How an Experiential Stunt in Finland Challenged Lobbying Norms and Sparked National Debate

Lobbying usually will get a foul rap, conjuring pictures of backdoor offers corrupting politicians with cash. However over in Finland, a inventive company challenged these norms with an uncommon lobbying marketing campaign utilizing experiential marketing.

Not like many lobbing efforts that occur behind closed doorways, the marketing campaign for Finnish retail big S Group garnered nationwide media consideration and galvanized supporters and critics throughout the nation. It was created by United Imaginations, an company based final yr by three former TBWAHelsinki executives. 

The context is that this: Finland’s pharmacy market is without doubt one of the strictest and monopolized within the European Union. Medicines, together with chilly medicines or painkillers, are solely allowed to be bought at privately-owned group pharmacies. 

S-Group, Finland’s largest retail chain, is lobbying for a system akin to different European nations, the place medicines could possibly be bought in retail chains, supermarkets and through on-line pharmacies (whereas nonetheless underneath the supervision {of professional} pharmacists). The retailer mentioned in a press release that it “needs Finnish customers to learn from extra reasonably priced medicines, higher opening hours and new pharmacy providers.”  

Utilizing experiential strategies

To problem the established order, S Group enlisted United Imaginations, which determined to carry this debate to the general public. The company constructed a mannequin pharmacy within the coronary heart of Finnish capital Helsinki. 

Within the prototype pharmacy, individuals can browse the cabinets and expertise first-hand a unique manner of accessing medicines–thus drawing their very own conclusions about whether or not to vary the system. 

“S Group wished to rethink what lobbying could possibly be in a contemporary society open to debate and new views,” mentioned Jyrki Poutanen, inventive director and founding member of United Imaginations. “No hiding behind gimmicky messages, no hush-hush about their function. They wished to be fully open about their function within the dialog.”

The marketing campaign took a flip when a critic observed a typo on a bundle of pretend vitamin D, which used the wrong unit of micrograms as an alternative of milligrams. The error sparked a debate in Finnish media, with the opposition arguing that supermarkets had no proper to promote any kind of drugs. 

However that mistake, which was then mounted, ended up bringing extra visibility to the marketing campaign. The mannequin pharmacy turned headline information in Finland and began a nationwide dialog about having a extra open and aggressive pharmacy market.