| Title | LAND OF FREE PRESS |
| Brand | HELSINGIN SANOMAT |
| Product/Service | NEWSPAPER |
| Category |
B04. Social Behaviour & Cultural Insight |
|
Entrant
|
HELSINGIN SANOMAT Helsinki, FINLAND
|
|
Idea Creation
|
TBWA\HELSINKI, FINLAND
|
|
Media Placement
|
JCDECAUX FINLAND Helsinki, FINLAND
|
|
Media Placement 2
|
CLEAR CHANNEL Helsinki, FINLAND
|
|
PR
|
TBWA\HELSINKI, FINLAND
|
|
Production
|
TBWA\HELSINKI, FINLAND
|
Credits
| Sami Valtere |
Helsingin Sanomat |
Design Director |
| Veera Siivonen |
Helsingin Sanomat |
Marketing Director |
| Kristian Autio |
Helsingin Sanomat |
Graphic Designer |
| Karla Louhelainen |
Helsingin Sanomat |
Marketing Manager |
| Kaius Niemi |
Helsingin Sanomat |
Senior Editor-in-Chief |
| Ville Vihermaa |
Helsingin Sanomat |
Producer |
| Elias Lehto |
Helsingin Sanomat |
Service Designer |
| Hanna Johde |
Helsingin Sanomat |
Communications Director |
| Jyrki Poutanen |
TBWA\HELSINKI |
Chief Creative Officer |
| Erno Reinikainen |
TBWA\HELSINKI |
Creative Director |
| Lauri Gran |
TBWA\Helsinki |
Copywriter |
| Tuomas Perälä |
TBWA\HELSINKI |
Copywriter |
| Noora Murremäki |
TBWA\Helsinki |
Account Director |
| Aki Toivonen |
TBWA\HELSINKI |
Creative Content Strategist |
| Jesse Korhonen |
TBWA\Helsinki |
Insight Analyst |
| Jari Lähteinen |
TBWA\SCREEN |
Producer |
| Anni Lindgren |
TBWA\Helsinki |
Copywriter |
| Mira Sallanko |
TBWA\Helsinki |
Project Manger |
| Harry Huttunen |
TBWA\Helsinki |
Production AD |
| Maria Dunaeva |
TBWA\Helsinki |
Graphic Designer |
| Esa Roponen |
TBWA\Helsinki |
Data Analyst |
| Leni Vehkaluoto |
TBWA\Helsinki |
Communications Specialist |
| Sofia Kaura-Aho |
TBWA\Helsinki |
Communications Specialist |
| Iman Chellaf |
TBWA\Helsinki |
Communications Specialist |
| Petri Siikanen |
TBWA\Helsinki |
DOP |
| Jerry Strengell |
TBWA\Helsinki |
Editor |
| Matti Virtanen |
TBWA\Helsinki |
Art Director |
| Sami Kelahaara |
TBWA\HELSINKI |
Senior Creative |
| Ville Rutanen |
TBWA\Helsinki |
Designer |
| Lara Ala-Olla |
TBWA\Helsinki |
Designer |
| Nelli Oinio |
Clear Channel |
Brand Manager |
| Jukka Rossi |
Clear Channel |
Account Manager |
| Pia Lojander |
Clear Channel |
Campaign Planner |
| Heikki Pennanen |
Clear Channel |
Account Manager |
| Sampo Koskinen |
JCDecaux |
Head of Marketing |
| Emilia Lindholm |
JCDecaux |
Account Manager |
| Krista Kivikoski |
JCDecaux |
Marketing Manager |
Summary
Freedom of press under threat
Press freedom is under greater threat than in decades. Countries such as Russia have censored
the media to the extent that critical media has become nonexistent, but President Trump’s recent
attacks on the press and the coinage of “fake news” have diminished the capabilities of the free
press in western societies, too.
For Helsingin Sanomat, the Nordic’s leading newspaper, freedom of the press is one of its core
values. Though Finland is one of the highest-ranking countries in press freedom, the paper has
seen several shutdowns during its 130-year history.
A message for the presidents
Thus, when the first-ever summit between presidents Trump and Putin was announced to take
place in Helsinki, Helsingin Sanomat jumped on the opportunity to send an important message –
by welcoming the presidents to the land of free press.
With only 18 days’ notice, the paper created an outdoor campaign that targeted the two presidents
directly as they drove from the airport to the summit in central Helsinki. Nearly 300 billboards
containing headlines taken directly from the newspaper regarding both presidents and their
relationship with the media were placed along three possible routes.
Triggering a global discussion
In just 48 hours, the campaign generated over 2 600 news articles online in 55 countries, was
widely covered in traditional media, gained over a million interactions on social media, and reached
a total of 1,25 billion people. More importantly, it brought freedom of the press back on the map
and ignited a movement for its defence: The Boston Globe initiated a torrent of hundreds of
newspaper editorials against Trump’s attacks towards the media.
“The Land of Free Press was a timely reminder of how endangered press freedom is worldwide”,
wrote The Economist.
Please tell us about the social behaviour and / or cultural insights that inspired your campaign
Freedom of the press is under threat and not least because of Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.
When they announced to hold a summit in Helsinki, Finland, one of the leading countries in press freedom, the timing was just right for taking a stand on behalf of the free press. In the World Press Freedom Index by Reporters without Borders The United States occupied the 45th place and Russia ranked 148th out of 180. Finland, having lead the ranking multiple times, was 4th at the time of the campaign.
People love underdogs, and a story about a local newspaper in a distant northern country standing up to the two most powerful men in the world is a fitting rendition of the classic David vs. Goliath tale