Finnish people are metalheads. It’s embedded in their culture. TBWA\Helsinki and Finland’s largest supermarket chain, K-Citymarket, have now embedded heavy metal in make-up tutorials. Yes, make-up tutorials served as heavy metal lyrics.
The campaign flies in the face of advertising’s stereotypical portrayals of women – even in Finland, a country that tops global rankings in gender equality. It promotes K-Citymarket’s Heavy Makeup, a new type of beauty portfolio centred around women’s empowerment and Finland’s favourite music genre.
At the core of the campaign are four unique heavy metal songs, each representing their own beauty routine and metal sub-genre, from glam and hyperpop to power and even death metal. The songs feature strong female lead singers who put their unique fingerprints on each song and work as a soundtrack for uniquely Finnish #GetReadyWithMetal beauty tutorials.
In the power metal song, Voittajan katse (The Gaze of a Winner), by Sara Strömmer from the band Shereign, a stunning smokey eye makeup is created, with the main focus on the eyeliner and plenty of volumizing mascara. The main colour of the look is clearly stated in the chorus – “Black, just black / that’s the colour of my soul”.
In Wash Away the Darkness, a song inspired by ‘80s hair metal, and created by a prominent Finnish metal frontman, working under the pseudonym, Damien, the lyrics talk about cleansing – in practice, the nightly cleansing and care of the body and facial skin – “You and I, we’re gonna have a revelation, ‘cause tonight, we will perform exfoliation”.
In the song, Seize the Crown by Susanna Alexandra, the lead singer of Cyan Kicks, the lyrics talk about the natural crown of a person, the hair. The energetic hyperpop song describes, among other things, styling the hair with the words, “Taming fire with my touch, my style / Slick and sharp, I form the line”.
In Hehkun (I Glow) by Katariina Sorsa and Tuuli Paju from the band IKINÄ, facial skin care is described in a harsh death metal style, describing exfoliation and moisturising. The chorus includes the lyrics, “Glowing with Lumene / this skin is light / I shine when I go / anyone can see the colours in my aura”.
“Metal belongs not only to the ears, but also to the eyes – like metal culture, makeup is a way to express oneself boldly and break boundaries,” stated Tiina Linna, K-Citymarket’s cosmetics product group manager.
“It became apparent really quickly that we aren’t making ad music, but the best heavy metal possible with some of the most interesting artists around,” added music supervisor, Leo Niemi.
As the songs were the lifeline of the campaign, no shortcuts were made in production and the artists representing different sub genres were invited to the legendary Sonic Pump studio in Helsinki, which has housed legendary Finnish metal bands like Stratovarius, Sonata Arctica, and Amorphis.
“With Heavy Makeup we really elevated the level of audio and music craft,” commented TBWA\Helsinki chief creative officer, Alex Pineda, “from the custom album and single cover art to the roadie amp boxes used in PR packages, we turned every stone to make sure we nailed a disruptive execution.”
The songs can be listened to on Spotify, YouTube, and on the campaign page, k-ruoka.fi/heavymeikki.
Credits:
Client: K-Citymarket
Mette Åström: Marketing Manager
Creative Agency: TBWA\Helsinki
Chief Creative Officer: Alex Pineda
Executive Creative Director: Laura Paikkari
Copywriter & Creative Communications Strategist: Anni Nissi
Copywriter: Emma Kaninen
Art Directors: Camilo Alzate & Tommo Killström
Earned Creative Director & Head of PR: Paula Sonne
Creative Strategist: Aapo Kuortti
Content Creative: Anna Nukarinen
Producer: Valeria Mikkonen
Earned Creative: Jukka Raittila
Production Manager: Sami Ainetdin
Editors: Ville Hackzell & Mikko Kuoppasalmi
Content Creator: Erica Niiniaho
Account Director: Petra Yli-Hemminki
Vice President, Retail Music: Taneli Mattelmäki
Music Supervisor: Leo Niemi
Sound Designer: Tuomas Ahva
Singer: Sara Strömmer,
Producer: Nino Laurenne
Singer: Damien
Producer/Songwriter: Joonas Parkkonen
Singers: Katariina Sorsa & Tuuli Paju
Producer: Aake Lämsä
Singer: Susanna Alexandra
Producer/Songwriter:Niila Perkkiö
Producer: Tony Hentilä
