns listen to the radio more during summertime. Good music is part of summer, and car trips pass enjoyably when listening to the radio. The radio is also a common companion at summer cottages and holiday homes.

Tip! Use radio to reach your target audience efficiently in the outbound and return traffic of Midsummer week.

Finns also remain loyal to their favourite radio channels during the summer and rarely switch channels.

Radio and podcasts are a powerful pair for summer marketing

Podcasts are starting to become mainstream. Already, 41% of Finns and 65% of people under the age of 30 listen to podcasts. There are listeners of all ages – and listening increases during the summer. The most popular podcast topics are humour, news and current affairs, and finance and investing. Podcast listeners also increase their radio listening during the summer, so radio and podcasts are a particularly effective pair for summer marketing.

Audio articles are a convenient new way to consume news media content. Listening to them has increased, and a large share of current audio article listeners expect to increase their consumption during the summer.

Be seen at festivals and influence brand image

Festivals are part of summer. In the summer of 2025, more than a quarter of Finns aged 18–69 plan to go to concerts and music festivals. Young people are particularly active festivalgoers. Festivalgoers say that event visibility has a positive impact on brand image – so it’s a good idea to be there!

Tip! Offer experiences to Finns through engaging radio competitions and leverage the power of content collaboration.

Did you get interested in audio advertising or would you like to hear more about Finns' consumption intentions in the summer?

The Summer of Audio 2025 survey was carried out in Sanoma’s Suomitutka panel from 7 to 12 March. The survey explored Finnish holiday plans, consumption behaviour and changes in media consumption during the summer compared to other seasons. The target group of the survey was 18–69-year-olds (n=552).

The Finnish gaming market is opening to competition – here’s what we now know about the gambling reform

Mon, 12 May 2025 10:02:34 GMT

The Finns do not shy away from gaming – traditionally, we’ve been taught to embrace it by the state-owned Veikkaus. Now, Finland is planning to end Veikkaus’ monopoly in 2027, opening betting and online gambling games for competition

The doors to the Finnish gambling market are set to open in stages. A licence model will be used to regulate the market and prevent gambling-related harm. While licenced game companies will have to agree to preventative measures, they will also be allowed previously prohibited marketing opportunities in Finland. Update (December 2025): The new gambling legislation was just approved by the Finnish Parliament. License applications opening March 2026 and market launch expected in July 2027.

“The licence model is a matter of credibility and responsible business. Finns place more trust in companies that operate under the regulated system,” says Client Group Director Teemu Savolainen from Sanoma.

The details of the legislation will affect the number of companies that wish to enter Finland. Estimates vary from 30 to 50.

“The potential that companies will see in Finland will heavily depend on the final legislation,” says Savolainen.

When will the gambling reform happen in Finland?

The estimated timeline of the gambling reform looks like this: (Updated december 2025)

The new gambling legislation is now approved by the Finnish Parliament
The B2C license application process will start on 1 March 2026
License based gambling market to go live on 1 July 2027
The B2B license application process will start on 1 July 2027
B2B licenses reguired as of 1 July 2028

What does the new legislation look like?

The final content of the new gaming legislation is still being finalised. However, the following elements are now confirmed in the latest draft:

Licensed Market: Digital casinos, slots, bingo, sports betting (5-year licenses)
Monopoly Market: Lottery, scratch games, physical casinos, and land-based slots
GGR Tax: 22% for licensed operators, plus an annual supervision fee (€4,000–€400,000)
Responsible Gambling Requirements: Operators must provide strict player protection tools
B2B Licensing: Required from January 2028

What will companies need to do to prevent gambling-related harm?

Licensed companies must offer robust player protection tools. Customers will need to set personal deposit limits before they can play. Authorities may impose additional restrictions on high-risk game types, such as setting round limits or loss caps.

What are the suggested restrictions to marketing?

Marketing will be permitted under strict conditions, with particular focus on protecting vulnerable groups. Updated highlights:

Marketing will be allowed
Affiliate marketing will be forbidden
Bonuses may only be offered to existing customers (welcome bonuses are not permitted)

The key principle of gambling marketing in Finland is to protect children and youth from gambling harm as well as prevent further harm to the individuals already afflicted. This will be the spirit of the new legislation, too.

The new bill would allow licenced companies to use several marketing channels:

The company’s own websites and social media accounts
Linear TV and radio
Print media and digital media
Outdoor advertising (with location restrictions)
Advertising in physical gaming facilities (where the advertised games are available)
Sponsorships (excluding those targeting minors)

To protect vulnerable groups, outdoor advertising would be prohibited close to educational institutions and healthcare facilities. In addition, the bill would not permit sponsorships involving underage audiences.

Read more: Five things to consider when planning your marketing in the Finnish gaming market

Will the new legislation allow bonuses?

Yes – but with tighter controls. The current draft allows bonuses to existing, established customers within certain restraints and not as welcome offers. Acceptable forms could be

an item not related to gaming such a ticket to an event, a product or a service for free or at a discounted price
a moderate deposit that can’t be directly withdrawn and is not related to the amount of money or time spent on gaming.

The rules on bonuses need to be communicated to the customers in a clear and transparent way. The bonus system should not jeopardise the objective to protect players from gambling harm.

Why is the Finnish gambling legislation changing?

In recent years, Veikkaus’ dominance has eroded as Finnish players have increasingly turned to offshore gambling companies. The channelling rate has dropped, and the monopoly no longer functions effectively.

“As Finnish gaming habits turn to foreign markets, Finland loses tax money and has no way to monitor or prevent harmful gambling. The situation has also placed Veikkaus in an unfair disadvantage as the only company whose offering and marketing are regulated.”

Savolainen considers the gambling reform a welcome step, bringing more operators under a common legal framework.

Contact Sanoma to discuss the current situation of gambling legislation and marketing in Finland!

Teemu Savolainen
Client Group Director
eCom & Gaming

Book a meeting
teemu.savolainen@sanoma.com

Grow your B2B brand through popular media – that’s where the decision-makers are

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 06:24:29 GMT

An ad in a tabloid will capture the attention of more B2B decision-makers than one in niche media – while also building widespread brand awareness. Don’t shy away from popular media with your B2B advertising, say Sanoma’s experts.

’Be where your audience is’ is a given, but when it comes to locating B2B decision-makers, many marketers seem to draw a blank.

”Throughout my career, I’ve heard it said over and over again that B2B decision-makers are a mysterious bunch; we don’t know who they are and it’s difficult and expensive to find out,” says Sanoma’s Insight and Research Specialist Sari Kärki .

The truth is, B2B decision-makers are people with work and personal lives that intersect. They are consumers and media users like the rest of us.

“It’s easy to go for business or industry-related publication with a narrow audience but given the way we all use media these days, I find this slightly old-fashioned,” says Client Manager Sebastian Wikman .

A popular tabloid reaches 66 per cent of decision-makers weekly

Sanoma asked those in B2B decision-making positions to reflect on their media use in the past week. The results: the tabloid Ilta-Sanomat reaches 66 per cent of all decision-makers weekly, while the financial news outlet Kauppalehti reaches 30 per cent.

Regional differences are characteristic of the Finnish business and industry landscape, but Sanoma’s media have a strong reach among decision-makers across the country.

Around 50 per cent of decision-makers nationwide said they visited the Helsingin Sanomat website in the past week, despite it being a news service with an emphasis on the Helsinki metropolitan area. In the top 15 of media used by the target group, Helsingin Sanomat took sixth place.

“I can confidently say that Helsingin Sanomat reaches a B2B decision-maker more effectively than it does an average Finnish consumer. The financial and technology section Visio adds to the attraction,” Kärki states.

Your Sanoma contact can tell you more about our research on B2B decision-making and buying processes. Give us a call!

”You can’t grow a brand by advertising to a handful of people”

When building brand awareness or launching a new product, there’s power in the masses.

“Let’s say you advertise on a niche platform with 100 readers in your target group and half of them react to your advertising. Compare that to a larger publication that reaches 1 000 decision-makers, 20 per cent of whom react,” Kärki illustrates.

Not every contact you make through mass media is immediately relevant. Kärki and Wikman wish more B2B companies would recognise the benefits of broader brand awareness instead of aiming for zero irrelevant contacts.

“Not every TV viewer is the right match for every B2C advertiser, but TV campaigns are still incredibly effective. Similarly, not all readers of Ilta-Sanomat are business decision-makers, but you can’t grow a brand by advertising to a handful of people,” Kärki points out.

When your marketing goals do require more specific targeting, Sanoma uses first-party data to target and model the right audience according to age, income level and industry as well as company size and turnover.

Modern decision-making happens in multiple channels

The number of media and apps we use keeps growing. So does the amount of research B2B decision-makers do before a reaching decision, Sanoma’s data shows.

Acquisition processes in large companies often require detailed information, but the smaller the company is, the more consumer-like their decision-making becomes. This could mean an enhanced role of social media.

“Finland has a massive number of small businesses, and even the clients who need a white paper may first spot you through another channel entirely. A modern decision-maker uses media in a modern and multichannel way,” says Sari Kärki.

Don’t overlook women and future leaders

So, who are the B2B decision-makers? Here’s another answer to the age-old dilemma: not all of them are men in the 55+ age category.

Instead of sticking to strictly business-related media, take a closer look at the different demographics within your target group and tap into their media use outside of work.

“We can compare the readership of any publication with the characteristics of your target group. A magazine such as Gloria, for example, has a reader profile that overlaps nicely with the profile of a female decision-maker,” Kärki says.

Again, the media use of the younger generation of leaders is far from what we might expect from a B2B decision-maker. Reaching them requires the courage to broaden your media choices. This also ties into the question of brand longevity.

“Who are the future decision-makers you will need to convince in a decade? How can you create a long-lasting brand impression ahead of time?” Wikman asks.

Give us a Minute: How to buy programmatic advertising in Finland

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 11:15:42 GMT

In this minute long video Senior Programmatic Manager Miia Salmi tells you how the buyers buy programmatic advertising from Sanoma. There is two options, open auction and deals, that are the most used one. Learn why from the video.

Programmatic buying lets you purchase media directly through platforms. It helps optimize campaigns in real-time and uses data to target ads effectively. You can buy media programmatically across the entire Sanoma network.

When buying advertising space from Sanoma, you can be certain that your ads will appear in a safe, high-quality and reliable media environment.

Here are some shortcuts to get you started:

Give us a Minute: Programmatic advertising opportunities in Finland

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 11:08:57 GMT

In this minute long video programmatic manager Matias Kunttu guides you through some of our programmatic opportunities in Sanoma. We have first party user data that can be used on targeting your advertising to the right audience in the right environment. We provide wide range of solutions: Display native, outstream, instream and connected TV formats.

When buying advertising space from Sanoma, you can be certain that your ads will appear in a safe, high-quality and reliable media environment.

Here are some shortcuts to get you started:

How to Win Over the Finnish Consumer and Succeed in the Finnish Market

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 10:53:51 GMT

Conquering a new market always involves risks, but you can accelerate a successful market-entry with timely and well-targeted marketing efforts, says Sebastian Wikman, Sanoma's International Key Account Manager.

So when you plans include go to market in Finland and laucnh a new product or service, keep on reading.

Finland is a culturally diverse and technologically advanced country, offering a stable and competitive business environment with numerous opportunities for success. However, foreign companies should consider some key factors when aiming for Finland.

"In Finland, it's surprisingly easy to make a breakthrough even as a lesser-known brand if you focus your marketing efforts in the right channels," says Sebastian Wikman .

The Finnish market has undergone significant digitalization in recent years. The developments are especially evident in digital news media and the strong advertising network built around it, which delivers results for advertisers. However, Wikman emphasizes that Finland is still a real cross-media market when it comes to marketing .

"Television and radio remain powerful advertising platforms, and print advertising still holds its ground. Unlike in many other countries, print advertising has been successfully commercialized in Finland and continues to be viable."

Here is where Finns notably differ from their Nordic neighbors.

Due to distinct media consumption and usage patterns, localizing marketing efforts is crucial for those eyeing the Finnish market. Read more about Media Usage in Finland .

Localization Means More than just Translating

Localization goes beyond merely translating marketing materials used in other countries into Finnish. It also involves considering the Finnish media mix.

"Instead of just translating the message, localization should focus on Finnish marketing channels. It's essential not to replicate what's done elsewhere in the world. The metrics and methods should align with regional goals and specific characteristics." Watch a minute long video and learn three tips for successful content marketing in Finland .

The process of selecting marketing methods should begin with defining the Finnish target audience for the product or service, along with their interests and media usage habits. Finnish consumers welcome brands and services if they see value and a credible presence in correct channels.

"For instance, if you're planning to establish a brick-and-mortar store in Finland, it's crucial to assess what works specifically for in-store shoppers here. In some cases, print could be more effective than digital, and vice versa. Taking the local media mix into account based on objectives is the key to success."

Wikman provides an example of an international client that conducts digital advertising on a local level while running nationwide television campaigns: local presence serves their physical stores, while the larger coverage supports e-commerce.

"Sanoma provides comprehensive recommendations on the best formats and channels for marketing content since we understand target audience behavior and media consumption."
Read more about our Sanoma Content Studio services - Impactful content for all your channels

The Media Environment Matters

One local peculiarity in Finland is a strong trust in news media , even by international standards. News media is consumed widely, both in print and digital formats. Consequently, the media environment significantly influences how we trust brands.

"A robust and independent press enhances advertising credibility as a platform, and that's why it's worth being visible there," explains Wikman.

Sanoma's media network reaches nearly all Finns, and besides credibility, brands aiming for success in the Finnish market benefit from exceptional coverage.

"Finland also has a significant amount of direct home-delivered advertising, and things like advertising inserts are still popular. Many international brands have already capitalized this on special publications that we offer."

Build Trust, Reap Results

Investing in marketing in Finland might appear risky as the market size might feel small. However, Wikman points out that this is a misconception.

"Finnish income levels are high, and we have considerable purchasing power. Historically, we've embraced quality brands from Sweden, for instance, as we highly value quality and are willing to pay for it."

Finland's relatively small size makes it easier for companies to achieve nationwide coverage. There are only a few commercial national TV channels , and regional differences are not so vast that a good brand could not potentially impact the entire country. Consider a mix of Total TV and news media video advertising .

Nevertheless, it's important to note that Finnish consumers are well-informed and contemplate factors such as ethics. According to Wikman, the key to success lies in trying different approaches and listening to local experts.

"As a quick rule of thumb, it's advisable not to start off with a too tactical approach. Traditionally in Finland, the ratio has been 60% brand advertising and 40% tactical advertising. So, start by considering where you want your brand to be in a year or in five years. Investing in your brand wins over Finnish hearts – and the market. We may initially seem skeptical and slow to warm up, but we build long-lasting relationships with brands and remain loyal to them."

Now that you know what to do , read 4 things what not to do when starting advertising in Finland.

Get in touch >>

Programmatic advertising in Finland – a Finnish take on current trends and discussions

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 11:41:17 GMT

The Finnish way of thinking and media environment put their unique stamp on every aspect of advertising. What do current talking points in programmatic advertising look like from the perspective of the small Northern market that plays by its own rules?

Effective advertising in Finland often requires a closer look at the market and its tendencies. Sanoma’s digital and programmatic marketing experts share their insights on what’s hot in programmatic advertising right now – and if those points apply to Finland or not.

Disinformation and AI-generated content are still in check

As the amount of disinformation and AI-generated content skyrockets worldwide, gaining and maintaining the trust of your customer is ever more relevant. Appearing in an unreliable context is sure to cut the impact of your advertising.

In this regard, Finland remains somewhat of a haven. There are far less AI-based and made-for-advertising sites compared to many other markets, and the Finns’ trust in news media is an advantage to an advertiser.

“Our users trust that our content is reliable and not AI-generated. High-quality journalism plays an increasingly important role in advertising in general, not just in programmatic buying,” says Senior Programmatic Manager Miia Salmi .

Private marketplace deals are popular in Finland. They are convenient for protecting advertisers from having their message end up in a sketchy environment.

“When using open marketplaces, you need to be aware of the context of your advertising as well as the inventory and information on the site. Deals help you rest assured that your ad is where you want it,” Salmi says.

Curated marketplaces may bring less value in an unfragmented market

Curated marketplaces are another tool for increasing brand safety and securing high-quality inventory. The value of curation is obvious when the market is highly fragmented.

The Finnish, Swedish and Norwegian markets, however, are relatively straightforward. Large media houses have a nationwide reach, and the popularity of deals keeps the cost structure light and transparent. With less need for supply chain optimisation, adding an extra step may be counterintuitive.

“Naturally, curation is worth it when it brings ease, efficiency and transparency instead of added costs. At Sanoma, we don’t dismiss curated marketplaces, but we do want to make sure that the cost structure of the programmatic market stays reasonable,” says Jaakko Kuivalainen , Director of B2B Digital Business.

Miia Salmi points out that a deal with a large publisher such as Sanoma has a lot in common with buying curated inventory, as the context and targeting are always curated to fit the goal of the campaign.

“This is an excellent opportunity for a conversation about our clients’ precise needs and wishes.” Discover Sanoma’s programmatic solutions and products

Request your deal here.

Total TV dominates demand for video advertising – but CTV is also available

CTV is a definite buzzword in the field of programmatic advertising. In Finland, however, it is not as established – despite video inventory being widely available programmatically. Many Finnish advertisers see big-screen video advertising as a part of Total TV rather than as a separate product.

What makes Total TV a tempting option is the advertising measurement that allows joint measuring of advertising across distribution methods. The biggest Finnish commercial broadcasters are all involved in the development project.

“With that, CTV is not as big of a theme in Finland, but we do offer it. Big screens are available with Sanoma through deals,” Kuivalainen concludes.

Direct buying grows in expense of programmatic advertising

Direct relations with publishers and the development of effective options such as Total TV contribute to the fact that programmatic advertising has been in decline in Finland for the past 18 months.

“Compared to more fragmented markets or even the other Nordic countries, programmatic buying in Finland is still finding its place in the advertising toolbox,” Salmi says.

With media houses offering their own buying platforms, direct buying has been growing in expense of programmatic advertising. Direct buying platforms, including those of the likes of Meta and Google, are not considered programmatic in Finland. Statistics in the UK and the US tend to have a broader definition of programmatic advertising and count in any data-based, flexible and optimised advertising.

“From that perspective, advertising through Sanoma’s Ad Manager, for example, is not far removed from programmatic buying. You can make use of your own data, optimise campaigns and do testing,” Kuivalainen explains.

So far, Ad Manager only has been available in Finnish, but there are plans for an English version for Sanoma’s international clientele.

“We’d be happy to discuss interest towards the English version,” Kuivalainen adds.

In any questions, please give us email: programmatic@sanoma.fi . Visit our website Programmatic Buying .

Put your customer register to work – target your advertising with pinpoint precision using custom audiences

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 12:53:58 GMT

Your current and prospective customers are a unique group of people whose shared characteristics go beyond simple demographics. With custom audiences, you can handpick who sees your advertising, create effective personalised campaigns, and better understand the motives of your target group.

Building custom audiences from your own customer register turns mass media into a channel of customer communications.

“This opens a host of opportunities. When you have a distinct message to share, it makes sense to find the key audience instead of investing in a TV spot for two million viewers,” explains Veli-Matti Nurmela , Business Manager, Data from Sanoma.

When working with Sanoma, the pseudonymised customers on your list are identified on Sanoma’s platforms by their email addresses and phone numbers. Logged-in users form a substantial part of traffic in Sanoma’s digital media which, altogether, reach 89 per cent of Finnish people weekly.

Five effective ways to utilise custom audiences

There are plenty of creative examples of how custom audiences can be used to reach the right people on your list at the exact right moment. Veli-Matti Nurmela shares a few:

Widen the reach and raise the impact of your customer communications . Lay the groundwork for an upcoming newsletter by advertising to customers who aren’t yet subscribed or are less likely to open the newsletter.

Build repetition without spamming . Instead of sending numerous emails or text messages, reinforce their impact with an ad campaign in your customers’ favourite media.

Make sure you’re top-of-mind when your customer is making a decision . Time your advertising to the moment a customer is about to renew a subscription service or refresh their supply of a product. Combined with direct contact, custom targeting helps you be present to your customer right when they are thinking of you.

Activate your passive customers. Direct your communications to customers who have left or are at risk of leaving. Catch the eye of Black Friday or Christmas shoppers in between seasons to show the value you could bring them year-round.

Create impressive B2B campaigns . Targeting is often a big challenge when it comes to B2B advertising on mass media. With custom audiences, you can run a 30-second TV ad targeted at 2 000 people on their smart TVs – while appearing like you’re running a nationwide campaign.

Give us a minute - In a minute long video Veli-Matti gives you more examples how to re-engage your customers with digital ads using your own data. Watch the video!

Amp up your customer understanding and acquisition

Custom audiences can also be turned into valuable tools for customer understanding. Through analysis, you can discover details your own data might overlook and create a better understanding of your customers’ motives.

“The purchase data of a travel agent, for example, might show two people buying the same trip to Barcelona. What it doesn’t tell us is that one went there to shop and party, while the other wanted to enjoy tapas and visit the Sagrada Familia. The motives are vastly different, as is the messaging that makes an impact on these two people,” says Nurmela.

Try out these analysis methods:

Look into other online targeting data on your audience as well as their individual media consumption to get an idea of their motives.
Compare your customers with your prospects to understand what keeps the latter from buying.
Create a lookalike audience to grow your customer base with the most potential people.

Keeping your customers’ data safe from start to finish

To get started with custom audiences in Sanoma’s media, you need 300 matches between your customer register and Sanoma’s. A B2C register of 1 000 individuals will get you that. In B2B, phone numbers are the best option as work emails aren’t often used to sign up to news platforms. Even then, a match rate of 25% is not uncommon.

“The number does depend on the register, though – I’ve seen match rates of almost 90% in B2C cases,” Nurmela says.

Dealing with people’s personal information always calls for a discussion on privacy. When signing a contract with Sanoma, you assure you have the permission to share your customers’ data. Sanoma’s UI makes it easy to keep your uploaded data up to date. If not updated in six months, the data is automatically deleted.

“It’s also important to keep in mind that we can’t enrich your CRM data. While we can analyse the data you shared to add to your customer understanding, we can’t return any data to you on an individual level,” Nurmela adds.

Advertise in the largest media in Finland

A Finnish company with servers in the EU, Sanoma is a valuable partner for many advertisers. Even if you’re already using custom audiences on other platforms, advertising to Sanoma’s customer base right next to high-quality journalism will add a new angle to your message and reach.

As the largest media house in Finland, Sanoma has one of the biggest customer registers in the country. Our digital media reach 89% of Finns weekly with 1,2 billion page loads a month. A large amount of the traffic consists of identified users.
Custom audiences can be bought on Sanoma’s Ad Manager, but they can also be combined with programmatic buying in a private marketplace.
Personal customer service and advice is available through chat, email, phone, or meetings – whatever suits you best.

Contact us >

Gaming in Finland – get to know the Finnish player

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 09:56:56 GMT

Compared to many other European countries, Finland is a small market – but when it comes to gambling, don’t let that fool you. Finland ranks in the global top 5 for gambling per capita, and traditionally, the attitude towards gaming has been liberal.

To put it simply, Finns don’t need to be taught how to play.

“By using gambling profits to support Finnish culture and sports, Veikkaus has established gaming as a positive thing in the Finns’ minds. Everyone has a direct contact to gaming in one way or another. There are slot machines in every grocery store, and scratchcards are given for Christmas,” says Antti Jalonen , Client Partner at Sanoma.

Veikkaus, the current monopoly holder, has over 2,5 million registered users in a country with a population of 5,5 million. The average amount of money a Finnish player spends is also relatively high. For new companies entering the market after the gambling reform , the biggest potential lies in the group that already likes to gamble.

The downside of Finns’ gaming habits is, of course, gambling-related harm. The aim of the upcoming reform is to steer players towards licenced companies that commit to certain harm-reducing actions and agree to regulations.

Lottery to online casinos – how do Finns like to gamble?

The typical Finnish player is a male in the age group of 30 to 59. The most played games in Finland are lottery and slot machines in places other than casinos. Clients of offshore companies favour casino games, betting, and poker.

“Young men who follow sports and are interested in betting have a lot of potential when it comes to other kinds of gaming, too,” says Jalonen.

55 % of Finnish adults currently play Veikkaus’ games only. As the market opens, this group will be exposed to new companies and products, as will be the population that doesn’t gamble at all (30 %). 15 % of Finnish adults are already clients of offshore game companies.

Most gambling takes place online. 44 % of Finnish adults play gambling games online, while 24 % play them in physical facilities only.

“Veikkaus’ network of physical gambling sites gives them somewhat of an advantage. It’s exceptional for one company to have such a strong foothold,” remarks Jalonen.

Sanoma researches the Finnish gaming market and playing habits. Contact us for the latest results!

Hit the jackpot with data on the gaming industry and Finnish media use

As a tidal wave of gaming companies enters Finland, the ones to stand out will be those with a crystal-clear brand, message, and understanding of their target audiences and local media.

”Sanoma is well acquainted with Finnish media use and the types of communication that hit the mark here. If we take, for example, a 65-year-old player with a liking for bingo, we can use our data to open a window into their media use,” explains Jalonen.

There are numerous ways Sanoma gathers and utilises data and insight about the gaming industry:

Tailor-made market research projects can be used to take a closer look at your own target audience. Suomitutka, our own consumer panel, is a great tool here.
Segmenting tools deepen the understanding of specific target groups, their media use and motives behind it. This helps localise marketing to hit the spot.
Toimialatutka (‘Industry Radar’) is an extensive report on a specific industry, its target audiences and marketing that allows us to bring the best insight and benefits to our partners.
Sanoma’s widespread media palette constantly adds to our knowledge of the media use of Finnish people and the creative content they’re drawn to.

Ready to dive deeper? Get in touch!

Antti Jalonen
Client Partner
eCom & Gaming

Book a meeting

antti.jalonen@sanoma.com

Advertising in Finland vs. the other Nordic countries – what’s different?

Wed, 04 Dec 2024 08:51:50 GMT

Knowing your playing field is key when you start advertising in a new market. How aware are you of the quirks of the Finnish media environment compared to the other Nordic countries?

The Nordics are not a uniform area when it comes to media and advertising. Finland, in particular, may have some surprises in store.

Mattias Dahlqvist , Sanoma’s independent sales representative in Sweden, has over two decades of experience with companies that do business in Finland. He is ready to shed light on Finnish media, its users, and the Finnish mentality when it comes to advertising.

Making a nationwide impact in the 2020s? Can do!

The main difference between the Finnish media environment and that in the other Nordic countries is that print, and mainstream media in general, still perform and create an impact.

“There are Finnish media that have a big reach and an interested audience as well as all the data about said audience. It is still possible to make a nationwide impact, which is difficult to achieve in other Nordic markets”, Dahlqvist says.

Linear TV, while on decline, is still going relatively strong in Finland. In Sweden, in comparison, commercial-free paid versions of TV channels have gained popularity, affecting the reach of TV advertising.

The reach does come with a bigger price tag, Dahlqvist points out. The prices of print advertising, for example, are higher Finland compared to the rest of the Nordics, where media have had to adapt to plummeting demand. When the results are there, advertising spots in Finnish mainstream media haven’t lost their pull.

Trends take a while to reach Finland

One way to succeed with advertising in Finland is to stick to some of the best practices that used to work a few years back in the rest of the Nordics. Big trends and shifts in media use take slightly longer to reach our corner of the world.

“My go-to comparison is that Finland is like Sweden five years ago. Back then, you could still have a great reach with a good print campaign, especially in the 55+ demographic”, Dahlqvist says.

According to him, Denmark is most often the first to pick up new influences.

“If I was to predict the future, I would have a serious look at Denmark. What’s going on there now will happen in Sweden and Norway in a couple of years and then in Finland a couple of years after that.”

One example Dahlqvist gives is that one of Denmark’s two tabloid papers has now cut the print version and gone fully digital. If a similar change was to happen in Finland, it would be a huge shift for daily media and advertising.

Attract the queues to your door – understand the Finnish mentality

To understand Finnish consumers, Dahlqvist applauds Sanoma’s customer data. With the new cookie laws, he says, extensive data is a definite advantage.

“Moreover, Finns are more likely than other Nordic people to not accept cookies. This makes data from other sources even more important.”

Dahlqvist has two tips for a company that considers entering the Nordics or adding Finland to the mix: adapt the message and familiarise yourself with the Finnish way of thinking.

“Compared to the other Nordic peoples, the Finns’ mentality stands out as slightly different. Having a trusted advertising partner helps you understand the distinction.”

He gives an example of how to effectively work with the Finnish mindset: when opening a store, one excellent offer is enough to bring in the crowds. All you need to bring the famous queues to your door is one ridiculously big discount. Given, of course, that you don’t hold back on advertising.

“If you dominate the opening weekend in print, it will work, 100 per cent. Don’t save on media when you’ve just built a new department store for millions. Go big and Finnish people will show up.”

Three distinctive traits of Finnish media and advertising

Mainstream media and print remain popular. You can still reach a nationwide audience with an effective print campaign in Finland.
Finland is a few years behind other Nordic countries when it comes to changes in media. Looking at Sweden and Denmark, for instance, may help you anticipate what will happen in Finland in the coming years.
The Finnish way of thinking is slightly different from that of our neighbours. Making use of data and having a partner to hone your message with are keys to making an impact within your target audience.

Download our guide to Finnish media usage

Find the right people to help you know the playing field – contact us!

Marketing as a driver of growth – five key drivers

Mon, 28 Oct 2024 12:43:44 GMT

What does it mean to place marketing at the core of your growth plans? Get top tips from Anna Salo at Dentsu.

According to a McKinsey analysis , widely cited by the marketing industry, CEOs who put marketing at the core of their growth plans are twice as likely to achieve annual growth of more than 5% compared to their competitors.

What does it mean to place marketing at the core of your growth plans? There is a lot of data on marketing as a driver of growth, and marketing as a discipline is constantly evolving. Latest research often brings new perspectives, so it is important to monitor how the industry is developing and manage marketing accordingly.

Here are the top five growth drivers:

1. Growth comes from new customers

Customer focus and developing the customer experience have deservedly become an increasingly important part of marketing. However, business will not grow by serving current customers and increasing loyalty alone.

The smaller the brand, the clearer it is that growth comes from new customers, and marketing efforts must focus primarily on this group. With established and big brands, growth comes not only from new customers but also from the so-called “light-buyer” group. This refers to customers who currently buy little and rarely.

Both new customers and those who rarely do business with us are captured most effectively through advertising. You cannot rely solely on your own channels to reach them. Finding the right investment level to ensure growth requires data, not feelings.

2. Growth comes from correctly timed top-of-mind moments

As much as we would like customers to think about our brand often, the truth is, they don’t. Thinking about brands is activated at a moment of need. Marketing research uses the term “category entry point” for these moments, and coming to mind at these moments is key to entering the customer’s shopping cart.

Growth comes from the fact that we come to mind at the moment of need in categories that are important to us. The goal must be that as many potential customers as possible connect our brand to at least one moment of need, and that as many consumers as possible connect the brand to as many moments of need as possible.

Reviewing and expanding categories is always a good exercise: this is how we can ensure that we know the essential moments of need from the customer’s perspective – not the brand’s perspective. The new categories also provide a new insight into the competitor field.

3. Growth comes from noticing advertising

More than 400 million euros are spent every year in Finland on advertising that does not receive any attention. This came up in Dentsu’s extensive studies, where an eye movement camera studied how advertising was noticed.

Attention-optimised media choices that are designed to be noticed lay the foundation for the target audience to have the opportunity to see the ad and for advertising to produce more results with the same amount of money – or, the same result for less money, freeing up investments in something else.

Data on genuine detection already exists, so it is worth using in media planning, purchasing and optimisation.

4. Growth comes from a strong and distinctive brand

Attention surveys have produced a lot of new data for the industry on the importance of creative implementation. The situation is merciless: the advertiser must be identified in a few seconds, regardless of the channel. Otherwise, marketing efforts will be wasted, and in the worst-case scenario, the competitor will reap the benefits.

This has put brand awareness at the core of advertising planning. The brand must have an understanding of brand awareness in the competitor field, and the awareness must be protected. Do you know what your brand’s situation is in the competitive field? Can it be identified amidst all the advertising noise, and if so, for which elements?

We have conducted Distinctive Brand Asset surveys for our customers and used the results to carry out systematic development. Over a period of one year, we have doubled the recognisability of advertising from 45% to 90%. This change will also bring a huge improvement to the effectiveness of euros spent on marketing.

5. Growth comes from smart investments

There is no shortcut to happiness. Marketing must be able to measure the return on marketing investments in the long and short term and constantly look for efficiencies. This requires high-quality data on marketing measures and impacts, as well as the ability to continuously refine the accuracy of impact models and create reliable scenarios.

Understanding the return on marketing investments also brings clarity to a marketer’s job. In addition to euros, time is another investment that must be spent wisely. Marketing always has so much on the table, and new concepts are coming all the time. Understanding impact helps create clarity and facilitates prioritisation; the identification of important issues.

The author is the CEO of Dentsu Finland.

Get the most out of the Finnish market with Sanoma

Wed, 25 Sep 2024 11:25:29 GMT

Making good marketing decisions from afar is a tricky business. A goal-oriented, data-driven collaboration with Sanoma brings our extensive data and expertise at your fingertips and gives you a clear vision of what to do next in Finland.

The best marketing and advertising is never done ad hoc – it’s built on careful planning and precise data. This is even more important when you’re targeting a market outside your everyday surroundings.

“It’s a fact that the further away from the market decisions are made, the more likely marketing is to fail. We offer a direct line of sight to the Finnish market and inside information to guide your decisions,” says Sanoma’s Client Manager Olavi Kajantie .

Sanoma’s service model is an end-to-end approach to advertising in Finland – and the way to get the most out of our expertise. A close collaboration grows both effectiveness and your success rate.

Going deep with a partnership based on trust

It all begins with a talk about your goals and strategy. When you decide to work with us, we’ll start by having a detailed discussion about the direction you want to take your business in Finland.

“This is, for sure, a question of trust, and we hope to establish our position as a partner you are willing to share your plans and aspirations with. An open dialogue allows us to deal with the biggest challenges together,” says Kajantie.

If you work with other entities such as local digital marketing agencies, we’ll include them in the discussion.

Your needs define the team. A deep understanding of the Finnish market as well as your industry and audiences helps us figure out the most effective solutions and media choices.

The wide array of expertise at Sanoma guarantees you don’t need to look any further for knowhow. If TV is the best way to reach your audience, we have the people to create impactful campaigns. If you’re going full digital, no problem there, either.

Sanoma’s own media have an Sanoma's media reach an overall of 97% of Finns every week, so your target demographic is sure to be among them.

Data puts an end to guesswork

Anything we do together is based on data and insight – no guessing games here! Backing up marketing efforts with insight cuts back waste.

It’s vital to collect data after a marketing campaign to mark successes and spot shortcomings, but every decision along the way, starting from which media to use, should also be directed by data.

“When your metrics match your goals, it’s easy to check what was done right and what could be improved upon. After evaluating the data, we can re-enter the loop wiser,” Kajantie illustrates.

Sanoma gains insight about your audience and content, but also keeps a close eye on changes in the Finnish market. This way, you’ll know when it’s time to rethink your strategy.

Experiment, benchmark and grow in Finland

Setting out to do long-term collaboration, of course, requires a bit of time spent on refining your objectives. What do you wish to gain from entering Finland?

In Olavi Kajantie’s experience, Finland is often an afterthought for international companies. He knows, however, that a bit of extra effort into Finland can bring impressive results. Entering the market with a bang is easy with the right partner.

“You don’t need to have everything figured out. Bring something to the table, and Sanoma will do 80 per cent of the work,” Kajantie says.

Finland is also a great experimental lab for testing and benchmarking.

“In a small market, you can try big campaigns with a modest budget. Finns have the means to buy but are generally more reserved than other Nordic people, so hitting the mark here will give you excellent experience for succeeding elsewhere.”

Finnish media usage is one of a kind – read our guide to succeed in Finland .

Continuous learning and business friendships

To build a dream team and find the most viable solutions, our people need to stay on top of their game and keep their knowledge and skillsets up to date. The leading player in Finnish media, Sanoma provides the perfect environment for learning. Research is one of our key areas of work.

A position as a trailblazer also brings with it a social responsibility.

“Sanoma’s mission is to make media for future generations, too. This is why we are committed to doing our share well,” shares Kajantie.

A close and personalised way of working with clients often builds relationships that last.

“I have become friends with many long-time clients. This is collaboration at its best.”

Get in touch >

Native advertising is a powerful brand awareness builder

Mon, 09 Sep 2024 06:44:26 GMT

Read the article below or click here to read it in a real native environment .

3 expert tips for effective native content

Native advertising in a trusted medium is a cost-effective way to invest in long-term awareness. As its goals reach beyond one moment or campaign, the best results come from giving the ad plenty of time and thought.

“If you are in a hurry and need immediate conversion, another type of advertising will work better,” says Client Manager Olavi Kajantie from Sanoma.

The broader format of an article or video presents a chance to dive deep – something banner advertising simply doesn’t lend itself to. It gives you space to introduce factors that set your business apart from your competition.

“Native advertising is the place to show the values or strategy of your business or talk about the environmental impact of your products. It’s a long-term solution in today’s fast media environment,” explains Sanoma’s Client Manager Sebastian Wikman .

Keep your eyes on the reading time

The benefit of native advertising lies in the time readers spend with the content – so obsessing over clicks is not the way to go. Native articles published in Sanoma’s media have a reading time of just over a minute on mobile and a couple of minutes on desktop on average.

“That’s a long time to spend on branded content. Even if the reader hasn’t previously heard of your brand, after a minute or two of reading, they will know what you are about,” says Kajantie.

Native advertising mostly stirs positive emotions; it doesn’t feel intrusive or distracting among other content.

Native advertising mostly stirs positive emotions; it doesn’t feel intrusive or distracting among other content. In Ilta-Sanomat , a native article reaches 25 000 readers on average.

Labelling the article as advertising has nothing but advantages.

“In Finland, paid content is clearly distinguished from journalistic content, so the reader knows what they’ll get. It’s honest and transparent,” says Sales Manager Siiri Medina from Sanoma.

Set out to serve the reader

Content is king even in native advertising. Commercial or not, an article needs to provide the reader with information that is valuable in itself. A native article can latch onto the reader’s emotions and challenges in a way that puts the product in the context of their everyday life.

“An insurance company, for example, could discuss sense of security. Instead of talking about the insurance, they could consider preparedness and how to build security. What will you do if something happens to your loved one or your home suffers water damage?” Kajantie demonstrates.

Authenticity is key here. Praise and superlatives need to be backed up by evidence, and amusing anecdotes must be real-life ones. The reader is quick to realise when they are simply being sold to.

Secure attention with top-notch content production

To get the all-important reading minutes, a native article first needs to stop the reader’s thumb in the constantly updating news feed. This places the headline and lead in a key role. A well-structured piece of content or a listicle helps the reader anticipate the time they will have to set aside for reading.

Data shows that the reading time of native advertising published in Sanoma’s media is 30 per cent better if the article is produced by Sanoma’s own content producers. On top of finding an interesting angle to the topic, the writer must know what the reader expects of the media environment in which they’ll come across the article.

The new Content Studio makes Sanoma a one-stop shop for media as well as content production.

The new Content Studio makes Sanoma a one-stop shop for media as well as content production.

“Instead of producing single articles, we wish to consistently tell our customers’ stories. Having the same people on board for a long time keeps the quality high,” Kajantie says.

Choose a trusted medium with the reach you need

A native article makes use of the media environment, its values, and the existing interest of readers. The impact of a trusted medium extends itself to the advertised brand, product, or service.

Finnish media is well suited for native advertising: the Finns’ trust in domestic media is strong, and media consumption is less fragmented than in many other countries. A company that advertises in a big Finnish medium will reach the masses in an environment that celebrates high quality journalism and tailors its topics for the Finnish taste.

“Sanoma has the largest reach in Finland, and we have options from Helsingin Sanomat , a valued news medium, to the lighter Ilta-Sanomat . Sections such as Culture or Sports give you access to smaller target audiences”, Siiri Medina shares.

Evolve to stand out from the crowd

There are no signs of native advertising going out of style any time soon – on the contrary, it’s growing in popularity. The next step is how to create content that doesn’t get lost in the crowd.

“I recommend trying out rich media, video, even games. A quiz, for example, also produces data that can be used later. These may be ways to stand out in the future,” states Sebastian Wikman.

Tips

Three tips for successful native advertising

Instead of hunting for clicks, focus on offering the reader new information . Reading time is the most important metric of native advertising, which is why the article must be interesting, useful, and well structured.
Choose a medium that fits your topic and reaches your audience . The reader has different expectations for a news medium than a more entertainment-focused environment, so find the right match for your article. Sanoma has ample options and a wide reach, and smaller target audiences can be found under different sections.
Invest time in planning and content production . When your goal is lasting brand awareness, there is no hurry. Meticulous thinking and skillful content production show up in reading times. Make use of content producers who know the medium and your target audience.

Read the article in a real native environment >

Four ways to boost creativity

Fri, 31 May 2024 07:01:03 GMT

What do the most awarded creatives in the world think about brand building, using humor in marketing and campaign briefs?

We went straight to the source and asked Andreas Dahlqvist , CEO and Chief Creative Officer, and Jens Welin, Senior Client Director and Global Media Strategist at NORD DDB.

Make something fun

Dahlqvist notes that as the way we consume media and brands has become more fragmented, it's trickier to have an impact than it used to be.

“20 years ago, you knew that with a certain investment, you would reach a certain audience. Today you must come up with something that really resonates with people and aligns with their values.”

The best way to do that is emotional content and long-term brand building.

“We have faced two recessions and one pandemic in the last 15 years. During this time, some companies forgot how creativity drives business,” Welin states.

As advertising has shifted towards short-term sales and tactical marketing, it’s also become more repetitive.

“The term advertising fatigue describes the situation well. When you are forced to see too much tactical advertising, it can get kind of annoying. One of the mantras I've had for ages is that the best ads don't look like advertising,” Dahlqvist says.

He’s also noticed that advertising has become more serious.

“What we do in advertising reflects society and how people feel. In these uncertain times, we all need a little break. I hope we'll see a little bit more humor coming back to advertising in the next couple of years.”

Welin encourages companies to lean on their partners for more creative ideas.

“In the Nordics, we’ve always been quite progressive when it comes to advertising. Still, companies don't always have the courage to go all the way, and that's something that we as agencies can help change.”

Break some rules

When asked about the most creative and memorable campaigns they’ve ever done, Dahlqvist and Welin both immediately come up with examples that were done unconventionally.

“In the US, I worked with the NFL as a client, and we found an interesting fact: nine months after a city wins the Super Bowl, there’s a spike in how many babies are born,” Dahlqvist recalls.

As the board of Super Bowl is a bit conservative, there were some initial worries if a concept based on sex would go through.

“They loved the idea. We called the campaign Super Bowl Babies, looked up all the children, and brought them together to form a big choir to sing a version of Seal’s song Kiss from a Rose with new lyrics. It was a massive success. With zero media spend, the PR was crazy, it was in the local news everywhere.”

One of Welin’s most memorable campaigns was H&M’s first designer collaboration campaign with Karl Lagerfeld.

“They built a dream team of creatives who were asked to replace their big traditional underwear ads. We had to come up with something that would build momentum.”

Most people said that for the campaign to go viral, they should do a short video. The team went the opposite way.

"We leaned on the power of storytelling and made a two-minute film with a customized media strategy; we went against all the rules, and the campaign is now featured in marketing books everywhere,” Welin says.

Use the magic of freak facts

Most creatives dream of making impactful campaigns but struggle with the execution. According to Dahlqvist, the key to successful advertising is to find something unexpected and then show it to consumers in a unique way.

“It's our job to stand out. One of the best ways to do that is to find a freak fact that makes you think ‘O h damn, I didn’t know that ’. Then you create the concept around that fact, like we did with Super Bowl Babies.”

Concept design should always start with something that people care about, not with what brands want to say. Interesting insights into human behavior are the best food for creative development, he says.

“We saw this also with Vattenfall. We found out that kids’ number one fear nowadays is climate change. We used this freak fact and built an uplifting campaign around a difficult topic, and the results were extremely good.”

Dahlqvist says that he’s also a big fan of boiling down strategies to just one line.

“You need to go for the bigger idea around the brand, to reduce complex things to something clear. Look for that one notion of what the role of the brand could be in people’s lives. That one line simplifies things enough to build a strong platform for creative ideas.”

Challenge the brief

Welin adds that collaboration around briefs is important.

“I always try to challenge them. Clients sometimes put forward briefs that are just tactical tasks that do not tackle the real problem that needs to be solved,” he says.

At NORD DBB, the creatives have immersion sessions with clients before a brief is even written.

“I want to find the problem behind the problem. The talk beforehand confirms if we agree or if we need to do more research. It’s our responsibility to offer new perspectives to our clients. That’s how you make big transformations happen,” Welin states.

The method works extremely well when designing creative concepts for companies that want to talk about sustainability. Brands often feel that the restrictions around sustainability prevent them from doing something exciting.

“Don’t think about the restrictions first. Gather some insight, start from there, create something unexpected, and then adapt it to the restrictions. Brands have a significant role to play in sustainability. If they commit to it, they can have a substantial impact,” Dahlqvist says.

Welin reminds us that for any message to go through, it needs to be inspiring, lifting, and captivating.

“Many people working with sustainability believe it must be boring to be taken seriously. With our clients we've been able to prove that you can be serious yet entertaining at the same time,” he says.

Get to know Andreas Dahlqvist and Jens Welin and the work they’ve done with their clients at www.nordddb.com

Have a look at the Super Bowl Babies campaign www.youtube.com/watch

How do we use data in advertising?

Mon, 22 Apr 2024 10:47:28 GMT

We use data to drive customer-oriented marketing and improve the customer experience. Transparency in the use of data in advertising is an important part of responsible data use.

"We are open about what we use data for, who our partners are and what sort of targeting we do. We do not share users’ locations with our partners and only collect data from Sanoma’s own services. The consumer also has the option of opting out of the use of cookie data, resulting in them seeing advertising without personal data-based targeting or optimisation. Contextual targeting is an effective way for advertisers to reach consumers who have opted out of using cookie data," says Jaakko Kuivalainen , director of B2B digital business at Sanoma.

A significant proportion of visitors to our site already use a Sanoma account on a regular basis. As a result, we know Finnish consumers and their media consumption very well, which sets us apart from other players in the industry. By combining their own data with the high-quality first-party data from Sanoma, advertisers can target their messages to their own audiences and tailored segments.

"We are actively involved in industry associations to develop the EU's privacy and data protection mechanism to make the market work better. One of our goals is to make data protection standards equal so that international giants play by the same rules as others," Kuivalainen says.

How do we ensure brand safety in advertising?

Brand safety in advertising refers to all the practices and tools that ensure the safety of the media environment for the brand.

"We know that advertising is not suitable for all news content. This includes news items about human suffering caused by disasters and wars, for example. We automatically identify this inappropriate content and remove any advertisements," says Kuivalainen.

In all our journalistic content production, we follow the journalistic guidelines of the Council for Mass Media in Finland. The quality and reliability of the media environment is also positively reflected in the advertised brand (Source: The AdTrust Study, ThinkNewsBrands 2019).

How do we ensure that the use of AI in advertising technology and targeting is ethical?

We also use artificial intelligence as part of advertising technologies and targeting. Sanoma has now defined ethical principles for the use of artificial intelligence to ensure the responsible use of artificial intelligence and minimise risks associated with it. By following the principles, we aim to monitor the safe, appropriate and responsible use of artificial intelligence.

"When using AI, we apply the principles and practices for the protection of personal data and privacy contained in Sanoma's data protection policy, and we have already anticipated the upcoming AI regulation in the EU in our ethical principles," Kuivalainen says.

Sanoma is involved in a joint litigation by European media companies concerning Google’s anti-competition activities in the field of online marketing technology.

Sanoma follows the marketing rules of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the EU Framework for Online Behavioural Advertising self-regulation principles developed by IAB Europe and the self-regulation guidelines of the Data & Marketing Association of Finland (ASML) in all its marketing activities. The Council of Ethics in Advertising monitors advertising in Finland to ensure it is responsible.

Contact us for more infromation >

Programmatic buying after third-party cookies – here’s how to target advertising in the future

Thu, 18 Apr 2024 07:11:28 GMT

Third-part cookies are going – nobody panic! There are plenty of other tried-and-true ways to target advertising. Sanoma’s data covers almost the entire Finnish nation, and both your current and future clients are sure to be in there somewhere.

As the digital world changes, there is often an upsurge of questions, says Programmatic Manager Miia Salmi from Sanoma.

“Right now, many are wondering if the data they’ve used for targeting can be replaced with something as effective. The truth is, targeting has always been done without third-party data, too.”

It is true that some things are bound to change or disappear – retargeting, for example, can’t be done without third-party cookies. When it comes to programmatic buying, the surefire way is to work directly with a publisher that can offer their own data.

“One of the basic principles of programmatic buying has been the possibility of choosing the media and targeting separately. This won’t be possible in the future. In Finland, however, most advertisers are already doing private deals with publishers, and that is what I recommend”, Salmi remarks.

Locate your key audience with a data partnership

The majority of Finnish people have created a Sanoma account, making it the main way to identify users in Sanoma’s digital channels. The information of logged-in users is combined with behavioural data from the channels. The most popular method of targeting is utilising location data; this is especially useful for small or local businesses.

Sanoma’s digital network reaches 89 % of Finnish internet users weekly.

“This means targeting possibilities in a scale of millions. Our reach is enormous, and we can target advertising according to age and gender to four out of five users of our channels,” says Head of Data Niko Hovilainen .

A data partnership with Sanoma is a great way to reach precision in targeting and deepen customer understanding. A growing number of advertisers is interested in using their own customer data and already defined audiences to target advertising.

“A partnership is a way to locate your existing customers in Sanoma’s media. From a small group of customers, we can also model a lookalike group to create bigger campaigns to,” Hovilainen explains.

The right ad in the right place – why go for contextual targeting?

Sanoma produces tens of thousands of articles in a month. The variety of media, themes, and topics enables targeting advertising to the most opportune contexts .

“When an ad fits its environment and doesn’t appear disruptive, it is easy to receive,” Salmi says.

The contextual data of each article contains both wider categories and individual keywords. There are hundreds of categories and thousands of keywords to choose from. In addition to display advertising, contextual targeting is also available for e.g. video advertising.

“You can target a section of a website, choose very specific topics, or anything in between. Combining keywords may also prove effective for reaching your audience from different angles,” Salmi points out.

Contextual targeting does not rule out audience targeting; in fact, using both might give you the best results.

“Demographics are attributes of people – the context anticipates where their mind goes. Football boots are more likely to hit their target next to a sports article than anywhere else,” Hovilainen concludes.

Five tips for building an e-commerce success story in Finland

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 09:22:44 GMT

Finland has unlocked potential for e-commerce businesses. Cater to the right audience, localize your touchpoints, and establish a strong brand to secure your position in the market.

After the upsurge of e-commerce in pandemic times and the steep drop brought by war in Europe, we are back to steady growth of online shopping. The general uncertainty and rapid changes, however, make it hard to see which actions work long-term. Petri Vatanen , Head of e-Commerce gathered, five fool-proof tips to get you started with your e-commerce business in Finland.

1. Hone your message and offering for your audience

There’s no such thing as too much research on your target audience. Translating your message and simply going for it may work, but you’ll be more likely to succeed if you get to know your audience, their wants and needs, which media they spend time with, and what kind of products and messaging they value. Entering a new market is expensive, and comprehensive insight is invaluable.

Finns are seasoned online shoppers. Still, there is unlocked potential especially in the demographics that are not yet used to buying online, such as the older generations. If that is where your target is, tailoring your marketing and customer experience for their needs could give you great results.

2. Create an effortless, localized, and reliable customer experience

Effortless buying is what matters most to Finnish online shoppers, so a seamless customer experience is key. Another vital point is safety and an air of reliability. Finns like to buy from domestic online stores, and less people look beyond our borders. As an international company, evoking trust through localized communications is essential.

For most demographics, the Finnish language is a must. This means translating and localizing your shop, product descriptions, and marketing, but also providing customer service in Finnish.

3. Offer smooth payment and delight with quick delivery

Online banking is the preferred payment method for a large number of Finns . Offering the option of online banking alongside other methods is an important part of tailoring the customer experience for Finnish audience.

While next day delivery is the norm in many places, the standards in Finland remain lower. You can still create an excellent customer experience by providing quick delivery. Having your stock in Finland both speeds things up and builds trust within your customers.

4. Invest in building your brand long-term

Having the muscle to invest in your brand and strategic marketing gives you upper hand when entering the Finnish market. Many of your competitors will emphasize tactical marketing, sometimes due to lack of resources. Putting effort in building your brand will give you a strong position in the market and definite competitive advantage.

5. Combine mass media and digital marketing to gain a wide reach

Many countries have seen a big drop in the consumption of linear TV and other mass media; in Finland, though, they maintain a strong reach. Keep your brand top of mind and drive traffic into your store with a combination of online and offline. Effective TV or radio advertising will put your message through to a large audience, but it needs to be paired with continuous digital marketing that will pull them into the store.

The advantage of Finland as a media environment is that there’s no need to scatter your marketing efforts to many different places. Working with a big media company such as Sanoma is a one-stop approach that gives you access to channels from TV and radio to newspapers and magazines. This leaves you a whole lot more time to focus on the all-important creative side.

Get to know the Finnish media user – download our guide to media usage in Finland

Brand building is vital for online stores

Thu, 21 Mar 2024 08:21:08 GMT

Suvituuli Tuukkanen from Verkkokauppa.com and Matti Kojo from Arvo Partners explain why online stores should also invest in brand building.

Building a brand is important for both short-term and long-term success.

"For short-term success, the goal should be to avoid having to buy all the traffic coming into the online store. The company or brand behind it should be so strong that it is appealing in itself," says Suvituuli Tuukkanen , Marketing and Communications Director at Verkkokauppa.com.

According to Tuukkanen, a well-established player in the market can succeed for a while by investing solely in tactical marketing and search engine optimisation, but over time the brand, along with the direct traffic to the website, will collapse if it is not properly taken care of.

"This is one of the reasons it's important to do brand-building marketing. Another thing to note is that brand-building marketing can help to shape perceptions and communicate more strongly compared to purely tactical communications directing traffic to the online store," Tuukkanen points out.

According to her, brand-building marketing also has a strengthening effect on tactical marketing.

"The role of tactical and brand-building marketing depends on the situation and goals of the online store. How wide is the range, how long has it been in the market and what is the structure of the customer base and traffic?" Tuukkanen says.

According to her, metrics often follow a short trajectory, with tactical advertising dominating over brand marketing.

Verkkokauppa.com uses a wide range of metrics. Monitoring includes brand metrics such as preference, consideration and key image development, as well as tactical metrics related to campaign performance.

“In terms of hard metrics, we monitor direct sales and traffic, customer base development, conversions and a wide range of digital advertising metrics,” Tuukkanen explains.

The brand is the cornerstone of e-commerce

"Brand building is much more than a marketing activity, especially for online stores. It’s the entire shopping and customer experience, all its touchpoints," says Matti Kojo , CEO of Arvo Partners.

“In challenging times, the brand can be the deciding factor in getting the customer to stay or even choose your company.”

According to Kojo, the online store brand is built on several voices: the content, ratings and reviews created by customers; the content and channels created by the company; and the marketing efforts, customer communication and personalisation at different stages of the purchase process.

“It’s important to understand your target market and audience and to know what kind of value propositions work for them,” Kojo says.

"Especially in the early stages of the online store, it is important to acquire new customers and ensure the right kind of customer experience. When the tactical channels start to become saturated, it makes sense to shift the budget to branding."

According to Kojo, tactical and brand-building advertising should exist in harmony.

"Brand building can be accelerated by taking care of sales and the customer experience. On the other hand, brand recognition has a beneficial effect on customer acquisition costs in tactical campaigns, and by strengthening the brand, we can also accelerate sales in the longer term."

According to Kojo, the challenge of brand marketing in e-commerce is that the tactical channels are often highly tuned and the profit angle is good.

"The threshold for shifting the budget to branding increases because you are dealing with a long-term investment. However, the brand is one of the cornerstones that online stores need to build as well."

The right metrics at different stages

The right metrics must be used at the different stages of marketing.

"In addition to traditional brand surveys and brand research offered by advertising platforms, it's a good idea to measure how much you are reaching your desired audience, how they react to advertising, whether they come to your site and what happens on the site afterwards. Are they leaving immediately or are they the right target group?" Kojo says.

According to him, one metric to be monitored could be the growth of remarketing audiences. Kojo often hears the comment that the customer has heard nothing about or from the online store since the purchase.

"There is a problem with customer communication if the brand disappears along with the acute need. For example, in Sanoma's network you can reach out to customers who have already bought and start testing what you can achieve by scaling up your customer base," Kojo suggests.

Tips for brand building from Suvituulia Tuukkanen

1. Know who you are talking to.

What is your key target group? Know them. How they think, what they need, what are the obstacles and drivers for buying and what motivates this group.

2. Select a clear message.

There is often a lot to say. The brighter and clearer the message, and the better it addresses the obstacles related to buying, the more likely it is to work.

3. Be persistent and systematic.

When building a brand, metrics tend to move slowly. Do not expect the change in consumers’ minds to happen quickly. It is a good idea to stay on the defined path, but also to constantly test new things and make the necessary corrections.

4. Take care of the overall brand experience.

Advertising and marketing paint a certain picture of what a brand is like. However, brand perception is formed through all touchpoints: online or in-store, selection and pricing, customer service, CRM messages, etc. Brand management must be comprehensive.

5. Measure and understand cause and effect relationships.

Keep your eye on the ball and make sure you have enough data points to know how your brand is developing. The brand could be developing in a positive direction, but the traffic might not increase or the sales could be lagging behind. This is not necessarily due to incorrect marketing activities, it might instead be due to the surrounding market or the actions of a competitor. Traffic could also be at a good level, but brand perception might not be developing in the desired direction, leaving the full potential untapped.

Get in touch >

How is the Finnish consumer doing in 2024?

Wed, 14 Feb 2024 13:05:40 GMT

How is the Finnish consumer doing in 2024? Sanoma’s experts share the latest research

The uncertain times have taken a toll on the trust and wallet of Finnish people and turned the conscious consumer into a wary one. Research shows, however, that the hesitation is not entirely well founded – and the data on Finnish buying habits is also taking an optimistic turn.

Sanoma’s recent webinar took a deep dive into Finnish consumer trends in 2024. In this article, Veera Luoma-aho , Head of Department in politics, business, and economy at Helsingin Sanomat, and Customer Insight Strategist Jaana Jamalainen share the main insights from their fields. Let’s take a look!

The Finns’ plummeting trust in the economy doesn’t match the real-life situation

With the war in Ukraine, inflation, and rising interest rates, the Finnish consumers’ trust in the economy fell into a downward spiral in 2022. Since then, their replies to questionnaires have shown great uncertainty about the future. The twist, however, lies in the discrepancy between those feelings and what really goes on in the economy.

“Consumers communicate a lack of trust when asked about their views on the world and economy, but it doesn’t show up in their buying behavior,” explains Veera Luoma-aho.

Historically, the GDP and the Finnish consumers’ trust in the economy have gone hand in hand. In the past couple of years, the trust indicator has parted ways with the development of the economy. The same phenomenon has been reported in the US.

Feelings may change fast as the economy picks up again in 2024

The Finnish GDP didn’t look too bad at the end of 2023. There is a recession, but it’s short-lived and does not exceed a regular economic cycle. Not all consumers see a change in their personal finance.

“With the inflation and difficulties in certain industries, it is hard to get by for some households and companies. Still, there is no indication of mass unemployment such as during the depression in the 1990s,” Luoma-aho says.

In 2024, the real income of Finnish people will grow as inflation slows down. There are positive signals in the property market and world trade. Changes to the positive can have a big impact on the atmosphere among consumers, says Luoma-aho.

“A feeling is just that – a feeling. When reality and the trust in it don’t match, the positive is that the feeling can change quickly.”

Price will make or break a deal, but there’s more to making wise decisions

There already are signals of the wariness lifting. This can be seen in the biannual Consumer Pulse conducted by Sanoma questionnaire that measures the Finnish consumer behavior and attitudes.

At the beginning of January 2024, 69% of Finnish consumers said they are weighing their buying habits. 63% of Finns are more careful than before when making decisions, and 61% save on some purchases to be able to spend more on others. However, all these numbers are declining, which suggests an air of optimism.

“Generally, Finns want to make wise decisions and understand the benefits of the product or service. More than half of the respondents are increasingly searching for details about what they’re buying”, says Jaana Jamalainen .

What influences the Finns’ buying decisions?

98% of buyers say price is the most influential factor.
86% consider stock availability especially when shopping online.
84% appreciate an easy buying experience in brick-and-mortar stores.
Brand, sustainability, and fast delivery also contribute to decision making.

Sustainability is a given – but the consumer craves more information

A Finnish consumer is a conscious one, and the Finns’ interest in sustainability remains high. More than half of the respondents say they choose Finnish and local products and services, and buying second-hand is on the rise.

As sustainability becomes a norm that can be expected, the consumer pays less attention to it. On the other hand, Finns seem to consider it difficult to find information on the sustainability of brands to support them making well-informed decisions.

“An important point for the marketer is that when a conscious consumer feels like information is hard to come by, there is more work to be done”, Jamalainen says.

Money-saving tactics are on decline as the turmoil settles down

Switching brands to save money has been a visible trend that is now on decline as buying is settling down in all industries. Young people, and especially women, are more likely to both reduce buying and switch from one product to another.

Comparing prices of services has decreased since October last year, and 35% of consumers say they don’t intend to compare any services in the next months. Finns are most likely to assess electricity, phone, and insurance deals before reaching a decision.

Almost a third of Finns have needed to postpone a buying decision because of uncertainty – but on the other hand, 47% say they have been able to make purchases as before. The former number is declining and the latter is on the rise, which shows light at the end of the tunnel for both Finnish households and companies.

In the mood for more reading? Visit our Latest News & Articles on Advertising in Finland!

Advertising in the land of four seasons – succeed with seasonal marketing in Finland

Tue, 28 Nov 2023 12:57:28 GMT

From inches of snow to the endless nights of summer, all seasons in Finland have their own distinct characteristics. Choose the right media at the right time and you’ll stay at the top of your audience’s mind in any season.

The time of the year affects the way Finnish people consume media, spend their time, and make decisions, which is why making informed media choices is key when advertising in Finland.

“You need to consider the way your main audience consumes media, but also the changes in that throughout the year,” says Sebastian Wikman , International Key Account Manager at Sanoma.

Wikman believes there is still a lot of potential for advertisers to make bold moves in Finland. Seasonal planning is an effective way to tap into themes that the buyer is already thinking about. The seasons in nature and different holidays provide a map to the Finnish consumer’s mind.

The Finnish year in a nutshell:

Q1 : New Year, wellness and new beginnings, Valentine’s Day (celebrated in Finland as Friend’s Day), winter break from school in February, winter sports
Q2 : Easter, May Day, Mother’s Day, end of school year and graduation at the beginning of June, cottage and garden season begins, Midsummer
Q3 : Summer festivals, main summer holiday season in July, back to school in early August, new hobbies and interests
Q4 : Autumn break from school in October, Halloween, Father’s Day, Black Friday, Independence Day on 6th December, pre-Christmas parties, Christmas

Christmas sparks emotions

Although Finns are known for winter sports, a lot of time is also spent indoors during the cold time of the year. That means heightened consumption of slow media, TV, and magazines.

In the dark months, Christmas is a bright beacon for many Finns. It truly is the season of giving, as we not only give gifts to each other but also donate to charities more often than in the rest of the year.

“Christmas is an emotional and atmospheric time. For an advertiser, it’s a great chance to create a recognizable visual and auditory experience through TV and radio,” Wikman explains.

After the Holiday season we welcome the ‘new year, new me’ energy. It’s time to act on your resolutions and start new hobbies. A seasonal quirk is Friend’s Day, the Finnish version of Valentine’s Day, that celebrates friendships above all. Week-long school breaks take place in February and October, a popular vacation time for families.

Easy summer living

Come spring, Finns wake up from their winter slumber and start to look forward to the summer. As soon as the snow melts, the garden and cottage season is in full swing, and the demand for garden furniture, fishing and outdoor gear as well as tools and cleaning supplies goes up – anything that helps shake off the dust of the winter past.

School’s out already at the beginning of June, when we also celebrate graduates. Unlike many other countries, in Finland the school holidays are in June and July, the latter also being the main holiday month at workplaces.

The short summer season invites Finns to live to the max, enjoy, and treat themselves. Many head to one of the over 500 000 summer cottages scattered across Finland. Especially the Midsummer celebrations in late June are a reason for many to leave the city for a couple of days.

“The Finnish way of enjoying the summer often means that TV has less importance while radio and mobile usage are amplified,” says Wikman. “In the summer, radio consumption is steadier throughout the day, compared to the rest of the year when the peaks are at the commuting hours of morning and afternoon.”

Don’t hold back during Q4

The busiest time of the year is, without a doubt, the last quarter. With Black Friday boosting sales and Christmas quickly approaching right after, it’s the peak season for online shopping and digital marketing. Even in a B2B environment, deals are closing and the next year’s budgets are being made, so it’s time to get your say in decision making.

Wikman encourages advertisers to claim their space during Q4 and be strongly visible in all relevant channels. Honing your message for a carefully specified audience will make the biggest impact.

“The last months of the year offer big sales, but all your competitors will also be active at that time. In a loud and crowded market, your message is what makes you stand out. Choosing the right media or an unexpected one will also make a difference,” says Wikman.

3 + 1 tips to stay on top of your advertising game in Finland

Be sure to plan ahead. Turn your attention towards Black Friday and Christmas by the time you’re out of summer holidays. If you’re launching a new brand, allow plenty of time before the main season for the consumer to get to know your product and see it as a viable alternative to what they’re familiar with.
Tailor your message and visual elements to match the season. While you’ll want to stand out from the crowd, meeting your audience where they’re at will make an impact. The mood and behavior of Finns change seasonally, and knowing those changes will help you hit the spot with your marketing.
Keep an eye on the conversations going on. The cycle of planning and executing marketing is getting shorter. Alongside seasonal marketing, being aware of what’s going on in the market allows you to tweak your message and claim new market shares.

+1. Advertising in print will have a big effect. When doing a disruptive campaign or reacting to hot topics, traditional print turns into a fast and reactive media. Finnish people have an exceptionally high trust in news media. Helsingin Sanomat, for example, reaches a vast audience across the Finnish society.

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Hit your targets with data-driven marketing

Thu, 02 Nov 2023 12:39:03 GMT

Expired knowledge is not good for you - yet we let common beliefs guide us all the time in our everyday lives. It’s time to let go of these beliefs and start speaking data.

When did you last check how valid your beliefs about your business are? How well do you know your target groups? What beliefs do you have about your customers and their ways of living and consumption patterns? Do you even know who your potential customers are?

“All of these are questions you should try to answer regularly, and the answers should be based on data. Assumptions are not an effective way to guide a successful business or do impactful marketing”, says Insight Manager Katariina Karine from Sanoma.

As collecting data is a time-consuming endeavor, it’s good to consider whether a partner could lend a helping hand. Sanoma has a long tradition of collecting valuable data for its customers.

"We have a huge amount of information about different industries, target groups, and their media use. All this information is available to our international customers”, says Karine.

Sanoma also provides advertising impact measurements, which make it easier to analyze the effectiveness of marketing campaigns and if strategic goals have been achieved.

"Working with Sanoma guarantees that your marketing efforts are always based on researched information. Therefore, the possibility of marketing failures is small," emphasizes Account Manager Olavi Kajantie .

Dig deeper with data

According to Kajantie, success in the Finnish market requires deep knowledge of the area, as Finnish people differ from their neighboring countries quite a bit in terms of media use. Both Kajantie and Karine point out that commercial radio, for example, has a strong and unique position in Finland, which makes the market somewhat exceptional compared to other Nordic countries.

“When you know the market and consumers' media use, you reach the right customers in the right channels and do more effective and profitable marketing,” Kajantie says.

Sanoma provides its customers with up-to-date information on target groups based on continuously updated analytics. A particular advantage is Sanoma’s knowledge of the multichannel market and the impact of branding.

“The effectiveness of advertising is typically measured by sales or clicks, forgetting qualitative indicators such as brand image. In addition to multimedia studies, our impact studies are available in digital, print, radio, TV, video, cross-media and cooperation campaigns," Karine illustrates.

One audience is not enough

At Sanoma, Finnish media consumers are divided into eight different segments, which, according to Karine, differ greatly from each other.

"Our focus is on demographic data, motives, and attitudes towards media use. The segments can help you know your target groups better and define the best channels and communication angles," she says.

The role of news media is strong in Finland, even by international standards, and thanks to digital growth, its overall reach remains high. This guarantees a safe and respected operating environment for advertisers.

"Commercial radio and television are also still going strong in Finland, which provides interesting opportunities for marketers. There are so many choices for marketing channels in Finland that without knowledge of your target group, you’ll definitely be lost – and probably lose money,” Kajantie points out.

An infinity loop of success

Before starting any marketing efforts in a new market area, careful planning is always in order. At Sanoma, a so-called multi-stage infinity loop operating model helps customers reach their end goals and succeed.

Karine illustrates the process as follows:

"The infinity loop is continuous. Every planning process starts with setting goals. After that, we proceed to form a vision utilizing insight, and consumer and industry understanding. After these steps we start to form a solution, where the strategy and the roles of different media outlets are defined. Only then we proceed to implementation, which includes the media plan."

The final stage of the infinity loop is, of course, measurement and analysis.

“We learn, we implement, and the loop starts again. Each time you learn something new from the data and get to know your audience and the impact of your marketing better.”

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Finnkino’s multichannel Christmas campaign succeeded beyond expectations

Mon, 11 Sep 2023 11:57:34 GMT

The multichannel marketing campaign reinforced a positive image of Finnkino and increased intentions to visit their locations. Finnkino Ltd paves the way for cultural entertainment in Finland and is the most versatile experience provider. Finnkino has 16 movie theaters in 11 cities throughout Finland, with a total of 113 auditoriums altogether.

Objective

Finnkino’s multichannel Christmas marketing campaign was looking for a broad reach. The target groups were especially those who go to the cinema at least once every 3 months and families with children.

The marketing campaign was two-pronged: the successful launch of a new gift card product and a high volume of sales for the familiar movie voucher product.

Solution

The gift card launch was carried out as a programme cooperation with Radio Suomipop, as the key challenge was to communicate all of the new card’s features and operating mechanisms. Juuso Mäkilähde and Tinni Wikström invited listeners to participate in a quiz in their broadcast, the topic of which was things related to the gift card.

In this way, the gift card’s offerings could be extensively introduced naturally. The contest format expressed the gift card’s key functionality: adding credit to the card’s balance. The marketing campaign was supported by spots on the radio and in Supla. The campaign also included digital advertising and social media visibility.

The marketing campaign for the familiar movie voucher product was carried out in the format of moving pictures on TV and a digital campaign in Sanoma’s network.

The purpose of the “Always the right gift” concept is to highlight how Finnkino’s movie tickets are a good gift for absolutely everyone.

We are very satisfied with the marketing campaign for both products. The gift card campaign was implemented in an innovative way as a radio programme cooperation, and Videolle created a great TV spot for the movie vouchers. Päivi Iisakka , B2C Marketing Manager, Finnkino

Results

The radio campaign reached an estimated total of over one million listeners, and up to 32% of the 25–54-year-old target group. 1,889 listeners participated in Finnkino’s gift card quiz, which is an excellent result. 3,104 listeners visited the campaign website.

The strongest part of the cooperation was how natural it was as part of content. The hosts got listeners to enthusiastically join in on the playful contest, which resulted in more natural and entertaining content. Through the quiz, Finnkino’s themes were highlighted continuously, and the hosts were inspired to otherwise talk about movies. The final result was a highly functional, entertaining and cheerful programme!

According to Sanoma’s campaign survey, Finnkino’s multimedia marketing campaign was well noticed. 61% of respondents had noticed the campaign, and it reached the core target groups particularly well – families with children and those who go to the cinema at least once every 3 months.

Of the advertisements, the TV and digital advertising were noticed the best. Young people recalled hearing the radio advertising significantly more often than the older age groups.

83% of respondents felt that the campaign’s message was clear. Sanoma’s reference figure for similar campaigns is 70%. The campaign was also well-liked: 80% of respondents stated that they liked the campaign. Particular reasons for liking the campaign were the clarity of the advertising, the mood and the idea.

The campaign succeeded especially in having a positive impact on the image of Finnkino and awakening intentions to try out and visit Finnkino. All results exceeded the averages in Sanoma’s data bank.

Our cooperation went very well, all the way from a creative idea to implementation. It was nice to launch the new gift card product with such a fun idea. The marketing campaign succeeded beyond expectations, and we got a great start for a new product. The movie voucher campaign was noticed, and it also activated consumers well. Päivi Iisakka, B2C Marketing Manager, Finnkino

“Cooperation with Sanoma was smooth, project management was good and the attitude was proactive from the very first briefing. It was easy to purchase the parts from the offer that we wished to start taking forward,” Iisakka says.

Päivi Iisakka considers Sanoma’s strength to be its multiple channels.

“Through Sanoma, you also get enough visibility and impressions. Finnkino’s cinemas can be found in all of the biggest cities and visitors come from large areas, so this could almost be called nationwide marketing. Sanoma does not have any competitors that could offer such broad multichannel visibility,” she says in praise.

Finnkino has a small marketing team, so Iisakka also appreciates the production and ideation assistance offered by Sanoma.

“It was important for us that we received very fun ideas in the same package. The marketing campaign worked well and was very successful,” Iisakka concludes.

The campaign was a success by many metrics

32% the campaign reached up to 32% of the 25–54-year-old target group

1889 listeners participated in the gift card quiz

61% of the campaign survey respondents had noticed the campaign

83% felt that the campaign’s message was clear

80% liked the campaign

All results exceeded the averages in Sanoma’s data bank

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Same same but Different: How to Make Advertising Work for You as Well in Finland as in Other Nordic Countries

Wed, 30 Aug 2023 08:28:39 GMT

We put together 4 things that you need to be aware of when you are planning on growing your business in Finland through advertising. Nail these and you’ll see better results.

International clients advertising digitally in Finland often find that ads don’t convert as well here as they do in other Nordic countries. They come to the Finnish market with the same messages and same channel focus and expect similar results. But Finland is a wild card among the Nordics. Finns behave slightly differently than their Nordic cousins so getting advertising to work requires some tweaks to campaign planning and execution.

First, let us put your mind to rest: Finland isn’t massively different to other Nordic countries. Campaigns and tactics that work elsewhere, can work here as well. Whether you want to focus on television, radio, print or online advertising, it all works. You might have to put a little extra effort into building trust and varying your channel choices and messages, but getting advertising to work in Finland does not require you to plan a completely different campaign.

So, what do you need to know to get advertising work for you in Finland?

Understand Finnish buying behaviour

Finns don’t buy quite the same way as their Nordic cousins. For example, mobile paying here lags behind other countries. Around 55 % of Finns buy from mobile devices in comparison to 80 % of Swedes. Unsurprisingly 25-40 year olds are the most active mobile buyers. After that age group, there is a steep drop.

This is challenging because people above 40 years of age, and especially above 50, have the most time and money to spend. Having a huge age group that does not like to buy digitally is one the reasons why digital advertising does not convert as well in Finland as it does elsewhere in Scandinavia. For the older age group, the purchase journey in digital channels is a lot longer.

This is not to say that conversions from digital channels don’t work. It just means that you need to be aware of the differences and adjust campaign goals accordingly.

Once you understand buying behaviour, you can choose the right channels.

Build trust by using quality Finnish medias

The road to Finnish hearts goes through national media. Finns consume a lot of content in various different formats.

Let's take newspapers as an example. Reading newspapers is a regular activity for over 90 % of Finns, both young and old. Even teenagers read newspapers in Finland. Over half of the population reads them in print format and almost 90 % reads them digitally. Also, Finns typically go directly to the newspapers’ websites to read news, rather than being directed there through other mediums, like social media.

Another anomaly is the radio. Half of the Finnish population listens to commercial radio whilst only about 10-15 % does so in other Nordic countries. Finns have a radio on in their cars, homes, computers, mobile phones etc. Advertising on radio can be a very effective way to reach audiences in Finland.

The unfortunate fact is that when we talk to international clients, radio is rarely part of the channel mix. Clients want to put their budgets into digital advertising because that drives conversion so well in the rest of the northern hemisphere. But we strongly encourage clients to consider other media, because they can bring companies closer to Finns and help them build trust.

And so we come to a key point in advertising in general and programmatic buying in particular in Finland: focus on quality Finnish media. Do your research about where and how Finns consume content and what media companies they trust. Don’t put your money into humbug channels.

Vary your message

What makes your tacts work is your message. The problem often is that companies use the exact same message in every Nordic country. The same message rarely moves Finns.

By understanding that Finland differs as a market and putting a little extra effort into planning and varying your message, you can get bigger gains in Finland.

Generally speaking Finns appreciate facts and values. We are information seekers. We don’t buy right away, we look for information and ask around. If we can’t find enough info, we move on. Right messages in your brand building are crucial.

Value based advertising isn’t necessary, but Finns are used to companies using values in their marketing. But here’s the catch: it has to be genuine. Don’t fake it. If values are a core part of your business, show it your advertising.

Finding the right messages for different markets can be challenging. Find a local partner that can help you to choose resonating messages and channels. This saves you time and effort and who knows, maybe you start to see better conversions as a result?

Keep brand and performance together

This last point follows from all the previous points. Often we find that companies have different people focusing on brand and performance marketing. What we have hopefully shown you in this article that in Finland this doesn’t work. If you’re really hoping to get the most out of your marketing and advertising efforts in Finland, you need to build your campaigns on both.

Part of the reason is that Finland is a fairly small market, so separating brand and performance from each other makes little sense here. Finns trust brands they know. Gaining their trust might take a little more time, but once you have them onboard, they award you with their loyalty. Without a recognisable brand, digital advertising and programmatic buying can be really expensive. That is why building your brand organically in Finland is the foundation for the rest of your marketing and advertising activities.

Final world: do it right and reap the benefits

Our final advice to you is that don’t advertise in Finland just because you have been told to use some of your budget here. Spend money in Finland because you want to grow.

Here’s the kicker: whatever your growth goals are from the Nordic markets, by doing things slightly differently in Finland, you might go over your goals. Finland is the ace in your sleeve that will surprise you if you just take that little extra effort.

Do it right: choose the channels and plan your message right.

Boost Your Marketing Effectiveness with Programmatic Buying

Wed, 30 Aug 2023 08:01:21 GMT

Programmatic buying has solidified its position as an effective way to advertise to the right target audiences everywhere. It's proven to work wonders in Finland as well, as it's a smart way to promote your brand cost-effectively and with brand safety in mind. We picked the brains of Sanoma's experts to give you the lowdown on how to start programmatic buying in the Finnish market.

According to Sanoma's Digital Strategist, Outi Mäkelä , programmatic buying is an excellent way to buy ad space especially when you're trying to enter a new media market.

"Programmatic is your ticket to mastering an unfamiliar territory. From the buyer's perspective, the process is straightforward and simple, provided you lay the groundwork first. All you need to kick off programmatic buying is a buying platform and a banner or video ad you want to showcase across different media," explains Mäkelä.

In a nutshell, programmatic buying involves buyers and media space sellers communicating through platforms rather than face-to-face discussions. The buyer sets the terms for purchasing ad space, and the platform automatically scouts for suitable ad placements based on these terms. The seller defines the available ad inventory: who can buy ads, what media space is up for grabs, and at what cost.

"So, buying is easy. Once you have your ad buying platform up and running, you can theoretically secure media space from anywhere globally. Our team at Sanoma can help you grasp the unique characteristics of this region and advertise effectively to your precise target audience," says Sanoma's Programmatic Manager, Miia Salmi .

Quick Moves, No Targeting Mistakes

According to experts, the perks of programmatic buying include flexibility and cost-effectiveness. You can launch ad campaigns quickly and tweak them on the go.

"The platforms enable you to monitor campaigns in real-time and react if any adjustments are needed. You're no longer tied to slow email conversations for making changes. You have the reins to steer the success of your campaign," Salmi explains.

Flexibility and solid targeting options make programmatic buying a stellar addition to your marketing toolkit.

"Once your marketing goals are clear and metrics defined, you can use programmatic for standalone campaigns and long-term efforts. Extensive targeting options and the potential to use your own data ensure that your ads find the right pair of eyes," adds Mäkelä.

If you're hesitant about nailing down the correct targeting criteria in an unfamiliar media landscape, partnering up is the way to go . Even within Sanoma's ad network, there's an abundance of targeting criteria available. You don't have to master everything on your own.

"You can always turn to Sanoma's programmatic buying team for help—whether it's about targeting, leveraging your data, campaign planning, or ad optimization. We're ready to tap into Sanoma's insight services and even conduct broader audience research if needed," says Salmi.

Deals or Auctions?

Once you have the basics sorted, it's time to consider whether to purchase ads through deals or open auctions. In an open auction, the buyer determines the ad networks where the ad should appear. However, the buying platforms don't consider media quality. If you're optimizing based on, let's say, cost per click, the system will hunt down the lowest cost, regardless of the media environment. On the other hand, deals ensure that ads appear only in high-quality media environments.

" Finland is a bit of an outlier in this sense; deals are very popular here. I usually recommend deals, especially for international advertisers. They come with predefined inventories and streamline targeting," advises Salmi.

Deals also guarantee a brand-safe environment for your ads.

"Remember, Finns place exceptional trust in news media*, and the ads displayed there are considered reliable. From that perspective, deals are a solid choice. They make it easy to advertise your brand in a secure media space. And, of course, you can still opt for open auctions. Many are familiar with them, and they have their own own merits," Mäkelä points out.

A Glimpse into the Future

According to the experts, the future of programmatic buying holds even broader possibilities for multi-channel advertising. Mäkelä and Salmi predict that programmatic buying will expand in Finland, encompassing more audio and radio ads as well as digital outdoor advertising.

"We want to assure our clients that they always have access to the latest expertise and technologies, regardless of their preferred buying approach. Sanoma is the largest media company in Finland and has the nation's most significant digital development resources. Let's start with programmatic and explore other advertising solutions that could suit your business," Mäkelä summarizes.

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* Digital News Report 2023 https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-report/2023

Case Järvikylä – Record sales and visibility with a successful marketing campaign

Thu, 08 Jun 2023 06:26:12 GMT

The front pages brought attention value and the dynamic digital full-page increased the depth of the Järvikylä campaign. Järvikylä is a food brand owned by Famifarm Ltd, which markets salads and herbs.

The goal of the marketing campaign called Kaada kaamos (“Overthrow the darkness”) was toraise people’s awareness of Järvikylä’s herbs and salads and to promote greenness in the darkness of November.

“Järvikylä has been promoting a greener plate for 35 years. With the marketing campaign, we wanted to offer people new ideas. There is no special food-related celebration in November. With the Kaada kaamos campaign, we wanted to promote a healthy diet, and our goal was also to increase sales in the month that tends to be quieter,” says Sini Memonen , Marketing Manager at Famifarm.

Solution

In addition to the cross-media front pages of Helsingin Sanomat, Aamulehti and Satakunnan Kansa, the marketing campaign included a cross-media full-page of Me Naiset and a full page in the Glorian Ruoka & Viini magazine. The dynamic digital full-page carousel and the social media highlight guided people to get acquainted with Järvikylä’s smoothie recipes and the Kaada Kaamos campaign message. At the same time, a radio campaign was running on the Sanoma channels.

Results

The marketing campaign generated more than 7 million contacts. The engagement rate of the dynamic digital full-page carousel implementation was very good: 4.8% of screens were clicked or swiped. Radio brought more attention to the marketing campaign. During the autumn, Järvikylä set an all-time sales record.

“Our aim was to gain wide-ranging visibility, and we succeeded very well in doing so. Radio advertising supported print and digital advertising well. The message gets stronger when it reaches people in different medias. Through Sanoma’s digital channels, our materials got a huge number of views – more than three million in total. From our point of view, this is a tremendous result,” Memonen says.

The dynamic digital full-page carousel ensured visibility

The dynamic digital full-page carousel featured Järvikylä’s smoothie recipes combined with the Kaada Kaamos campaign message.

“The results gave us confidence that our message interests people. The marketing campaign clearly boosted our sales. November sales were at a record high compared to previous years.”

”Famifarm opted for front-page advertising based on previous experiences.”

“You can get great visibility and attention on the front page. The dynamic full-page advertising brought more depth to the marketing campaign by presenting recipeinterested the readers. The dynamic solution also brought traffic to our website and could be seen in the number of visitors. We will certainly continue to carry out such implementations in the future as well,” says Memonen.

“The ad engagement rate of 4.8 was really high, among our best. The campaign metrics were above average in other respects as well,” says Producer Annina Pienimäki from Sanoma’s Data Sales team.

According to Memonen, collaborating with Sanoma is smooth and easy.

“Sanoma offers solutions that suit our needs. The campaign has a good starting point, becauseSanoma knows what could work and provides support for the implementation as well. The dynamic full-page solution was new to us. We received good and precise advice on how to implement it,” Memonen says.

“During the autumn, Järvikylä set an all-time sales record. The Kaada Kaamos concept worked really well, and the cross-media marketing campaign was a successful and stylish entity,” says Mika Halme, Sanoma’s Client Manager of Famifarm.

When looking for good visibility, Sanoma is an easy and natural solution. Cross-media presence is important to us, as the marketing campaign can be broken down into different channels.

The reach figures were wild, the content provided by Sanoma supports our brand image and we reach an interested audience through Sanoma. We are very satisfied. We will continue the Kaada Kaamos campaign and possibly expand Sanoma’s solutions to other marketing campaigns as well.

Sini Memonen, Marketing Manager Famifarm

Interested?

Build your brand. Engage your customers. Make sales.

Digital marketing influences the brand awareness, preference, consideration and intent to buythroughout your customer’s buying process. With Sanoma’s versatile digital marketing solutions, you create and repatriate demand, whether it’s about building a brand, controlling traffic, increasing sales or making additional sales.

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Localised video advertising is a global brand’s best friend

Wed, 10 May 2023 07:50:09 GMT

For global brands looking to enter a new market or expand efforts locally, video advertising is a powerful storytelling device. Yet videos should be carried out with specific target audience tastes in mind and with expertise on the local markets to yield the best results.

Video advertising is a good way for international brands to build momentum and awareness in local markets. Video remains a key priority for marketers , its importance moving at an all-time high.

Doing video marketing locally means replacing generic advertising with highly effective brand messages that speak to local audiences while supporting global strategies. Making video efforts count starts with good, data-based planning and expertise on audience behavior.

International brands should pay attention to certain key things when considering video for local markets.

Localised video advertising often makes for better reach

It’s all about the target audience, and global players may not have the necessary insight when it comes to local consumer behavior. Local partners and agencies, on the other hand, often have essential knowledge about the markets and data on target audiences: what type of messaging works, and which channels they prefer.

“Consumer insight is key when doing video advertising locally,” says Olavi Kajantie , Key Account Manager at Sanoma. “It all starts with defining what types of target audiences international brands need to reach, and how.”

Data about audiences also allows for brands to tie metrics to the overall goals of the video advertising, and to effectively measure and analyse results. The most common metrics are reach, impression and the amount of completions, but every campaign is different and may require specific approaches tied to local audiences – something local partners can help with.

Localisation translates into relatable brands

Authenticity is appreciated by audiences, and utilising local influencers and messaging makes the brand more relatable, even if the brand is already well known. In 2018, Finnish CokeTV was produced for Coca-Cola, featuring locally known vloggers and influencers as hosts of the YouTube show produced across Europe. The channel was extremely popular: it was Finland’s most watched brand content in early fall 2018, and Finland’s results were the highest in a country comparison. Video production of the channel was done by Videolle, which now operates as part of the Sanoma brand.

“Getting visibility locally can be very tied to local tastes. International brands should get creative in how they can reach their audiences,” says Markus Malvisalo , Key Account Manager at Videolle .

Compared to other Nordic countries , Finland as a market has its specific peculiarities and preferences that should not be overlooked. Finnish humour, for example, is a genre of its own.

Local partners can help at every step of the way

Local partners should be included as early as possible in the process, and should ideally support both the creative as well as technical side of production. The best partners can help with all the stages of planning the marketing, including the concept, messaging and distribution of the videos.

Including local partners from an early stage is also cost-effective. “Designing videos with a local approach from the get-go is a much more effective strategy than advertising for globally produced videos,” Kajantie confirms. “Videos designed with the local target audiences in mind produce brand awareness on a different level.”

The role of partners is enhanced when a brand is entering the Finnish market for the first time. For example, Danish car sharing company GoMore expanded its operations into Finland as a relatively new service and employed a multichannel approach with direct access to Sanoma’s campaign support and own channels. This resulted in building top-of-mind awareness on a large scale for the company.

Producing videos locally does not always have to be a massive effort or include shooting endless amounts of material – it can also mean animations with a local partner. “Partners can help brands see the big picture of where to get started locally and tailor video production to small or large needs,” says Malvisalo.

When planning local video advertising, remember the basics:

1) Use a local partner

2) Gain understanding of local target audiences

3) Define key goals & metrics

Want to get started on video advertising in Finland?

Get in touch >>

Interesting story, suitable stars and authenticity – branded content entertainment at its best

Mon, 08 May 2023 11:40:55 GMT

Mutti’s Henri & Sirly Italiassa branded entertainment programme became the second-most-watched food show on Ruutu in November. Distinctive video solutions and strong direction towards the branded content resulted in the desired number of viewers being well exceeded.

Objective

Tomato product producer Mutti was looking for a distribution channel for its Henri & Sirly Italiassa show, where top chefs Henri Alén and Sirly Ylläsjärvi travel to the Italian Food Valley to get to know cucina povera, the cuisine of the poor.

Generally, branded entertainment programmes are carried out at Sanoma in close cooperation with the production company and the show’s collaboration partner. This time, the idea and script for the show were ready.

“We broke down barriers in the sense that this kind of collaboration has not been done before. However, people at Sanoma were immediately open and eager to try new things, which is really great. They saw the opportunities instead of challenges. Sanoma’s team made a fantastic proposal regarding on which TV channels the show would be broadcast, how it would be displayed in Ruutu and how it would be promoted,” says Emma Vuorenmaa , Mutti’s Brand Manager Nordic Countries.

Solution

Mutti’s team realised the show together with documentary director Ada Johnson . The stars of the show Henri Alén and Sirly Ylläsjärvi were also involved in the series’ themes at an early stage.

“Collaborating with Sanoma was natural and easy. This was a new kind of project for us, too. There were a lot of questions, and we received help quickly,” Vuorenmaa says.

The three 7–8-minute episodes of Henri ja Sirly Italiassa were combined into a 23-minute show, which aired on Nelonen and Liv a total of 10 times in November–December. In Ruutu, the show can be viewed one episode at a time. Viewers were directed to watch the episodes by means of video advertising from the Sanoma network. Advertising and brand marketing was targeted at those interested in cooking.

Henri Alén and Sirly Ylläsjärvi played an important role in boosting the popularity of the show.

“When selecting influencers for a collaboration, many factors must be taken into account. It is important to find the people for whom the topic is important and who have good chemistry with one another. Henri and Sirly were the perfect duo for this show.”

Mutti has collaborated with Henri Alén for many years.

“In the past, influencers were selected for individual branded content campaigns. Today, companies are looking for brand ambassadors who really know and love the brand,” Vuorenmaa says.

The series combined food and inspiration with more serious topics, such as food waste and climate change.

Three lessons learned

It is important to find an angle for the branded content programme that is interesting to viewers and fits the brand.

“In our case, cucina povera was a theme that fits well with both criteria. From the viewer’s point of view, the show was interesting to follow, but it was also a way to talk about the brand in an authentic way. Too much advertising content makes a show less entertaining,” Vuorenmaa says.

The second tip by Vuorenmaa concerns the selection of people in the show.

“It’s a good idea to choose people who own the topic they are talking about and involve them in the planning process from the very beginning. At its best, the connection is authentic, much more than could have been expected.”

The third lesson learned from branded entertainment programmes concerns openness.

“In branded entertainment, it is important to be open. Difficult topics should also be openly discussed. It’s also OK to admit that there is not a solution to everything.”

Making branded content entertainment was a positive experience for Vuorenmaa as a whole.

“For this, thanks are due to Sanoma. We got a great partner who made sure that the series got the visibility it deserved,” Vuorenmaa explains.

Key numbers

“The collaboration resulted in a great show. The content was of high quality, and the desired number of viewers was well exceeded. Thanks is also due for the strong direction on the content and the utilisation of distinctive brand marketing video solutions.” Kristiina Ihalainen , Client Manager, Sanoma Media Finland.

100,000 readers of native articles

20,000 viewers of video episodes

466,000 viewers on Nelonen and Liv

The total reach of content related to the show is three million. On Nelonen and Liv, the show reached a total of 466,000 viewers. In Ruutu, the series has been launched 20,226 times. In November, the series was Ruutu’s second-most-watched food programme.

“The desired number of viewers was well exceeded. The results were excellent in light of the figures. Our experience of branded entertainment collaboration with Sanoma was really good. I look forward to seeing what comes next.” Emma Vuorenmaa, Brand Manager Nordic Countries, Mutti.

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Program sponsorship with Diili effectively conveyed Fennia’s message as an advocate for entrepreneurship

Mon, 17 Apr 2023 11:55:43 GMT

Program sponsorship increased people’s awareness of Fennia and influenced the brand’s image. Fennia Group provides risk management and insurance services for enterprises, entrepreneurs and private households.

Objective

The cooperation with Diili aimed at strengthening Fennia’s entrepreneurial image, as the show is strongly based on entrepreneurship and is therefore a natural environment for Fennia’s messages. The show sought a development director for the host company, owned by Jaajo Linnonmaa , and looked to the future, which also supports Fennia’s values.

“We select program sponsorship projects from two perspectives: first, we want to build awareness so that we are on people’s minds when the time comes to think about insurance issues. Second, we also want the sponsorship to fit well with our brand. Diili is very well suited for us, because Fennia has strong roots in entrepreneurship. Diili encourages people to make solutions, experiment and take bold steps forward. This fits well with the message we want to share,” says Selja Kohonen , Marketing Director at Fennia.

All measures taken by Fennia aim to strengthen the emotional bond with its customers.

“If our own customers feel that our message is relevant, at its best, being a part of Diili reinforces the feeling that they have made the right choice,” Kohonen says.

Solution

Program sponsorship with Diili from 22 February to 26 April 2021. The sponsorship included TV tags in the show’s premieres and quick reruns, the Ruutu tag at the beginning of the episodes and in short content, as well as commercial break promotion in Ruutu.

The project also included radio content cooperation in Radio Suomipop’s Aamulypsy from 12 April to 25 April 2021, which included radio content cooperation tags in Aamulypsy, a promotional spot at Radio Suomipop and Supla, a fixed promotional banner in Supla, a cross-screen parade in the Sanoma network and Fennia’s campaign page “What motivates you to move forward in the future?”

Aamulypsy activated listeners to Fennia’s campaign page to tell about their motives and participate in the prize draw of a thousand euros.

Results

Diili reached an average of 822,000 viewers (10+) per week on Nelonen’s Jim and Ruutu. Most viewers were in the target group of women aged 25–54 (Source: Finnpanel Oy, Total TV study, AdEdge VOD, February–May 2021.) During the season, the show was followed with particular enthusiasm in Ruutu. During the season, there were approximately 2.3 million new Ruutu viewings.

According to a program sponsorship survey:

47 per cent of respondents remembered seeing Fennia’s advertising.
78 per cent of the viewers who watched Diili regularly.
67 per cent of people in Fennia’s target group remembered seeing Fennia’s advertising.
68 per cent of the viewers who watched the show at least occasionally felt that Fennia was very or fairly well suited to work with Diili.
80 per cent of people in Fennia’s target group felt this way.

“The show is looking for an entrepreneurial person and, due to the nature of the show, the advertising is suitable for it.”

“A quality atmosphere and a professional connection between the show, the advertiser and even me.”

Of the target group:

39 per cent felt that program sponsorship improved their image of Fennia. The viewers felt that the company had been renewed and portrayed in an interesting way.
58 per cent of the respondents felt that Fennia was a natural cooperation partner. In particular, the entrepreneurial spirit brought Fennia and Diili together.

In the set of different statements, the suitability of advertising for the show rose above the data bank averages.

“Our goal was to increase awareness, and there was some good development in this. Our message about advocating for entrepreneurship was well conveyed. Open feedback was submitted about Fennia being an insurance company that wants to encourage people to see opportunities. We were very happy that the brand match worked. It’s not always obvious that the brand image will fall into place.”

Kohonen is pleased with the cooperation with Sanoma.

“People at Sanoma are proactive and suggest trying new things, which is important. I have so many irons in the fire that I don’t always have time to figure everything out. The understanding of what we are aiming for in terms of brand image has developed through our cooperation. Sanoma offers a variety of solutions for our entire sales pipeline, including both precise and broad solutions.”

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Building a brand sponsorship strategy? Remember these 3 things

Fri, 14 Apr 2023 12:07:16 GMT

Television advertising and total TV continue to grow in importance, and brand sponsorship should not be overlooked as a powerful marketing strategy. While there are various ways to go about sponsorship, deciding on the right program and collaboration form is key.

Brand sponsorship is a highly effective method of emotional marketing and can yield powerful results, when planned well. When you’ve decided to try brand sponsorship , there are numerous options to choose from, depending on whether you want to highlight, for example, reach or target.

Getting started with sponsorship for your brand? Remember these three things.

You don’t need to stick to one channel

A multichannel approach is often most effective, and this also applies to sponsorship. Combining television with digital media, audio and even events can help reach audiences across different touchpoints and purchase stages. Being present in different media can be utilised for creating digital audiences and other valuable data that can be used later in tactical advertising.

Television is particularly effective for building long-term awareness, and reaching masses quickly. You can start from, say, television, and build from there.

Selecting the right program is key for sponsorship success

If you do opt for television, remember this: linking the brand name to a program should be a carefully thought-out process, guided not only by the contents of the program but also its audiences and overall suitability. Making the wrong or ill-informed decisions about programs can, at worst, result in drawback from the audience and the brand’s existing consumers.

Whether it’s business or humourous content, older or younger audiences the brand seeks, there is a range of program alternatives to choose from. Finnish risk management and insurance service provider Fennia opted for sponsoring Diili, the local version of The Apprentice. Fennia’s aim was to strengthen its own entrepreneurial image and thus build the bond with its customers.

You can ride the wave of popular international formats

Global brands need to opt for local approaches in order to maintain competitiveness. Long-term association with a global phenomenon can be an effective way to gain local momentum. Sponsorship in programs such as Voice of Finland and Amazing Race, which follow successful international formats but are tailored to Finnish tastes, are excellent advertising opportunities.

“At Sanoma, we gather a lot of data on which programs produce results and help brands get exposure in just the right places locally,” says Sanoma’s Key Account Manager Olavi Kajantie .

“Frequent presence of the sponsor’s brand on television throughout entire seasons can leave a strong impression on consumers.”

Delivering results with turnkey production

With a dedicated partner, sponsorship is easy to buy and carry out. You can rely on the partner as much as you wish, all the way from project management, coordination and producing ideas. That way you can decide whether to leave the nitty gritty to others or be involved in the different stages. Partners like Sanoma also do long-term follow-up work on results and can measure success at the end of each season.

Kajantie highlights the importance of collaboration and well-crafted sponsorship strategies. “We work together with our clients and help them build lasting bonds with their audiences,” he notes.

Wondering where to get started? Get in touch, and we will help you choose the sponsorship package and the right program for you.

Want to find out more about sponsorship results? See the Rahalaitos success story .

Get in touch >>

BookBeat drove brand awareness in the audiobook market with multi-channel advertising

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 07:25:54 GMT

BookBeat invested in multi-channel advertising and increasing brand awareness in a new market. Sanoma has worked as an advertising partner, which has helped the company reach mass audiences.

From tactical to brand marketing, targeting all of Finland

When BookBeat launched its audiobook streaming service in Finland in May 2016, the local audiobook market was nearly nonexistent. In Sweden, where BookBeat also operates, audiobook consumption had already soared and showed great promise.

In Finland, BookBeat opted for tactical advertising and measuring sales from the start. Soon, brand advertising was thrown in the mix to increase the company’s awareness in the long run.

BookBeat wanted to market audiobooks on a wide scale and decided that a multi-channel approach was the best course of action. “Our task was to educate people on the benefits of audiobooks and draw attention to the brand,” says Rosa Bergheim , Marketing Director of BookBeat.

Beginning in 2020, BookBeat has partnered with Sanoma, which provided an extensive channel selection and media expertise guaranteeing major visibility across Finland.

Becoming Finland’s number one audio and e-book service

The company’s advertising has covered Total TV advertising , radio and digital channels and print advertising, including the front page of Finland’s largest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat. BookBeat wanted to reach as large an audience as possible, and Sanoma’s channel selection offered an excellent opportunity for this.

“We wanted to be present in quality media and the channels for reaching all Finns. Total TV has been included from the start – it is a very important channel for us, as the share of TV streaming keeps growing,” Bergheim notes.

Advertisements have highlighted BookBeat’s book selection, along with the BookBeat name to the masses. Campaigns have ranged from multi-channel book launches to advertising entire book series and book recommendations. Digital campaigns have included holistic advertising and banners on major Finnish media. Print media have also been an important channel.

BookBeat has been the market leader in audiobooks since its launch year, and collaboration with Sanoma has played an important part in maintaining this position.

“Today, most Finns know about audiobook services, and the name BookBeat. This would not have been possible without mass media,” Bergheim states.

One-stop shop for media expertise and knowledge

The Finnish audiobook markets have grown at an incredible rate in Finland, Bergheim says. BookBeat estimates that at the end of 2016, Finland had approximately 10,000 consumers paying for audiobooks. Currently, over 7% of Finland’s population are estimated to be paying audiobook customers.

This signifies freedom and new possibilities in advertising. “We want to retain our position as the market leader,” says Bergheim “which means we have to challenge ourselves and boldly explore new ways of doing marketing.”

In addition to its significant channel selection, Sanoma offered expertise in media work and has provided training in media buying in Finland and Sweden. According to Bergheim, Sanoma has been a diverse media partner for BookBeat.

“All knowledge about different media is valuable, and we have received much help for planning our advertising,” Bergheim says.

Sanoma’s goal has been to support BookBeat’s extensive marketing know-how in all ways possible. Sanoma’s Key Account Manager Olavi Kajantie lauds BookBeat’s openness towards different advertising possibilities. “BookBeat immediately embraced the multi-channel approach and actively explored different advertising solutions,” he says.

In the future, BookBeat will measure advertising and brand awareness in more detail to examine advertising results on a channel-specific level. “It will be very interesting to follow how campaigns executed with Sanoma affect brand awareness even monthly,” Bergeim states.

— Read more about partnerships in media advertising .

Finland at the forefront of development: New Total TV advertising measurement to benefit the market

Thu, 09 Feb 2023 10:58:17 GMT

The ways of consuming TV content are diversifying, and people are watching increasingly more streaming services. This means that advertising measurement must also develop. The new Total TV advertising* measurement provides the buyers and sellers of advertising a comprehensive view into the results of TV and streaming service advertising campaigns. Standardised measurement, transparency and reliability also enable the use of measurement as the currency of advertising.

The Finnish commercial TV companies MTV Oy and Sanoma Media Finland Oy have signed an agreement with dataBreeders, a company specialised in media analytics, that enables the use of Total TV currency in Finland as one of the first countries in the world already during 2023. The campaign measurement of TV and streaming service advertising provides the long-needed indicators for advertising viewed in the different distribution methods.

In Finland, the Total TV advertising measurement project was launched in 2020, and the development project has been guided by Screenforce Finland. The experts of Pure X Media’s viewer measurement have also acted as an important support.In the future, the development of Total TV advertising measurement will be guided by a cooperative body combining the commercial TV channels of Finland (MTV, Sanoma and Warner Bros. Discovery). Within a commonly established framework, it is also possible for other operators in the TV and streaming service advertising sector to join in.

“It’s wonderful that Finland is acting as a pioneer by implementing the advertising measurement project all to way to the currency. It is important to establish standardised indicators all the way to the campaign level so that the advertising customer can make use of these,” says Tuomas Airisto , Chief Commercial Officer (B2B) at Sanoma.

“Total TV advertising has been shown to be the most impactful form of advertising that creates the most growth. We are already providing these kinds of solutions to advertisers, and people already know how to utilise them. MTV is very committed to developing Total TV measurement in the future as well,” says Sauli Asikainen , Vice President, B2B & Marketing at MTV.

“Standardised currency brings the desired transparency to the market, and we are extremely proud of this development. As our company is currently undergoing an internal transition period due to the merger, we will join the development at a later stage,” explains Elina Valtia , VP Ad Sales & Operations at Warner Bros. Discovery.

In Finland, the content viewer measurement of Total TV has been in use for five years already, whereas television and streaming service advertising are still measured separately. The new Total TV advertising measurement combines different sources of information, the TV audience measurement survey of Finnpanel Oy and the advertising data of TV companies’ streaming services. The results include standardised contacts, reachability as well as replays of the channels and services’ advertising content. The development project demonstrated that the advertising data and TV measurement survey data of Finnish television companies is extremely high in quality.

“Advertising measurement must be of the highest quality: transparent, reliable and homogenous. Thanks to partners like Finnpanel, this is possible. It’s wonderful that we are able to introduce Total TV advertising measurement and the potential currency to Finland among the first countries in the world,” Executive Director of Screenforce Finland Anna Lujanen says.

“We want to thank the TV companies, Screenforce Finland, Finnpanel and Pure X Media for the excellent cooperation. Together we have built a concept that utilises the data of TV surveys and streaming service advertising.During 2023, our partnership will introduce a top-quality system to the Finnish market that indicates the efficiency of streaming service and TV advertising on different platforms,” CEO of dataBreeders Andrea Mezzasalma explains.

Screenforce Finland has four member TV companies and represents more than 16 TV channels, representing almost 100 per cent of Finnish commercial TV operators and corresponding to a total of MEUR 260 of advertising revenue (2021).

Get in touch >>

* Total TV refers to video content of TV channels and streaming services on different devices.

Marketer, don’t pull the marketing brake in uncertain times

Wed, 16 Nov 2022 09:09:51 GMT

The ongoing COVID environment, war, energy crisis and increasing prices are just a few challenges shaping the marketing environment in 2022. As the uncertain market affects customers’ eagerness to make purchases, brand awareness is more important than ever.

The turbulent business landscape influences businesses and consumers alike. Sanoma has surveyed the state of Finns’ purchasing plans in August and October, exploring how they have been impacted by the ongoing fluctuating market. According to the latest results, even 65% of Finns have recently re-evaluated their buying habits in recent months*.

What does this mean for the marketer looking to sell more and stay ahead of the curve in 2023?

Focus on the customer

When making changes to your marketing strategy, the customer should always come first. Harvard Business Review’s study on the previous recession** shows that businesses that succeed amidst economic turbulence have three things in common. Firstly, they ensure the commitment of existing customers while actively seeking new ones. Secondly, they implement a long-term growth strategy and tweak it when required by changes in the business environment. Thirdly, they use marketing as an investment in the customer and brand capital.

While operative efficiency and possible cutbacks are also needed, trust us when we tell you that long-term commitment is key.

Consumption will come in new shapes and forms

Purchasing may dwindle or change course, but it will not die. Certain industries will do better than others, and those with the means to buy will continue to do so. According to Sanoma’s survey, two out of three skimp on something to be able to spend more on something else. Perhaps this something else is an area to be explored*.

Sustainability themes are also increasingly guiding people’s purchase decisions. Even 45% pay more attention to sustainability than a year ago*. Continue to rely on consumption, but use data when implementing changes based on current consumption habits, whether this means tweaking prices or product emphasis, new distribution channels, service development – you name it.

Don’t let your competitors outrun you

When times are bad, reinventing your strategy is a much better solution than pulling the brake entirely. Those brands that stay in the game, are more likely to come out as winners, because dropping advertising from the equation means a drop in the share of voice. This means that catching up with competitors later on will also mean catching up with your previous position in the market.

“We have seen it time and again that investments in the brand always pay off in the long run,” says Olavi Kajantie , Key Account Manager at Sanoma. “This may mean adjusting your strategy according to changes in the market environment. Sanoma is here to help brands discover the latest trends in consumer behaviour, and how to tap into them.”

Looking to optimise your media investments, but you’re not sure where to get started? Remember these three things.

Get in touch >>

3 quick tips for boosting your media investments

Increase brand penetration
Expand the client base actively, and ensure that your message reaches large enough audiences. If you must prioritize, prioritize reach over frequency.
Utilize targeting possibilities
Identify the most relevant targeting options with data and/or contexts. Define the most effective messages to fit the current environment.
Re-evaluate scheduling
Explore the following: What are the most critical moments to influence purchase decisions? How to stay salient and Top-of-Mind? How and when can you stand out?

* Sanoma Kulutuspulssi October 2022
** Harvard Business Review – Roaring out of Recession (2010)

Experiences of co-operation between an advertising agency and a media house: Ahooy Creative and Sanoma

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 06:43:19 GMT

What happens when you take professionals from a creative agency with marketing and design know-how and mix them together with media experts and insight strategists from Sanoma? Let’s hear what Kirsi Venäläinen from Ahooy Creative and Satu Raatikainen from Sanoma have to say regarding the co-operation between an advertising agency and a media house.

Advertising agency Ahooy Creative develops brands and builds lasting customer relationships

Ahooy Creative is an independent creative agency, whose clientele includes a wide spectrum of companies, ranging from industrial B2B companies to consumer brands with familiar products you may recognise from store shelves.

Meet Kirsi Venäläinen, Account Manager at Ahooy.

“My responsibility is to make sure things go as planned for our clients, and that our creative team is always up to speed on what we are doing and why. For some of our clients, I also serve as an outsourced marketing manager.”

Instead of individual advertising campaigns, Ahooy focuses on long-term partnerships with a more strategic business model. Co-operation with our clients usually starts with brand development. The aim of marketing, advertising and campaigning may, for example, be set as the enhancement of the value and popular recognition of the brand.

“The actions are usually part of a client’s yearly to-do-list for marketing, and they always aim to reach the strategic or even tactical goals that we have set to reach together.”

Shifting from media purchases towards a more diverse approach

Ahooy Creative and Sanoma crossed paths during the autumn of 2021 when Satu Raatikainen scheduled a meeting with people from the agency. The point of the meeting was to take a look at the research and insight data that Sanoma had collected, and to discuss what kind of support a media house could provide creative agencies in Finland.

“From Satu’s presentation we got a clear picture of the diversity of services that Sanoma could offer. During the discussions, we also learned that the Sanoma team could provide us with research data regarding the behaviour of target groups and how some themes appealed to different demographic groups, for example,” Kirsi explains.

Why does a media house want to help creative agencies plan their selection of media, as well as give them access to valuable research data?

“For us, it is important that agencies get some thoughts, inspiration and tools for their own work. They are free to ask us anything, whether it is about media outlets, target audiences or the data itself. It is great to be able to help other professionals in their fields,” Satu explains.

Good planning and division of labour hold the key to successful co-operation

For co-operation to work smoothly, a clear division of labour is necessary. How does the co-operation between an advertising agency and media house function in the workplace and what does each party bring to the table?

Ahooy is of course responsible for all the campaigns, design, concepts and creative solutions of its clients. Kirsi keeps an eye on the big picture and is in contact with the clients, with Satu and her team jumping on board when their are called on to join in.

Kirsi describes their typical procedure:

“A good work model has been to give Satu a briefing once we know our target audience as well as our goals, and have the team ready to pitch in with some ideas.”

“We tell her about the goals of the campaign, the target audiences and our creative ideas. Satu may give us her proposals quite freely and, thanks to her feedback, our team has also gained more ideas that we can then refine further.”

Co-operation takes places in many dimensions

The planning and execution of campaigns are only one part of their co-operation. The work we do for a customer’s campaign comes in many forms. The final selection of media outlets is a visible form of co-operation — with a lot of knowledge regarding target audiences, data, and even research. Sometimes, campaigns utilise Sanoma’s channels, while at other times different media are used.

“The most important thing for us is to share all available information and know-how, and that we can help agencies serve their clientele better,” says Satu, describing the background to their work model.

This model also receives praise from the other side of the room.

“Satu understands that we also have other partners and that we are constantly comparing. Sparring gives us vision, and the planning phase often leaves you with fresh seeds for ideas that will come in handy with future endeavours,” explains Kirsi.

The client comes first always – even in this co-operation

The most important thing of course is for the client to reach its target audience as accurately and cost-efficiently as possible. Examples and past cases also help clients see new possibilities.

“For many businesses, multi-channel marketing has already become routine. However, if the customer is only getting started with media advertising, we can provide various examples to demonstrate how media and channel design influence a campaign,” explains Kirsi.

“We are now able to provide an even wider variety of options for clients who have decided to outsource both their advertising and media design to us. They have really enjoyed it.”

Co-operation also leads to mutual learning

Regular joint sparring sessions also help ensure the team stays completely up to date with media changes. As for the media house, working with professionals from the advertising agency has clarified the picture of how a customer’s campaign is structured: what kind of work takes place behind the scenes and what sort of information helps a creative team.

Kirsi points out that continuous learning is valuable for all the parties involved.

“Each form of media has its own special characteristics. At Sanoma, we know how and when different trends can be seen and what effect they have, and what kind of solution seems to work best in each specific situation.”

“When you expand your own familiar team with external media design, it helps move the customer’s issues forward much more effectively. At the same time, you also learn a lot yourself!”

Are you interested in the building blocks for insight, research data about media use or the mindset of Finns? Or additional information about megatrends, media costs and different campaigns?

Sanoma has had a significant role in Tokmanni's growth story

Tue, 06 Sep 2022 06:35:54 GMT

The strategic partnership between Tokmanni and Sanoma has developed both of their businesses.

“Huomenta Suomi, hyvin pyyhkii.” (Good Morning Finland, I’m doing fine.) When Finns hear this evergreen song used in Mr. Tokmanni ads , they know who is speaking.

Storytelling is essential for Tokmanni.

“A brand without a meaningful story is just a logo. It is all about leading and influencing with stories or, to put it more eloquently, strategic narrative,” says the marketing and communications manager of Tokmanni, Veli-Pekka Ääri .

“Influencing has always been about stories and will always be about stories. Commercial influencing has been around for only about 100 years. Influencing as a part of leadership has as long a history as humankind and society,” says Ääri.

Tokmanni does not have separate brand, marketing and communications strategies.

“We have a competition strategy which assesses the outputs of all our departments. The key goal of the brand is to communicate the customer benefit in a distinct manner.”

The owned media, the advertising paper Tarjoussanomat and the stores are essential for Tokmanni. Paid media also has an important role in meeting the business goals.

“We need the audiences reached by Sanoma in order to continue and develop the story of our brand.”

Each outlet of Sanoma has its own role in every step of the purchase journey. An ad on IS.fi directs the customer flow to Tokmanni, and television and videos help tell a story of the world’s best buyer, Mr. Tokmanni.

Tokmanni’s main indicator of successful marketing is sales even though the brand’s attributes are also measured.

“Discount retailing is popular culture by nature. Marketing is measured by how many Finns we have attracted to either the Tokmanni stores or the webstore, which means that marketing is measured as through a live show with the number of audience members as the main measurement. Every week we check how well we have done. Depending on the day, it is either great or ruthless,” says Ääri.

Ääri describes the co-operation with Sanoma as a real strategic partnership. Sanoma has had a significant role in Tokmanni’s growth story.

“The co-operation has enhanced both of our businesses. We learn, pilot and take things forward together which is very important for Finnish companies and trade. The consumer always has a global selection on hand via phone. Strategic partnership between a domestic retail business and a domestic media business is a requirement for thriving against global giants.”

With familiarity, management is also easier.

“We need to be so ambitious that the international giants are not allowed to enter our domestic markets too easily. Finns do not benefit from retail or media business becoming a dead zone handled by branches of global businesses. Taking care of domestic trade and media is our common mission,” emphasizes Ääri.

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How deep partnerships can strengthen media advertising

Mon, 29 Aug 2022 11:01:44 GMT

The marketing environment is in a constant state of change, and not always for the better. Having a partner for media advertising means that you are better equipped for adapting your marketing strategy, long- and short-term planning, and making data-based decisions.

An advertising partner will help you plan ahead

Having an established partner for media advertising will make your job in marketing a lot easier. When unexpected and even expected changes take place, you’ll want to have a partner to brainstorm with and help you adjust the marketing course.

“The marketing environment is changing at a rapid pace. We want to understand our clients’ business and set the scene for deep partnerships, which help brands reach their long- and short-term goals at every turn,” says Olavi Kajantie , Key Account Manager at Sanoma.

Partners can help you keep track of the big and small picture at all times. Despite changes in the operating environment, the seasonal rhythm will stay the same. Black Friday and holiday seasons, for example, are peak periods for advertising and should be booked well in advance. A media partner will help you book advertising slots for the seasons and channels of your choosing before media space runs out.

As bleak as it may seem, the gaze in the summer should already be set on the winter and the following year.

Having enough resources brings agility into marketing

Agreements mean commitment both ways, and by this, we don’t mean years-long contracts with no room for movement. At its simplest, having an agreement with your advertising partner means resources at your disposal: external marketers involved in advertising planning, production experts and seasoned analysts can be essential in acing your advertising efforts.

On the other hand, a partnership allows for flexibility, especially if the partner has an extensive media toolkit at their disposal. Sudden changes in the operating environment may require rapid adjustments in your marketing strategy. This may look like changes in advertising channels, such as shifting the focus from radio to native, opting for new media or re-allocating resources entirely. Shifting the marketing strategy is much a better option than wasting money on the wrong channel or plans that no longer pay off.

Having resources available also means analytics and data-driven advertising. Receiving data about your target audiences and changes in the marketing environment (even mundane cookie trends ) in real time is key and will help you adjust your strategies accurately. Advertising partners can provide excellent data you might not otherwise access.

Advertising pays off, even in uncertain times

Uncertainty has unfortunately become the new norm, applying to the marketing environment.

Yet the need for advertising does not subside in hard times, quite the contrary. If Covid-19 taught us something, it’s that creating a permanent mindset for marketing agility is the necessary, modern marketing approach that can help keep brands afloat from year to year.

“The marketing environment keeps changing rapidly, which sets challenges for advertising” says Sebastian Wikman , Sanoma’s International Key Account Manager. “The brands that continue to advertise when possible are the ones that make it.”

If you are not that familiar with the Finnish market, we have news: Finland as a marketing environment is unique from other Nordic countries – same same but different . Sanoma is here to help with the different.

Advertiser, read more about Finland as a market .

Targeting audiences after third-party cookies

Mon, 30 May 2022 14:29:22 GMT

If your company has relied heavily on third-party cookies for marketing analytics and targeting your audiences, now is the time to re-evaluate your approach. There are still plenty of ways to reap those digital advertising efforts and find out what makes your buyers tick.

Many brands are forced to re-shape their marketing tactics, as the post-cookie era may take its toll on certain personalized advertising and targeting efforts. It certainly may require an examination of the types of data, audience segmenting and targeting measures carried out by brands.

“Digital marketing as we have known it for years will change, but not drastically,” says Heidi Kurppa , Key Accounts & Digital Specialist at Sanoma. “In a way, the shift from third-party cookies means a return to basics, having a different approach to targeted advertising, especially in brand-related activities.”

The shift is not really new news, since Firefox and Safari have already made their cuts, but it looks like Google’s plan to kill cookies will finally happen by the end of 2023.

The role of first-party data becomes more pronounced

Now, more than ever, it is crucial to gather and utilize CRM data at companies. This rings especially true for brands doing marketing for online stores. Even without third-party cookies, CRM data provides quality information about target groups, allowing the creation of, for example, lookalike audiences of prospective customers. Of course GDPR sets its standards for collecting and using data.

You do not need to produce this data yourself – media houses can also help you out. For example, Sanoma provides extensive first-party data on Finnish consumers that can be used for targeting particular audiences across different media.

Find new ways to analyze and measure data

Measuring digital marketing in the post-cookie era will look somewhat different. It may be time for brands to revisit analytics, especially if it has relied heavily on third-party data. The data is still out there, it just needs to be mined differently. It may be a matter of trial and error, finding the best channel to reach good ROI.

Studies are still an excellent way to analyze the effectiveness of marketing efforts. Marketing impact studies can measure the effects of single campaigns, how they reach people, increase interest and activate purchases. Or consider buying tailored studies that can be wrapped around your particular needs.

A more profound way to study effectiveness is with ROMI (return-on-marketing-investment). In ROMI modeling, the core is to find out the base-line of sales, which reveals what would happen without marketing. The modeling also points out the most effective channels and visuals. Compared to marketing impact studies, ROMI modeling requires a heftier budget and long-term commitment for the best business impact – it’s a tool for continuous learning and improving.

Utilize contextual advertising for reaching target audiences

Contextual advertising is a great way to target and match relevant ads with the right environment. You’ll want to place your ads in places where the content is just right, and keywords and metadata are your friends in making this happen. This can mean game ads for gaming-related articles or sites, and so on. A dog owner might see an ad for a leash after buying a collar.

Tip: utilizing taxonomies or categories to sort out interests allows for highly effective contextual advertising possibilities based on automation. Taxonomies enable classifying content in a way that reaches specific audiences instead of broader ones.

Adjust your strategy along the way

It’s all about finding the right strategy for your particular digital advertising strategy. The digital environment is constantly changing, and we need to adapt along with it.

Finnish audiences also have their particular quirks brands should keep in mind. We can’t stress this enough: Finns value trustworthy media . Helsingin Sanomat trumps social media every time when it comes to conveying your messages and having your audience convinced.

Sometimes it’s best to strengthen the brand before moving forward, Kurppa notes. “Removing third-party cookies can brutally reveal how strong the brand is, how far they make it in the consumer’s consideration stage,” she points out. “If the brand is not strong enough to support tactical results, increasing brand awareness and preference may be the next step.”

If you’re looking for new ways to target audiences or utilize data, we’re here to help. We’ve helped big and small players establish campaigns across our channels and beyond.

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Find out how Clarins reached its target audience through a multichannel campaign .

Marketer, Should You Try Brand Sponsorship?

Mon, 02 May 2022 08:48:20 GMT

Sponsorship can be a powerful tool for boosting brand awareness and engagement, but it requires commitment. Sponsorship is the right strategy for your brand when you have certain long-term goals in mind and you are able to build it with the right tools.

There are numerous ways a brand can go about sponsorship to stand out or boost marketing efforts. Visibility through tv sponsorship, for example, is a way to reach audiences quickly and with precision. Television, radio and social media are the most consumed media by Finns – they watch television about 2 hours and 50 minutes per day.

“Television is the most effective media, but you also need the courage to invest time and money in it,”

Television is an excellent avenue for marketers. “Television is the most effective media, but you also need the courage to invest time and money in it,” says Merita Lantto , Creative Strategist at Sanoma.

When may sponsorship be a better option than other options, such as in-stream or spot advertising? First make sure you can check these 3 questions.

1) You can organically link a brand with a programme

Popular format tv shows, like Big Brother or Voice of Finland, provide a great channel for embedding a brand’s name or message. Sponsoring a programme has huge potential: a vast audience, guaranteed to sit in front of the tv at a particular moment, consuming every word on the screen. Branding or product placement in the midst of it all can be highly effective.

However, the programme needs to be just right for the brand – it should never be forced. If the connection is not clear in the viewer’s mind immediately, it isn’t there, and can even harm your marketing efforts.

So, make sure that the show is selected just right. You may consider having a creative partner involved in the process. “If the client’s brand is not suitable for a certain format, we as professionals will always tell the client,” Lantto notes.

2) You are in it for the long haul

Advertisers know that unless the world turns upside down in one day, brand awareness does not happen overnight. This applies here, too. Building the brand and reaping the results through sponsorship requires time and enough monetary investments. A minimum budget for producing desirable results, say 20,000 euros, may be too high for smaller companies. On the other hand, the results of brand differentiation through sponsorship can have immeasurable value.

One of the reasons television and radio are so effective is that they are built around repetition. Having your brand displayed week after week to a huge number of viewers yields all types of results, in the short and long term. Sponsorship is very different from spot advertising and cannot include tactical messages, such as product descriptions or price – as such, it’s all about persistence.

3) You want to market with emotion

According to Lantto, audiovisual marketing is the most effective advertising solution, when it comes to consumers’ media behaviour and appealing to their feelings.

Television is one of the best ways to do this, since it includes moving image and audio. If a brand latches onto particular format tv shows or themes, such as interior design, there is already a format in place designed to prompt a reaction, move the viewer. Another option is to build campaigns around a particular target audience, say women aged 25–54, which then determines the shows that are included.

People who watch their favourite sports team or show with dedication time after time will most likely already have a strong emotional bond with it. For a marketer, this is a delicious opportunity to tap into that dedication, get the brand across as a sponsor or launch a product. When you throw some radio into the mix or include a consumer competition, chances are it won’t go unnoticed.

Range of television advertising opportunities

If you don’t quite have the budget for it, or you want to reach your target audience with a particular product via television, you might want to skip sponsorship and go for spot advertising instead. If you do decide on sponsorship, there are different ways to build successful campaigns.

Sanoma is happy to help you in getting started or offering different sponsorship models. It’s important to make sure you reach your audiences with just the right channel mix and strategy.

Sanoma integrates creative solutions in all different media categories. “We can combine a creative idea across media and through multiple channels, such as television, radio and native advertising – helping to produce an even stronger sponsorship campaign," says Sebastian Wikman , International Key Account Manager at Sanoma.

Planning on a new advertising strategy? Find out more about Finland as a market

Five reasons Helsingin Sanomat is the leading media choice in Finland

Fri, 25 Feb 2022 14:46:56 GMT

Introduction:

Ads appearing in news brands are increasingly perceived as trustworthy and high quality by readers. According to IPA databank study 2021, campaigns using news brands are 74% more likely to deliver market share growth and 58% more likely to deliver profit.

This is true for Finland as a market because Finns consume a lot of content, primarily through national channels.

The Finnish audience share a few common traits, such as the tendency to explore issues from various perspectives, research, gather information, and make comparisons multiple times before making a purchase decision.

That said, the way to Finnish hearts is through national media — Helsingin Sanomat in particular.

We put together five reasons Helsingin Sanomat is the leading media choice when you plan to grow your business in Finland through advertising.

1. Helsingin Sanomat reaches 18% of the Finnish population with purchasing power every morning.

Helsingin Sanomat provides advertisers with a reliable media environment across print and digital that reaches more than one million consumers with high purchasing power in a single day.

Let’s put this in perspective:

The United States of America has a population of 330 million people. On the other hand, the New York Times has an average readership of 8,4 million people each day. That figure is equivalent to 2,54% of the total market.

Despite Finland’s smaller population of 5,5 million people, Helsingin Sanomat has an average daily readership of over a million people. Thus making up for 18% of the total market in Finland.

2. It is the only subscription national newspaper and has a growing base of over 400,000 subscribers

Helsingin Sanomat is the only national subscription newspaper in the country. Reuter’s Institute’s latest study reveals that 20% of the Finnish population subscribes to a news publication — in which 48% of the above subscribe to Helsingin Sanomat .

On top of that, the print edition reaches readers early in the day before they make any daily purchase decisions. Thus allowing advertisers to make an influence in the readers’ decision-making process.

3. A multiplatform with over 2 million mobile visitors per month

Finns spend an average of 8 hours a day on different media. While paper editions are read primarily in the morning, Finns spend the rest of the day consuming content on other platforms.

To fulfill their thirst for gathering information, Helsingin Sanomat has a multiplatform that reaches its readers via different devices around the clock — including repeated advertising messages across various channels.

For example, Helsingin Sanomat reaches a total of:

Over 2 million monthly unique visitors on mobile;
1,601,000 monthly unique visitors on desktop; and
Over 380,000 monthly unique visitors on the tablet.

4. The place to be: Helsingin Sanomat’s front page has always been an ad

Helsingin Sanomat allocates its front page as an advertising space instead of a cover story — a one of its kind approach.

Being on the front page of Helsingin Sanomat means:

Ads reach a large audience first thing in the morning before they make any purchase decisions; and
Ads are delivered to the readers’ doorstep and across multiple digital channels.

The front page cover story is the driving force behind newspaper sales for most print media. Helsingin Sanomat’s readership subscription model eliminates the need to compete for sales based on content attractiveness.

5. Helsingin Sanomat has a nationwide brand trust score of 81%

As mentioned before, a study has shown that campaigns using news brands are 74% more likely to deliver market share growth and 58% more likely to deliver profit.

Helsingin Sanomat has been a pioneer in quality journalism since 1889 and is a much-anticipated friend in the morning. It is a highly trusted media source with a close relationship with its readers nationwide.

Our research data shows that approximately 64% of Helsingin Sanomat readers displayed a positive attitude towards advertising as they find it beneficial for them.

Final thoughts: the Finnish audience loves Helsingin Sanomat. It’s your gateway to their hearts.

To sum it up, Helsingin Sanomat is the leading media choice when growing your business through advertising for five reasons:

Helsingin Sanomat reaches 18% of the Finnish population with purchasing power every morning.
It is the only subscription national newspaper and has a growing base of over 400,000 subscribers.
A multiplatform with over 2 million mobile visitors per month.
Helsingin Sanomat’s front page carries a full-page ad. It’s the first thing the readers see.
Helsingin Sanomat has a nationwide brand trust score of 81%.

Do it right: choose the channels that best reach your audience.

Book time with sales

GoMore teamed up with Sanoma to enter the Finnish market

Wed, 10 Nov 2021 11:00:35 GMT

In 2020, Danish car sharing company GoMore expanded its operations into Finland and wanted to enter the market with a bang. They considered several options, and ended up with Sanoma’s advertising solution to reach broadcasters.

GoMore is a Danish car sharing company, providing a platform for private people and companies to rent cars. It has operations in Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland and Spain, and recently Finland.

In late 2020, the company had a simple goal: reaching its target audiences as quickly as possible while also establishing itself as a relatively new service in Finland.

Different options for entering a new market

As a herald of change and virtually non-existent local business, GoMore knew it had to make an effective start. “We wanted to reach critical masses quickly and cost-effectively, and communicate our competitive edge in a new market,” says GoMore’s Market Manager Boris Perkiö , who headed the new market launch.

“Sanoma’s core is in providing direct access to its own channels”

They had broadcasting advertising in mind, and there were different ways to go about this. One was to enter the market through an advertising agency. Another was to approach broadcasters directly. Sanoma provided a hybrid model, offering campaign support, along with direct access to its channels.

“While we did have experience of entering new markets, we were an unknown player in Finland, uncertain of what was to happen,” Perkiö points out.

“Sanoma’s core is in providing direct access to its own channels, which were optimal for reaching our target audience,” says Perkiö.

Advertising for the masses

Key Account Manager at Sanoma, Olavi Kajantie , has been actively involved in designing and executing the campaigns together with GoMore. “We considered different options, as we wanted to provide GoMore with just the right channel mix and messaging for reaching their audience,” Kajantie says. “A television and video-on-demand solution seemed like a good fit.”

The collaboration resulted in a launch of extensive advertising campaigns, the first kicking off at the start of 2021. Sanoma was involved in both designing and implementing campaigns.

The campaigns incorporated both linear and streaming television advertising. Most were segmented into periods of a few weeks, with one also spanning the entire summer.

At the time of writing this article, three campaigns have been carried out. One more campaign is set to take place towards the end of the year.

Results in important metrics

Expectations for the advertising efforts were high. “During the first year, when the turnover is very low, it is a question of life and death whether these campaigns succeed.”

As an online platform, GoMore measures all activities. One key metric is conversion. This includes conversion in new registrations – i.e. the share of visitors to the website registering for the service and becoming a member at GoMore – as well as the share of these persons taking action, such as creating a new car profile.

“Conversion rates during the campaign periods doubled in comparison to the reference period”

Perkiö reveals that conversion rates during the campaign periods doubled in comparison to the reference period. Comparing a three-week campaign period with a reference period with no ongoing advertising revealed at least a 100% increase in new user registrations, new car profiles and rental bookings.

Long-term and side effects

While long-term and indirect effects will be combed more closely after the first year, Perkiö points out that visibility has clearly peaked during campaigns. Appearing in mass media resulted in reporters contacting the company, along with cities, which have included GoMore in development workshops together with public authorities.

“We have been able to bring a new way of owning cars into the Finnish mindset on a large scale”

This means visibility in just the right public discussions for the company, which also had a need to educate Finns in a new sharing concept.

“We have been able to bring a new way of owning cars into the Finnish mindset on a large scale,” Perkiö points out. “It appears that our mass advertising efforts have truly paid off in this sense as well.”

The cumulative effects of the campaigns have also been notable. “The first campaign did well, but we had nothing to compare it to. With the following ones, we noticed that each campaign has performed better than the previous one.”

What’s next?

GoMore commends Sanoma for providing a framework for long-term collaboration in the Finnish market. “They has truly been able to see beyond the first year,” Perkiö says. “This is a long-term partnership, and we need collaborations like these entering a new market,” Perkiö states.

The final campaign takes place in November, after which it is time to do an inventory of results – and lay down a path for the year 2022.

Kajantie from Sanoma is very pleased with the collaboration with GoMore this year. “The results so far have been very promising, and we are looking forward to building on the work in the future.”

According to Perkiö, GoMore is now looking for more creative ways to communicate its car sharing mission to even larger audiences and keep up the great momentum in the market. Now GoMore is exploring the possibilities of utilising Sanoma’s advertising channel mix even more extensively.

“We have noticed that there are also other interesting advertising possibilities that we can carry out cost-efficiently with Sanoma. Now we have plenty to build on.”

Getting started with advertising in Finland? Read more about how to grow your business in Finland .

Build Your Brand 101: Advertising Solutions for Different Steps of the Buyer's Journey

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 07:27:42 GMT

What are the best soluti ons we can offer that help build your brand at different stages of the buyer’s journey? Read our article to find out.

We recently surveyed more than 300 digital marketing campaigns to find out the concrete effects of brand marketing at different stages of the buyer’s journey.

In short, we found out that brand marketing has a clear positive impact on sales at every step of the buyer’s journey, regardless of what stage the customer is in or how well known the brand is to begin with.

Thanks to our research, we are now increasingly interested in focusing on brand marketing during each phase of the buyer's journey—especially the final steps—with a strong focus on sales and making customers stick.

In this article, we’ll go through some of the solutions we can offer that help build your brand at different stages of the buyer’s journey, as well as some common mistakes and how to avoid them.

Let’s get started!

Building your brand to new levels

Before you do anything, it’s important to understand how well your particular brand is already known in the market. Large, global brands are already familiar to most consumers, and thus by focusing on making your customers stick and strengthening your brand will eventually yield results.

However, if your brand is not well known, more brand-building is required. Sometimes this takes a while, and no brand is built in a day. The process may take a longer time but it’s worth it.

Due to this, it’s a good idea to divide your brand marketing goals into short-term and long term goals. What is realistic in the next few months, and what will take more time to accomplish?

If you’re building your brand from scratch, it might take a long time before your customers will start recognizing your brand. Even if your brand is well known somewhere, you will need to focus on building your brand first if you wish to enter a new market like Finland.

Your product exists to help your customers

Whatever your product is, the ultimate goal is that it solves a problem. Figuring out what that problem is is up to you, but by building your brand, the desired result is to be the brand that comes to mind first when a customer wants to solve a specific problem.

A very well-known example of this is Google , where the brand itself has become so well known that it’s already the solution to the problem. How? You don’t search for answers on Google, you google the question. The brand itself is the answer, and comes to mind first thing.

Not every brand can become Google overnight, but you do want to be the brand that comes to mind when your customer wants a solution. The better they know your brand, the higher the chances are of you being that solution. For example, if your customer wants to buy a new television set, which store will they go to? In that store, which TV will they pick?

The difference is simply whether your brand is top-of-mind or not. If it’s top-of-mind, it’s the first thing that comes to mind when your customer is looking for a solution. Otherwise it’s one option among others, and the competition is tougher. Which one are consumers going to pick?

Let’s go through what kind of advertising solutions we can offer to support all your marketing efforts and build your brand while you’re at it.

Advertising solutions for the awareness stage

At this stage of the buyer’s journey, your customer is aware of the problem they have, and is thinking about solving it.

During this stage, it’s a good idea to focus on the problem-solving aspect and offer your customer relevant information that will actually help them with whatever challenge they are facing.

One useful solution for this is native advertising . In native advertising, the layout of your advertisement resembles the newspaper’s editorial content and is placed in between news stories. The ad can also be displayed between articles of a similar theme so that you’ll know that the reader is already interested in the topic.

This way, you have the opportunity to share stories in an already reliable newspaper environment, and you have space to promote your product’s problem-solving qualities.

Another thing you can try is different types of display advertisements , including conversational display ads (a form of chatbot-type ads that will e.g. ask a customer a relevant question and direct them forward for answers).

We offer a large variety of data-driven targeted solutions that can be used to reach a certain target group, as well as target group packages. Display ads work well at this stage of the buyer’s journey because you can show them to those customers that you know are already interested.

Instream advertising , similarly to native advertising, is another option focused on storytelling. In these types of ads, you can present the problem-solving aspects of your product in audiovisual form—and by combining pictures and sound, you can build and strengthen the mental image your customers have of your brand and product.

Advertising solutions for the consideration stage

At this stage of the buyer’s journey, the consumer evaluates the different options that are available to them. If your previous marketing efforts have paid off, your company is hopefully among the options that come to mind during this stage.

It is a good idea to focus on higher viewability and more frequent ads during this stage to ensure that your message is conveyed and your brand is on your customer’s mind when they’re thinking about potential solutions.

Consider doing web display ads and banners for special offers that interest your customer and target them with relevant content and offers.

Another thing you can try is outstream video advertising. Similarly to instream video mentioned above, an outstream video means video advertising displayed in a banner spot in the entire high-reach Sanoma network.

Outstream video advertising is perfect for increasing the coverage of your video advertising, but it’s a good idea to use it to remind your customers—that already have you on their mind as a potential solution—that you have exactly what they are looking for.

Advertising solutions for the decision stage

At the decision stage, the buyer has decided on a solution category, but they still need to make the final decision to buy. They’re looking to gain confidence in their decision.

A very good way to catch your customers when they’re just about to make a purchase decision is retargeting display solutions .

A lot of consumers may see your ad somewhere but even if they click on it, they might not be ready to make a purchase decision then and there. With r etargeting and remarketing campaigns , we can actually identify users that have visited your website before, and offer them customized ads and offers to support their purchase decision.

Through us, your ads can be displayed throughout the Sanoma network, which consists of trusted quality platforms that reach a wide audience within Finland.

Additionally, our survey showed that the further your customer is on their buyer’s journey, the better customized and targeted content generally supports their purchase decisions.

Something that is also good to keep in mind is that Finns consume a lot of media . While in Sweden only around 20% listen to commercial radio, in Finland the respective percentage is closer to 50%. Also, according to research from 2018, 58% of Finnish people own a TV set and watch television broadcasts on a regular basis.

Thus, in addition to digital marketing, traditional marketing channels like television or radio advertisements are an excellent option for brand-building at all stages of the buyer’s journey, and can make a huge difference.

Advertising solutions for the customer relationship management stage

Your customer has already bought something from you. So, how can you keep them happy and motivated to buy again, or even better, buy more?

In addition to other types of advertisements they see on the daily and the ones we’ve already discussed, we can use your CRM data (including email addresses and phone numbers) and model it against our users. This way we can target your customers through our network and offer them even more relevant content .

This content could then be regular display ads, conversational ads, videos, or anything you can think of, and whatever best suits your product and your customer’s interests.

3 common mistakes and how to avoid them

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1. Choosing the wrong channels

Maybe you have a brand-new, awesome product that you’re selling on the shelves at a store.

Finns love listening to the radio, so you decide to launch a radio campaign to support your sales. However, your product is brand new. Do people know what it looks like? The truth is that they don’t, and hearing the name of your brand on the radio might not be enough for them to buy.

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The best way to go about this would be to support your launch with audiovisual ads, for example digital display ads or informative native advertising articles where your potential customers can both get to know your product as well as understand its value.

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2. Keeping brand marketing separate from other efforts

Sometimes we run into situations where our customers have planned their entire campaigns beforehand, and are keeping their brand marketing separate from their other marketing efforts.

Finland is different from many other markets even in the Nordics, and Finnish consumers behave in a very specific way. As experts in the field, we have a lot of hidden knowledge about which channels work best and in what situations.

It would be ideal to be able to plan these efforts in cooperation to ensure that everything we’re doing is working towards the same goal. This means combining the right channels at the right time, and making sure that all brand marketing efforts are aligned with the rest.

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The ideal situation would be to go for a multi-channel approach from the get-go, and give brand marketing efforts the right kind of push at the right time.

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3. Focusing too much on the segments that already know your brand

Building your brand in segments that are not familiar with your brand can give you a significant sales boost.

For example: You have done a survey to find out which segments of your target audience are already familiar with your company. You then center all your efforts around that specific segment to make the most of it.

However, wouldn’t it be a good idea to boost your brand awareness within the segment that doesn’t know you yet?

In this situation, we can collect a lot of data from your website to better understand how your customers behave when they buy your product. This way, we can target specific customers with the kind of information that is actually interesting and relevant to them.

We can also run the data through your CRM to remove all existing customers, and offer new customers even more relevant, targeted marketing.

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Build your brand among those that don’t know you yet, and also market to those that do know you by offering customized content that is relevant and interesting.

Whats Next?

In this article, we’ve only touched on the tip of the iceberg when it comes to brand marketing and all the solutions available at your fingertips.

Every company is different, and different rules apply. For example, we would need to know the layout and UI of your webstore, how your specific customers behave, and so on, to fully understand what advertising solutions we can recommend.

We have the same goal: to boost your sales. We’d be happy to help in figuring out how to do that together.

News & Articles - Advertising Finland

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Learn more – download our free, research-based guide to Finnish media usage

Amplify your reach with offline media

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Want to talk? Contact us!

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Top 5 things to consider when entering the Finnish gaming market

1. Do your research on the Finnish consumer

2. Get to know the way Finns use media

3. Invest in brand building in digital and offline channels

4. Utilise your own data as well as that of your partners

5. Get ahead by starting early

From insight to execution: Sanoma’s services for a gaming company

It’s time to make plans for your entrance into Finland – give us a call and let’s get talking!

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AI and new technologies simplify the buyer’s journey

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1. What does your target audience think of your brand?

2. Do your campaigns strike a chord with the right people?

3. Are you aware of all your potential target groups?

4. Do you understand the complexity of the buying process?

5. Where do you stand among your competitors?

6. Where is consumption headed on a larger scale?

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The biggest gaming operators do high-quality marketing

Gaming companies want a full-service partner

Media–audience relationships matter – discover three recent changes in Finnish media

Clickbait no more – Helsingin Sanomat refreshes their headline practices

Newsletters and curated content serve the reader

Iltalehti becomes the first to adopt ‘consent or pay’ in Finland

Programmatic advertising in the new era of the Finnish gaming market

How to prepare for 2027

Now is the time to plan and build connections

“The biggest gaming companies will not go to extremes”

Three steps to successful market entry in Finland

Step 1: Fill knowledge gaps with research and insight

Step 2: Invest time in strategy and create authentically local content

Step 3: Boost your message with a cross-media approach

Finns enjoy stirring TV phenomena – quality advertising can enhance the experience

Nelonen Media’s spring 2026 – favourites and new sensations

From spots to sponsorships, there are many ways to evoke emotions

Building a TV sensation is hard work

Make the most of moving image with a mix of Total TV and news media video advertising

Total TV gives you access to all generations of TV viewers

News media video advertising – visual clarity and pinpoint targeting ﻿

Use peace and tranquillity to rise above the noise

Your roadmap to results – meet the Pillars of Effective Marketing

Goal setting – you get what you asked for

Brand adds to short-term effectiveness, too

Go multichannel for bigger impact

Players’ expectations of responsibility set the bar for gaming marketing in Finland

Moderate advertising targeted right – preventing the ad tsunami

Don’t just claim responsibility, walk the talk

It’s time to plan your gaming marketing in Finland - here’s what to do while the legislation takes shape

Use research and insight to get familiar with the market

Create customised audience segments

News media video advertising – visual clarity and pinpoint targeting