Top 5 things to consider when entering the Finnish gaming market

December 12, 2024

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.

“Do you know how to best reach the Finnish consumer and your specific target audience in Finland? Are you willing to invest in brand awareness to boost your tactical actions?” asks Janne Lappalainen, Client Partner at Sanoma.

Lappalainen listed five key points to consider when planning your entrance to the Finnish market.

1. Do your research on the Finnish consumer

Your potential customers’ preferences and behaviour should inform your marketing choices. Sanoma’s wide range of research on Finnish consumers, media use, and different industries offers valuable insight to back up your decisions. Research conducted by our experts and partners creates a vast pool of knowledge to draw from.

You can also dive deeper with a tailor-made research project. Sanoma’s high-quality consumer panel Suomitutka gives you a wider view of the average Finnish consumer, while defined target audiences can be researched with the help of our partners.

  • Tip: Also get familiar with Finland-specific popular sports such as pesäpallo (Finnish baseball) and floorball.

2. Get to know the way Finns use media

While global megatrends and changes in media use do manifest in Finland, there are some characteristics that set the Finns apart from other Europeans. Being aware of those differences adds to the effectiveness of your marketing and brand building.

Traditional media hold their ground in Finland. Offline media such as TV, radio and print magazines remain popular, so you may not want to invest in digital marketing alone. Reach outside the digital world and make your marketing a combination of online and offline.

3. Invest in brand building in digital and offline channels

The gambling reform brings new marketing channels and media at your fingertips. Many of them are excellent for building a strong brand that will bolster your tactical efforts. Tactical marketing alone will not get you the market share you’ll be reaching for.

When it comes to digital channels, look beyond the international ones. Finns place a lot of trust in domestic media, which makes them a powerful spot to build high-quality brand awareness. The reach of Sanoma’s digital media exceeds that of Meta’s services in Finland.

  • Tip: Localise! Use our expertise to discover talking points that are currently hot among your audience. 

4. Utilise your own data as well as that of your partners

There are numerous ways to use data to be present in the right place at the right time.

  • Combine your own data with that of Sanoma’s to create specified audiences in Sanoma’s channels.
  • Make use of Sanoma’s widespread knowledge on the consumers’ media use to find the contexts where your potential customers spend their time – from digital media to TV favourites.
  • Find relevant data from our partners such as Taloustutkimus.
  • Use programmatic buying to get the most out of your own data and targeting as well as Sanoma’s quality content and trusted media brands. 

To make the most of these opportunities, make sure your data is usable from the get-go. Double check your cookie policy before entering the market to ensure you’re securing permission to use the data in all relevant ways.

5. Get ahead by starting early

While the legislation process related to the gambling reform is still underway, now is the time to start preparing your entrance to the Finnish market. Make use of the months ahead: get to know the market, decide the focal points of your marketing, and define your target audiences. Check and prepare your data collection processes to be able to utilise data to the max.

Sanoma is already discussing the best steps and solutions for gaming companies to build a strong presence in Finland. These conversations are best had long before the market opens, says Janne Lappalainen.

“This is a big change for our team, too, and there’s a lot of excitement in the air to find the best solutions for our new gaming partners. By starting now, we’ll be able to hone the focus of the marketing, build fruitful long-term partnerships, and avoid hurry when the market finally opens.”

From insight to execution: Sanoma’s services for a gaming company 

  • A designated team of experts with experience of the gaming industry 
  • Multichannel video advertising: planning, execution, metrics 
  • Programmatic buying with personal customer service 
  • Relatable and effective content marketing with the help of Sanoma Content Studio 
  • The most popular and trusted news and entertainment brands 
  • The knowhow of the leading media house in Finland at your fingertips 
  • And so much more!


It’s time to start planning your entrance into Finland – give us a call and let’s get talking!

Janne Lappalainen
Client Partner
eCom & Gaming

janne.lappalainen@sanoma.com

   Further Reading

Sanoma’s new advertising spot sends a message: Advertiser, welcome to the new era of moving image.
December 18, 2024
Sanoma’s new advertising spot sends a message: Advertiser, welcome to the new era of moving image.
December 12, 2024
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
December 12, 2024
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. 
Sanoma B2B data
December 4, 2024
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 >
Show More

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Loading...

By submitting your email you agree that we may send you promotional emails and information about our services. You can unsubscribe any time. Check out our Privacy Policy.

Share by: