Title	METSA¨ WOOD PLAN B - REACHING A DIVERSE GLOBAL EXPERT AUDIENCE WITH NO PAID MEDI
Brand	METSÄ WOOD
Product/Service	METSÄ WOOD PLAN B
Category	C01. Use of Digital in a PR campaign
Entrant Company	HASAN & PARTNERS GROUP Helsinki, FINLAND
Advertising Agency	HASAN & PARTNERS GROUP Helsinki, FINLAND
Production Company	PERFECT FOOLS Stockholm, SWEDEN
Production Company 2	MICHAEL GREEN ACRHITECTURE Vancouver, CANADA

Name	Company	Position
Joseph Bayne	Hasan/Partners Oy	Design Director
Timo Huopalainen	Hasan/Partners Oy	Art Director
Mick Scheinin/Mark Maher	Hasan/Partners Oy	Copywriter
Reino Tikkanen	Hasan/Partners Oy	Account Director
Mikko Oksanen	Hasan/Partners Oy	Graphic Designer
Elli Tervo	Hasan/Partners Oy	Ad Assistant
Heidi Eriksson	Hasan/Partners Oy	Project Manager
Dean Clatworthy	Hasan/Partners Oy	Developer
Ville Lahti	Hasan/Partners Oy	Director/Editor
Jukka Honkanen/Toni Pasanen	Hasan/Partners Oy	DOP Lighting Cameraman
Emily Reed/Salla Tuomi	Hasan/Partners Oy	Producer
Mika Onnela	Hasan/Partners Oy	Animation
Rebecca Lamberg	Hasan/Partners Oy	Production Coordinator
Stefan Lagergren	Perfect Fools	Developer
Mikko Saavalainen	Metsä Wood	Senior Vice President
Michael Green	Michael Green Architecture	Principal
Asher deGroot	Michael Green Acrhitecture	Associate Architect
Eric Karsh	Equilibrium Consulting	Principal
Antti Laiho	Arkkitehtitoimisto Helin/Co	Architect
Sami Hovi	Arkkitehtitoimisto Helin/Co	Senior Designer

The Campaign

How can humankind battle both climate change and house an ever-growing population? Wood is a sustainable but misunderstood alternative to concrete and steel. Buildings are one of the biggest sources of CO2. In the US, for example, 47 % of CO2 emissions are caused by buildings. Wooden buildings are a great way to trap carbon and reduce the carbon footprint. Metsä Wood is a leading supplier of premium wood products from responsibly managed forests. We wanted to spread awareness of the possibilities of wood and tackle widespread misconceptions. Wood is not, for instance, seen as a credible material for skyscrapers. Fire safety is also seen – unnecessarily – as a problem. How could we reach a sceptical and dispersed professional target group in eight designated target markets? Paid media was never an option. We decided to show how iconic architectural designs could be constructed from wood. We call this continuous storytelling platform Plan B. Our first two cases were the Colosseum and Empire State Building. The content was created together with professionals (architects, structural engineers and construction companies) who shared our passion for wood. The content was welcomed by the media in the eight designated target markets as a credible case study of how wood can reshape the skyline of the future. No paid media was used. The campaign generated over 350 articles globally and reached over 225 million people in the eight designated target countries.

The Brief

The primary objective was to maximise publicity and double the investment in earned media. The publicity was measured by number of publications, earned media value and total reach in designated target markets. We had to do this with PR alone. We needed content that could act on three levels: talk to different key influencers across the construction process, be adaptable to our own channels - from newsletters and social media to sales. The content was created together with professionals who shared our passion for wood. Each case was approached as if it were a real construction project.

Execution

The content was created as in a “real” project following the process from conceptual planning and technical design to construction planning. We partnered with basically the same people we were trying reach. We started with the Colosseum and teamed up with Finnish architectural firm Helin & Co. In the next case, the Empire State Building, we partnered with wood visionary, Michael Green. Timber engineering firm Equilibrium Consulting provided structural due diligence. To reach a heavily dispersed and sceptical target group, we had to rely on PR. All the content was showcased on a microsite that was also a sales tool.

In 4 months we have reached over 225 million people in the eight primary target countries - with no investment in paid media. The content was welcomed with 100% positive coverage as a fully credible case study of how wood can reshape the skyline of the future. Plan B has provided a platform for a discussion to be leveraged in our own media and face-to-face encounters, and even more importantly - continue among the target group. Customers and international architect schools have contacted us wanting to create their own Plan B cases.

The Strategy

Reference cases are the industry convention. We wanted to showcase benefits in a way that would not focus on specific applications. We needed to create a moment similar to what Eiffel did for high-rise construction in 1880s - without building anything. We had the idea of creating fantasy cases that would use existing products as in reference cases, but in a more interesting context. The target group was spread around the world and the construction process. With the architects our goal was to build general awareness of MetsäWood and add KertoLVL to their toolbox. With the engineers we aimed to correct widespread misconceptions. With the construction companies we wanted to build trust for wood in comparison to steel and concrete. We created content with global appeal but the PR focus was on 8 designated markets (US, UK, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland).