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Global media spotlight promotes Finnish business
Finnish business and travel to the country generated a record amount of interest from international media in 2018, with local companies and industry set to benefit as a direct result.
International promotional work done by public organisation Business Finland resulted in 4 680 articles published on Finland in media around the world last year.
A total of 600 foreign journalists visited the country on media tours organised by Business Finland’s subdivisions Finnfacts and Visit Finland in 2018, an increase of 130 journalists from the year before.
“Business Finland’s Finnfacts and Visit Finland have systematically built knowledge of Finland through international media for years,” saidHeli Jimenez, senior director of international marketing at Business Finland. “Visit Finland promotes awareness of Finland as a travel destination, and Finnfacts focuses on growing the visibility of Finnish knowhow. Interest in Finland is clearly visible in the growing number of visiting journalists.”
Finnish know-how finds favour in Asia
In recent years, interest in Finnish travel and innovation has been particularly strong in Asia. The 150 journalists brought to Finland last year by Finnfacts published 316 articles in 27 countries, with most of the media hits coming from China, the UK, Japan and South Korea.
“The positive attention Finland receives in local media significantly helps promote Finnish companies in Asia,” commented Jusa Susia, Business Finland’s head of East Asia.
For example, Nikkei, the world’s largest financial newspaper, based in Japan, took part in a media visit during the Slush 2018 startup event in the Finnish capital. There, it interviewed Solar Foods, a Finnish startup that produces nutrient-rich protein solely from air, water and electricity.
According to Pasi Vainikka, CEO of Solar Foods, media visibility is especially valuable for startups, as they may lack the necessary resources for paid advertisement.
“We didn’t know the publishing date of the article written about us by Nikkei, but it was quickly revealed to us, when we saw a hike in traffic to our website. Thanks to the article, we received invaluable attention in our target markets in Japan, which we hadn’t previously gained with English-speaking articles,” he said.
Good News from Finland is published by Finnfacts, which is part of Business Finland.