CLIMATE PEN

Short List
TitleCLIMATE PEN
BrandHELSINGIN SANOMAT
Product/ServiceNEWSPAPER
Category B04. Use of Ambient Media: Small Scale
Entrant TBWA\HELSINKI, FINLAND
Idea Creation TBWA\HELSINKI, FINLAND
Idea Creation 2 HELSINGIN SANOMAT Helsinki, FINLAND
Media Placement HELSINGIN SANOMAT Helsinki, FINLAND
PR TBWA\HELSINKI, FINLAND
Production TBWA\HELSINKI, FINLAND
Post Production TBWA\HELSINKI, FINLAND
Additional Company VTT TECHNICAL RESEARCH CENTER LTD Espoo, FINLAND
Additional Company 2 HT LASER Keuruu, FINLAND
Additional Company 3 MECAPLAN Vantaa, FINLAND
Additional Company 4 NORDIC OFFSET HELSINKI, FINLAND
Credits
Name Company Position
Niina Käkelä Helsingin Sanomat Brand & Content Marketing Manager
Veera Siivonen Helsingin Sanomat VP, Portfolio development and Marketing
Tuomas Jääskeläinen Helsingin Sanomat Art Director
Karla Louhelainen Helsingin Sanomat Marketing Manager
Kaius Niemi Helsingin Sanomat Senior Editor-in-Chief
Jyrki Poutanen TBWA\Helsinki Chief Creative Officer
Erno Reinikainen TBWA\Helsinki Creative Director
Aki Toivonen TBWA\Helsinki Creative Strategist
Matti Virtanen TBWA\Helsinki Art Director
Sami Kelahaara TBWA\Helsinki Art Director
Martta Kallio TBWA\Helsinki Senior Copywriter
Lauri Gran TBWA\Helsinki Creative
Tuomas Perälä TBWA\Helsinki Senior Copywriter
Noora Murremäki TBWA\Helsinki Executive Account Director
Rosa Kojonkoski TBWA\Helsinki Project Manager
Henrietta Tastula TBWA\Helsinki Content Producer
Juhana Hokkanen TBWA\Helsinki Innovation Director
Umberto Onza TBWA\Helsinki Lead Designer
Mikko Pietilä TBWA\Helsinki Executive Creative Director
Markus Nieminen TBWA\Helsinki Content Director
Jesse Korhonen TBWA\Helsinki Planner
Ville Ruokonen TBWA\Helsinki Planner
Calle Mosander TBWA\Helsinki Art Director
Fanny Haga TBWA\Helsinki Photographer
Anssi Mahlamäki TBWA\Helsinki Motion Designer
Mikko Kuoppasalmi TBWA\Helsinki Editor
Tuukka Tikkanen TBWA\Helsinki Production Manager
Pekka Raittila TBWA\Helsinki Senior Developer
Aleksi Pitkänen TBWA\Helsinki Developer
Tommi Selander TBWA\Helsinki Developer

Why is this work relevant for Media?

The Climate Pen campaign harnessed a small inanimate object, a pen, to pass the message of climate action urgency to policy-makers nationally and internationally.

Background

Helsingin Sanomat is the leading newspaper in Finland, and largest in the Nordics by subscriptions. Its purpose is to make important matters interesting to the public and act as a counter-power to indifference. Within that role, it also has an essential societal role in holding those in power to their responsibilities. We’re living the hottest era of recorded history and the threat climate change poses on life on our planet is undeniable. While people are making smaller and bigger changes in their daily lives, the real impact in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions resides in political decision-making. That’s why in the fall of 2019, Helsingin Sanomat wanted to encourage politicians to make concrete decisions for mitigating climate change.

Describe the creative idea / insights (30% of vote)

The pen has always been the journalists’ weapon of choice in bringing about change in the world, but only in policy-makers’ hands it has the power to truly fight climate change. So, Helsingin Sanomat decided to present decision-makers with a pen, but not just any pen. For the gift to work as intended, it needed to be a tangible reminder of the acute state or our planet. Enter the Climate Pen – A pen designed to resemble coal, with ink made of carbon dioxide, given to decision-makers as a call for climate action. In September 2019, the pens were donated to Finnish MPs and G20 leaders. A multi-media advertising campaign was built around the donation, consisting of print, TV and digital advertising.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

While people are making smaller and bigger changes in their daily lives, the real impact in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions resides in political decision-making. By directly confronting them with a tangible reminder of immediacy for climate action, we hoped to encourage them for reforms that have a lasting impact on our planet. The media strategy was two-fold consisting of a direct campaign aimed at policy-makers, the Climate Pen passing the message of climate action immediacy, and a mass-media campaign that put more pressure on policy-makers and made the initiative known to the general public. The core medium of the campaign, the Climate Pen, was directly tied to the desired action. The call to action was to sign new policies that aim at slowing down climate change. The Climate Pen reminded them of the need for action and was a direct tool with which to put these initiatives in motion.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

The pen’s ink was produced from CO2 by decomposing the molecules into carbon and oxygen atoms with intense heat. The resulting carbon black was then mixed with water and arabic gum thus producing the finished custom ink. The pen itself was designed to resemble a piece of coal through shape and coating related design choices: The shape was inspired by the polygonal structures naturally present in coal, while maintaining an ergonomic grip when used. The black, grained and shockproof coating furthered the association. To minimize conflicts with sustainability considerations, the design was made reusable with interchangeable ink capsules. The mechanics were ordered made-to-measure, allowing the construction of a simple opening and closing mechanism. The pens were 3D printed from recycled aluminum, reflecting the high quality and dignity of the pen. This ensured both durability and longevity. A total of 250 Climate Pens were produced. All production emissions were compensated.

List the results (30% of vote)

The campaign gained 25 million impressions in earned reach* and generated a 2,5-fold increase in the willingness to buy towards the Helsingin Sanomat brand compared to annual average**. The campaign was highly noted in its direct target group, the policy-makers. A number of Finnish MPs noted the gift on social media, and Mr. Emmanuel Macron sent a personal thank you letter to Kaius Niemi, The Senior Editor-in-Chief of Helsingin Sanomat. More importantly, the Climate Pen encouraged Jari Myllykoski, MP at the Finnish Left Alliance, to sign an initiative aiming to increase the amount of carbon sinks, i.e. forests and vegetation, in Finland. *Source: Meltwater ** Source: YouGov continuous brand measurement – willingness to buy – under 45-year-olds target group