HELSINKI, FINLAND – Alko, Finland’s state-owned alcohol monopoly, crunched and visualized its sales data, transforming the nation into more than 200 unique wine regions – the so-called “Sipcodes.” The surprising insights, translated into hyper-local communications, struck a chord with Finns and quickly turned the campaign into a nationwide success.
Ask most people – Finns included – and they’ll say Finland is a land of beer and vodka. Yet beneath the surface lies a wine culture that is surprisingly diverse by global standards. This is thanks to Alko, Finland’s sole retailer of stronger alcoholic drinks, offering a remarkably broad selection of wines from around the world.
Alko’s unique role also gives it unparalleled access to data on national consumption habits. Drawing from its nationwide network of more than 450 stores and pick-up spots, the company built a comprehensive picture of local wine cultures from municipalities to cities and even neighborhoods.
Using data ranging from country of origin and wine style to regions and packaging, the campaign painted a picture of Finland never explored before: a land of white wine with splashes of red and rosé, where each area has its own favorite wine type and region – the perfect subject for a wine retailer to spark conversation around.
Handcrafted visuals and localized messaging
Designed and crafted by TBWA\Helsinki, the unique campaign required a distinct visual identity. Each “Sipcode” received a heraldic, hand-crafted coat of arms tailored by combining local data points with geographical and cultural specifics – from colors to artifacts, landmarks, and regional flora and fauna. Together these formed distinct, shareable visual identities for the regions and for the campaign itself.
The visualization was accompanied by culturally relevant, localized messaging that appeared in stores, OOH advertising, and across digital channels. An interactive campaign map enticed thousands of Finns to explore their own region’s wine data profile and discover surprising quirks and similarities in neighboring regions – sparking the national conversation even further.
“This is the first time we have turned our data into storytelling in this way – and the results show that it resonates. Local pride, paired with authentic local insights sparked conversations across the country and generated significant engagement”, says Sari Karjalainen, Marketing Manager at Alko.
Wine influencers and creative data interpretation
The primary goal of the campaign was to showcase Alko’s unparalleled local insight and broad selection: Alko truly knows Finns and their preferences. Combining expert views with sales data opened the door to a new kind of localized storytelling across digital channels, social media and influencer marketing. Local micro-influencers and personalities with strong ties to and pride in their regions were nominated as honorary members of their Sipcode. They engaged their audiences with insights from their own region and sparked new conversations about wine culture in Finland.
“Our greatest success was turning thousands of rows of data into something human that genuinely surprised and delighted our audience”, explains Juha Snellman, Senior Creative at TBWA\Helsinki.
Local reactions and national results
The campaign sparked wide interest in stores, on social media, and across local media outlets, which uncovered fresh perspectives and interpretations in the data. This drove national earned media reach well beyond 33 million and encouraged Finns to explore the favorite wines of their Sipcodes – or those of their neighbors.
“This is without a doubt one of our best campaigns this year. We believe there is still much more to discover in Finland’s diverse drinking cultures — and with our own data, we have the tools to do it. It will be exciting to follow how data and tastes evolve in the years ahead”, Karjalainen summarizes.
