The City of Mikkeli charmed with an impressive campaign – visit intention increased by a whopping 485%

The City of Mikkeli, together with the city’s business development company MikseiMikkeli and Muisti Centre of War and Peace, produced a multichannel campaign with Sanoma as a part of the Headquarters – Mikkeli Tourism Development Project. The group project focuses on developing new and sustainable tourism business based on Mikkeli’s history and cultural heritage.

The Headquarters City of Mikkeli campaign included influencer collaboration with Jone Nikula, native articles, videos, social media, digital advertising and radio spots.

The videos were published not only alongside native articles on HS.fi, but also on the project’s and partners’ websites and social media channels, Facebook and Instagram.

Video advertising was used to drive traffic to the native articles. According to the impact study, the native articles alone significantly increased visit intentions to Mikkeli—by as much as 485%. The versatile Headquarters City of Mikkeli campaign achieved its goal of reinforcing Mikkeli’s positive image nationwide.

“The campaign was truly seen and heard in many ways. The theme of the Headquarters City was well-timed,” says Tarja Pönniö-Kanerva, project manager of the Headquarters Project. 

The campaign strengthened the brand in a versitile way

Pia Puntanen, content director and historian at Muisti Centre of War and Peace, together with marketing planner Salla Hyvönen from the City of Mikkeli, considered the campaign a bold move that reinforced the brand in multiple ways.

"The results show that people are interested in stories and places. Local history and culture are strong identity factors," Puntanen states.

"The campaign generated significant visibility on social media," says Hyvönen.

According to her, the campaign videos, which the city shared on its own social media channels, worked particularly well. The campaign increased the city's following on Instagram and Facebook.

Posts on Jone Nikula’s social media channels were also part of the campaign, and they reached a total of 46 031 people and 63 844 views.

This new approach to city marketing attracted positive attention, Hyvönen adds.

"It wasn’t the traditional city marketing people are used to seeing. The campaign highlighted Mikkeli's willingness to experiment with new approaches, which perfectly aligned with the city's brand as a 'bold surpriser'." 

The effects will be seen in the longer term

Tarja Pönniö-Kanerva, Pia Puntanen and Salla Hyvönen agree that the campaign successfully highlighted not only the city’s history but also its potential for residence and tourism.

In part, the campaign's impact was reflected in the number of visitors to Visitor Centre Astuva as well as Muisti and the Headquarters Museum over the summer.

All three professionals believe that the true effects of the multichannel city marketing will become evident in the long term.