Front page ad in Helsingin Sanomat multiplied Aarni's sales: 'Our online store got thousands of visitors'

The marketing team at Aarni Watch had long dreamed of a front-page ad in Helsingin Sanomat. They knew that while the investment would be big, the ad would reach eyes across Finland.

When Aarni Watch Company Oy turned ten in 2025, it was time to see how front page advertising resonated with the company's customer base.

The print ad on the front page of Helsingin Sanomat was published in mid-June. Aarni's four-person in-house marketing team produced the ad materials, as they had for previous campaigns.

"The campaign was more successful than we had anticipated. The results were great," says Maiju Jauhiainen, Marketing Manager at Aarni.

Front page ad in Helsingin Sanomat brought in new customers

The aim of the front page ad was to strengthen Aarni's brand and core message and to increase sales enough to at least make the marketing investment back. The centrepiece of the advertising campaign was the slogan "Aidosti hirveä", which both highlighted Aarni's elk leather bags ("Genuine elk") and introduced witty wordplay ("Genuinely dreadful").

"The front page is a good spot for making an impact, evoking interest and presenting a more narrative message," says Jauhiainen.

The front page ad appeared in Sunday's Helsingin Sanomat. To support the campaign, Aarni's website had been updated with fresh birthday content and product discounts.

"Our goal was that when a reader picked up the Sunday Hesari, the headline would stop them in their tracks and make them want to read on. At the weekend, people tend to be more receptive and able to concentrate and spend more time with the paper."

The results were flabbergasting. Jauhiainen and her team had anticipated the campaign would only show up in sales in the long term, but sales took off immediately on Sunday and Monday.

"Our sales more than doubled compared to the same period the previous year. We practically got a fivefold return on our marketing investment."

Jauhiainen says the success of the ad was a big surprise.

"Our online store got thousands of new visitors. We had no idea this would translate into sales so quickly, as our goals were more about brand building."

Years of successful digital marketing

Aarni Watch Company Oy has done campaign-driven digital marketing with Sanoma for several years. The main focus has been on performance-based display advertising (cpc).

"We have used it to gain additional visibility and reach new audiences."

Jauhiainen recalls that the collaboration was initially kickstarted by Sanoma's promotional campaign. According to her, Sanoma's wide range of channels in print and digital media made it an easy choice.

"Sanoma has respected and reliable media that allow us to reach a potential customer base with purchasing power. In addition, we can reach target groups of a different profile than through, for example, social media advertising," she explains.

Aarni's sales are partly seasonal: Sunglasses are largely sold in the spring. Autumn saw the introduction of hats and woollen scarves. Bags and watches, on the other hand, are sold all year round. The end of the year, from Black Friday to Christmas, is a particularly important period that accounts for up to a third of the year's sales.

"Through Sanoma's channels, we can reach people on a broad scale. The Christmas gift buyers, for example, are often of a different buyer profile than our average customer."

Nothing but positive things to say

Jauhiainen is pleased with Aarni's contact at Sanoma, Milla Hukkanen, who has actively kept in touch with them from the start.

"We are still a small company, but we want our marketing to be bold," Jauhiainen says. "Sanoma has given us a lot of good suggestions and great results. This has encouraged us to think about what we could do in the future to strengthen our brand and reach new customers."

Jauhiainen says she has nothing but positive things to say about Aarni's cooperation with Sanoma.

"Since the front page of Hesari worked so well, I believe that Sanoma's other large print magazines will also be interesting advertising spots for us in the future."