In Finland, people tend not to bunch up together in queues. Social distancing was part of Finnish culture before it became imperative. But right now as lockdowns are eased, social distancing needs to be top of mind and followed by all – even in Finland.
HOK-Elanto, one of the country’s largest retailers, is making sure that happens with a front-page newspaper ad by TBWA\Helsinki whose message can only be read from a distance of 2 metres. Close up, it is too blurry to be read. At 2 metres the simple copy is clear. The ad ran in Finland’s biggest newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat, on May 8.
“We did not want to do a traditional print that only tells people what they need to do. Instead we wanted to offer an actual experience where people have the possibility to experiment with the distance themselves. We believe that seeing the distance in action makes it easier for people to remember it during their next trip to their local grocery store. The impression of blurriness was created by using an optical illusion relying on visual patterns and we think it serves the purpose well,” explained Juhana Hokkanen, innovation director at TBWA\ Helsinki.
“Unusual times bring their own challenges to what and how brands should communicate. As a responsible company we saw this as an opportunity to communicate about a subject that is close to our business in an insightful way. This great idea came from our advertising agency TBWA\Helsinki,” stated HOK-Elanto communications and marketing director, Tuomas Ahola.
“The Idea for the print very quickly revolved around keeping the six feet distance since it is very important in the environment where our customer operates on a daily level. Instead of just telling or teaching people how to act we wanted to let them experience it. We believe that by doing this we will leave a stronger imprint and more people will remember our important message,” added Joni Furstenborg, creative director at TBWA\ Helsinki.
Credits:
Advertising Agency: TBWA\Helsinki
Chief Creative Officer: Jyrki Poutanen
Creative Director: Joni Furstenborg
Creative Technologist: Juhana Hokkanen
Junior Art Director: Ville Rutanen
Copywriter: Roni Regnér
Vice President, Retail & Commerce, Executive Account Director: Taneli Mattelmäki
Account Manager: Anette Michelsson
Junior Communication Specialist: Saana Sundberg
Data & Insights Trainee: Ellen Lindbom
Other: Erno Reinikainen, Tuomas Perälä
Media agency: Carat Finland
Client: HOK-Elanto
Director of Communications and Marketing: Tuomas Ahola
