LAND OF FREE PRESS

Short List
TitleLAND OF FREE PRESS
BrandHELSINGIN SANOMAT
Product/ServiceNEWSPAPER
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
Name Company Position
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