F*CK LIKE A FINN

TitleF*CK LIKE A FINN
BrandRFSU
Product/ServiceSULTAN CONDOMS
Category F01. Integrated Campaign led by PR
Entrant MILTTON Helsinki, FINLAND
Idea Creation MILTTON Helsinki, FINLAND
Idea Creation 2 COCOA MEDIAPRODUCTIONS Helsinki, FINLAND
Media Placement TOINENPHD Helsinki, FINLAND
PR MILTTON Helsinki, FINLAND
Production COCOA MEDIAPRODUCTIONS Helsinki, FINLAND
Production 2 INTO DIGITAL Helsinki, FINLAND
Credits
Name Company Position
Timo Niemi Miltton Head of Planning
Hanna Johnson Miltton Account Manager
Kristiina Äikäs Miltton Account Manager
Maria Kuorikoski Miltton Creative Copywriter / Creative
Hanna Kinnunen Miltton Art Director
Stephen Lee Miltton Digital Specialist
Seppo Kerkelä Cocoa Client Director
Piia Kontunen Cocoa Editor
Markus Lehmusruusu Freelance Film Director
Jonathan Hutchings Freelance Voice Artist
Laura Hedman Toinen PHD Producer

The Campaign

To position Sultan as *the* Finnish condom and maximise visibility, we decided to use Finland’s birthday as an asset and used the opportunity to create a country brand campaign for Finnish sex. After examining the things that make Finns proud of their country – education, gender equality, close relationship with nature, sauna culture and social security – we realised that they could all be framed as contributing factors to good sex. Combined with the fact that Finns are the biggest condom users in the Nordic countries and rates of unwanted pregnancies low, we saw enough reason to declare Finland’s sexual and procreational culture the best in the world. To maximise earned visibility in Finland, we would make the whole thing look like an actual country brand campaign aimed at international audiences.

Execution

The campaign was implemented in two stages. The launch of the month-long campaign relied heavily on PR, both to boost the authenticity of the idea and to create momentum for the campaign and the paid visibility in the second stage. The campaign site detailed why Finland’s sexual culture was the best in the world. A special edition of Sultan packages featured Finnish reasons for having sex. The campaign film was launched through a popular FB page, in an unsponsored post and without any call-to-action. After it became a hit on social media it was picked up by major news outlets that continued to drive traffic to the film and the site. The PR push featuring the Finnish Sex Box detailed the reasoning behind the campaign and appearances by the client’s representative on Finnish media. After a week, the story was amplified through advertising on Facebook, YouTube, Spotify and in cinemas.

The campaign was covered by all major Finnish media, resulting in a reach of 22 million. On morning television, the film was shown almost in its entirety and discussed at length. The film gained 1.2 million organic views and 38,894 likes, comments and shares, and was the number one trending film on Finnish YouTube for two weeks. It was called the best ad of the year by Finland’s leading daily newspaper. Campaign messages were discussed in a light-hearted manner but also by leading sexologists. A third of the consumers reached on Facebook watched the film, and 92% finished it completely. It became a phenomenon, with the country’s favorite weatherman blowing condom balloons on morning TV and Finland’s leading online adult toy store picking up the Finnish Sex Box for sale. The end results were a total of 32 million impressions and a 17% increase in Sultan’s sales.

The Situation

When you see the nation’s favourite weatherman blow up condoms live on television’s morning show, you know you have struck a note. F*ck like a Finn, a PR-lead digital campaign for Sultan condoms that celebrated Finland’s sexual culture as the best in the world, conquered Finns’ hearts through a mixture of relevant social commentary and humour. After the campaign went viral online and attracted interest across the Finnish media landscape, it came to life through online ads, cinema viewings, product packaging and a cheeky Finnish Sex Box. Sultan’s sales are now up by 17%.

The Strategy

Sultan’s brand recognition is high among consumers over 40. To reach younger consumers, we planned a PR-lead digital campaign. Its launch relied on organic buzz to maximise visibility and authenticity, but also minimise the risk that platforms like Facebook would censor the campaign because of its subject. The campaign film and PR material were designed to look like a country brand campaign. The campaign film was released through a popular FB page, “Very Finnish Problems,” from where it spread across social media and was picked up by news outlets, becoming an instant viral hit. The story was tied together on the campaign site and media appearances by the client’s representative. The launch was followed by a PR push featuring the popular Finnish Sex Box. After the PR-led first stage made the campaign a phenomenon, we used online and cinema advertising to strengthen the campaign messages and the brand connection.