News & Articles

Sanoma’s new advertising spot sends a message: Advertiser, welcome to the new era of moving image.

The Finns do not shy away from gaming – traditionally, we’ve been taught to embrace it by the state-owned Veikkaus. Now, Finland is planning to end Veikkaus’ monopoly in 2026, opening betting and online gambling games for competition

The opening of the Finnish gambling market also opens up a selection of ways for game companies to market their services and build a brand in Finland. This is the time to take a fresh look at the tools and channels you use as well as the partners you may want to take on board. 

Compared to many other European countries, Finland is a small market – but when it comes to gambling, don’t let that fool you. Finland ranks in the global top 5 for gambling per capita, and traditionally, the attitude towards gaming has been liberal. 

Marketing strategist Tiina Kosonen and Insight Team Leader Jaana Jamalainen give their best tips on how to increase your understanding of your customers’ values, interests and purchase motives. 1. Make choices You have to make choices because when you try to reach everyone, you typically end up reaching no one. This is why it’s important to determine whether you’re targeting your existing loyal customers or looking for potential new customers. Analyse the data – whether it’s your own data or research data – dig deeply into your target groups, compare them to your goals and make your choices based on this. Making choices doesn’t necessarily mean that your target audience will be small; rather, your choices will steer your media strategy in the right direction. Use messages that appeal to your target audience and appear on channels that reach that audience. Using channels with sufficient reach will ensure that you also reach a wider audience through the halo effect. For example, target group insight can help your marketing influence your intended target groups with the right message, in the right place and at the right time. 2. Identify purchase motives Why do people buy your products? Understanding purchase motives is surprisingly significant. For example, let’s consider people who buy electric cars. Some of them are interested in the latest technology, while others want the least polluting option possible and base their choice on sustainability. The communications that appeal to these two groups are very different. People also have very different motives for buying foods such as protein quark. One person buys it to boost their gym workout, while it might be a permissible sweet treat for someone on a diet. Purchase motives are best used as the basis for marketing communications. Content based on purchase motives stands out from media hype and therefore has a better impact on consumers than generic messages. You can use surveys tailored to your customers to help you identify their purchase motives. They can help you identify the factors that influence consumer decision-making and those that may promote or deter purchases. 3. Do you understand your customer’s purchase path? Do you know what your customer’s purchase path is like? According to the latest international research, it takes between 20 and 500 encounters with a brand to make a purchase decision. The differences between products are understandably considerable – choosing between protein quarks is probably easier than between car brands. People are more information-hungry than in the past and seek information to support their purchasing decisions. What does this mean for different industries? Industry and purchase path research can help you identify what activates your customers’ purchase needs, what kind of information they want, and where they look for it. 4. The right approaches and communication channels You can combine the above tips in various ways to create a distinctive and appealing message. Different consumer segments have different values, attitudes and ways of using media – and you should use this insight when planning creative ads. Sanoma’s media use segmentation will help identify the right communication approach for each target group. There can be huge differences in media use within groups at particular life stages. For example, let’s consider families with children, which is a relevant target group for many marketers. One parent in a family with children might spend micro-moments using media, while the other might spend long periods unwinding by watching TV, for example. We’ll help you identify both the differences and similarities to get the most out of your marketing communications. Sanoma has a deep understanding of Finnish consumers, which gives us access to a vast amount of information. All our recommended solutions are based on data in one way or another. Feel free to reach out to us whenever you want to understand your customers better. Contact us >

Knowing your playing field is key when you start advertising in a new market. How aware are you of the quirks of the Finnish media environment compared to the other Nordic countries?

The world around us steers our consumption to an ever more digital direction, and TV and video advertising needs to stay on top of the changes. What are the trends to look out for and opportunities to seize in 2025? Video Commercial Manager Tuomo Sinkkonen from Sanoma brings you the biggest talking points on the table right now to help you make informed decisions about your advertising next year. Total TV places content above device In the past, we watched TV. Today, it’s the content that matters, and the device we use to watch it is increasingly irrelevant. “It’s about the viewer’s freedom to choose. Even in Finland, where traditional TV remains popular, it’s the show we concentrate on instead of the device or channel it runs on,” says Sinkkonen. The goal of Sanoma’s programme acquisitions has, for some years now, been to reach viewers not only through linear TV but also on streaming platforms. This means choosing more programmes that, instead of depending on a specific moment, can be watched whenever. Erikoisjoukot, one of the most popular programmes on TV channel Nelonen last spring, got a considerable amount of its views from streaming service Ruutu. “There is a time and place for big live phenomena, but overall, we try to create a selection of programmes that can be watched throughout the week,” Sinkkonen illustrates. Measure your campaign’s success accurately across platforms In 2025, the fall of device-specific TV viewing will finally also be reflected in the way advertising campaigns are measured. Instead of having to combine metrics from different platforms and make estimates of overall numbers, SpotOn technology gives us accurate data on the actual reach of a campaign across platforms. “We are entering a time where independence from specific devices is not just talk anymore, but a reality that can be measured. Next year, Sanoma will be sharing a lot of observations about measuring the reach of TV and Ruutu together”, Sinkkonen promises. News media challenge social media in the race for video advertising Social media tends to snatch a significant portion of marketing budgets – but this isn’t the only way to success or even the best one, claims Tuomo Sinkkonen. News sites work very much like a social media feed: we scroll through, find things we are interested in, and are given ads to look at. However, we tend to scroll a news site a whopping 31 per cent slower , which makes it far likelier for us to see a video ad all the way through. “My months-long analysis of digital news sites based on different data points shows that digital news media are a much more opportune environment for video advertising compared to social media. I’d be glad to see this reflected in the way marketing budgets are distributed,” says Sinkkonen. Extra tips to stand out with your TV and video advertising in 2025 Choose your platform to fit both the marketing goals and the creative production . In addition to your objectives, the material you have on hand determines the best platform to use. Video material that works in social media is often a good fit for a news media, too, while TV or streaming platforms call for a more traditional story arc. Go beyond the obvious when it comes to advertising on TV . An ad break has a dozen ads to get lost in, but with branded content within a show, you have the viewers’ full attention. Don’t get stuck on scripting only spot ads – think bigger! “I’d love to see new and brilliant ideas within programme co-operations and how brands can be part of the programme content itself. I don’t think we’re anywhere close to the limit of the creative potential here,” Sinkkonen says. Turn to a partner to stay on board the changes . Media companies have the responsibility to keep the fast-changing world of digital advertising accessible to advertisers. “It’s unreasonable to think that an individual advertiser should be able to grasp everything that’s going on. It’s up to us to help you navigate the new possibilities and best practices,” Sinkkonen concludes. Ready to plan a successful year of advertising? Contact us!

Marketing as a driver of growth. What does it mean to place marketing at the core of your growth plans? Get top tips from Anna Salo at Dentsu.

A goal-oriented, data-driven collaboration with Sanoma brings our extensive data and expertise at your fingertips and gives you a clear vision of what to do next in Finland.