2 min read

How We Won Over IT Professionals by Speaking Their Language – Code

Estonia’s ICT sector is facing a severe labor shortage: by 2027, an estimated 40,200 specialists will be needed, but the education system currently produces only a fraction of the required workforce. Although around 1,300 students graduate in relevant fields each year, one in five drop out of vocational IT programmes, and a significant number never end up working in their initially chosen profession.

Education and Youth Board’s IT Academy programme aimed to halt this trend early on, and the solution had to begin in the classroom by bringing today’s professionals face-to-face with students to bridge the gap between education and the real world. Developers and IT specialists were brought into classrooms to share their experience through inspirational talks or as part-time teachers.

But to make this happen, we had to find a way to engage a target group that is constantly exposed to countless campaigns and is so digitally literate that they can easily ignore any message that blends into the mass.

A Distinctive Approach

To achieve the desired results, we launched an integrated campaign called KooliToodiKoodi (“Code Brought to School”), built on three mutually reinforcing pillars:

Interviews and traditional media outreach, which raised overall awareness and explained the essence of the campaign.
Persona-based content creation, focusing on the practitioners’ own stories to bring relatability and a human touch to the campaign.
A distinctive digital campaign, linguistically tailored to the target audience, speaking to IT people in their native tongue – code.

The comprehensive strategy included broad media coverage as well as tactical digital channels, carefully chosen based on where our target audience actually spends time. Throughout, we ensured that activities in one channel helped support the following ones. At the same time, we placed particular focus on standing out from the crowd – to capture the attention of this hard-to-reach audience, we had to offer them something they wanted to notice.

Bold and Eye-Catching Messaging

Capturing the attention of IT professionals with conventional, mass-blended campaigns is practically impossible. These talents are used to a flood of recruitment ads and have such a high level of digital literacy that they automatically filter out unnecessary content in their daily media and online consumption.

Therefore, we created ten different ad variations, all built around unique IT terminology. Each term was chosen to retain its original meaning within the IT world, while also clearly communicating our key message: come speak at a vocational school as an inspirational guest. We presented the messages both as text and in pseudocode format, further enhancing their appeal to IT professionals.

The ads ran during the campaign period across three main channels: Facebook and Instagram for broad reach (as they remain Estonia’s most widely used social media platforms), DigiPRO to engage executive-level professionals in the tech startup sector, and Reddit, targeting IT specialists more specifically.

In total, the digital ads were displayed nearly 1.8 million times.

Media

To support the digital campaign, we also carried out a range of media initiatives aimed at explaining the campaign more broadly, featuring practitioners already involved in vocational teaching and encouraging the target group to consider following their example.

During the campaign, we gained coverage in Estonia’s leading media outlets:

An interview on Terevisioon (Estonian national morning TV show)
An interview on Vikerraadio’s “Huvitaja” program
Two exclusive feature stories with practitioners
Press release coverage

According to audience data from media outlets, the media activities reached nearly 700,000 people.

Results

The campaign helped IT Academy achieve its goal by engaging a sufficient number of interested professionals. The initiative was warmly received in the field, and people working in the sector praised its distinctiveness and striking execution.

The Campaign in Numbers:

1,8 milion

Digital ad impressions

Media coverages

700 thousand people

Media reach

3 min read

How One Simple Question Led to Prisma’s Most Successful Price Campaign to date

“Cheap potatoes from this store, discounted meat from another, and reduced-price cheese from a third.”… Sounds familiar?

Due to the most prolonged economic recession in Estonia’s history, people are more focused on saving money. At the same time, retailers try to keep every customer by trumping each other with various discounts and yellow price tags. The result? It often seems like every store always has a campaign and is claiming to offer the best price.

Problem: oversaturation of price promotions and dispersion of value offers

The problem: over-saturation of price promotions and dispersion of value propositions. With retailers competing to offer the most significant discounts, it becomes increasingly difficult for people to distinguish between retail chains and their value propositions. Furthermore, due to austerity pressures, around 25-40% of people have started shopping at a different store from their main one. 67% of people are willing to spend more time, their most valuable resource, to get a bargain (Norstat, 2024).

It is difficult to stand out in this maze. Even harder to be remembered.

Instead of Bombarding People with Info, We Simply Asked

Prisma stood out in the fiercely competitive retail marketing landscape with a clever message: “Why don’t we just shop at Prisma?”, coupled with inclusive audience engagement. Rather than amplifying societal concerns, we used PR to get people to notice their own behaviours and offer solutions.

We launched a price-voting campaign, giving people the opportunity for the first time to directly choose which products should be included in Prisma’s special offers. The online voting took place across Prisma’s channels as well as Postimees and Delfi.

We partnered with long-term influencers who shared personal saving tips and brought in experts from various fields to help people adjust their consumption habits. For instance, Karmo Nigula and his family committed to visiting only Prisma for 100 days, documenting their observations, wins, and challenges.

“Why don’t we just shop at Prisma?”,

Substantive activities provided an opportunity to get the media coverage they deserved. The campaign slogan “Why don’t we just go to Prisma?” was also launched. The most viral and highly engaging marketing conversation of 2024, connecting competitors and consumers alike. It was a way to remind customers that Prisma is one of the few retail chains that offers consistently low prices.

The Results in Numbers

Getting people to think, engage, and offer solutions during a difficult time was successful, resulting in Prisma’s most successful price campaign to date, which was awarded a bronze medal in the 2025 Golden Egg competition in the corporate communications category. On social media, the campaign became the most viral phenomenon of the year.

Nearly 1,000

people participated in the price vote

over 18,000 reads

The “100 Days with Prisma” experiment received reads on Postimees

500,000 views

Influencer posts reached views across platforms

over 15

earned media pieces, saving approx. €12,000 in media spend

75% (+14 pp)

Campaign recall within target group

84% (+15 pp)

Recall among competitors’ customers

Investment efficiency: 3.7× lower investment than the competitor who spent the most during the same period.
Cost per awareness point: 2.2× less than the highest-spending competitor.

Lessons Learned

Simplicity resonates: In an overwhelming market, it pays to try simple approaches—even when tempted to go with the flow.
Repeats-repeats-repeats. Take the time to find influencers and partners who resonate with your target audience and engage with them over a longer period. This will create a sense of identification and help your messages take root.
You can’t plan virality, But you can create content and context where it’s possible.

Meta team

Stina Pley Senior consultant

Anett Veske Consultant

3 min read

How we brought together 13 different partners for Heart Month…

… and we made the skyscrapers of Tallinn thump to the beat of our hearts.

In Estonia, April has been Heart Month for decades and it is in spring that more attention is paid to heart health. How to talk about a topic that has been talked about every year for 32 years in a row? How to reach the target audience?

Every year, different agencies involved in heart health work together or in parallel, but this year, we decided to bring all the different parties together around the table and do something for heart health in Estonia.

The campaign “Numbers that break your heart” brought together 13 different partners for a common goal: Amgen, Synlab, the Health Insurance Fund and the Health Insurance Fund’s partner Exercise Fitness Competence Centre, the Estonian Society of Cardiologists and the Radisson Collection Hotel Tallinn, Skyon, LHV, Swedbank, and the Arter Quarter. The author of the creative solution, artist Marta Vaarik, and the team of technicians from Global Productions were also involved in the lighting installation.

Creative idea: Tallinn’s city centre beats to the heartbeat

In order to talk about a topic that has been talked about for 32 years in a different way and to draw attention to it from a slightly different angle, we asked artist Marta Vaarik for help and advice. Marta is an interdisciplinary artist who works in various genres and forms and is known for breaking down traditional narratives.

Together, they came up with the idea of bringing heartbeats to urban space—a heart that works inside us and for us every day deserves attention. Just as the heart works quietly, unnoticed, much is happening in the city that we don’t notice.

The result was a light installation on the skyscrapers of downtown Tallinn, which was undoubtedly the first of its kind in Estonia.

According to Marta Vaarik, it was a visual and emotional choreography in which light and movement became a metaphor for life itself. “The city was breathing, tumbling, and secretly telling us its stories,” she said.

Numbers that break your heart

The campaign focused on hard facts:

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in Estonia, accounting for nearly 50% of all deaths.
It is estimated that half of all people in Estonia have high cholesterol, one of the main risk factors.

But we didn’t just choose a strategy to deliver statistics; we wanted to connect the numbers and everyday emotions, the real cases. That’s why we brought in people who have faced heart disease themselves to tell their stories, as well as those who treat people every day.

For example, well-known TV personality Kristjan Jõekalda shared his story of how he had a heart attack at the age of 51 and what life is like now, almost three years later.

Cardiologists Margus Viigimaa and Martin Serg contributed to a series of TV and radio interviews, sharing their experiences and thoughts on their day-to-day work and what should be done to ensure our hearts are not in such a bad state. In addition to numerous TV and radio appearances, articles were also published in various Estonian publications and online portals.

To reach decision-makers and policy-makers and invite experts and professionals to contribute their thoughts, we decided to organise a Heart Month conference at the beginning of April in the Riigikogu. On the same day as the conference, Synlab offered members and staff of the Riigikogu the opportunity to test their cholesterol. In total, more than 70 people had their cholesterol tested during the three-hour event.

Time:

Active activities: 1-20 april

Preparatory period: mid-January to end of March, i.e. about 2 months.

Channels:

Heart Month conference at the Riigikogu
Synlab cholesterol testing bus at the Riigikogu
Lighting installation on high-rise buildings in Tallinn city centre
TV and radio interviews
Social media posts and coverage (Marta Vaarik’s social media, LHV, Synlab, Radisson and other partners’ social media coverage of the light installation).

Target group:

men and women aged 40+

Exclusion:

A much-talked-about theme: heart month has been organised in Estonia for decades, which means that people talk about it and campaigns are run every year. How can we stand out and raise awareness this time?
Multi-stakeholder: there are many stakeholders involved in heart health, each with their own responsibility and focus and communication.
Realising an innovative idea: to organise a lighting installation on high-rise buildings in Tallinn city centre.

RESULTS

Heart Month was discussed on social media (posts by politicians, posts by project partners, e.g., on the LHV Instagram account, and posts by Marta Vaarik).

25+

Earned media coverage (portals, print, TV and radio).

Over 70

people tested their cholesterol at the Riigikogu

Nearly 300 times

The Riigikogu conference was watched

4 min read

How to Stay Relevant as a Brand in Local Pop Culture? McDonald’s x villemdrillem meal

What happens when you combine one of Estonia’s brightest pop stars with the world’s most beloved restaurant chain? The result is more than just a delicious meal – it’s a campaign that got young people talking, sharing, and creating. Villemdrillem’s exclusive meal was part of the McDonald’s global Famous Orders campaign, tailored specifically for Estonia. The perfect harmony between the artist and the food turned it into an event that got young people talking, sharing and creating. Why are collaborations like these important for brands, and how do they come to life?

The Challenge

McDonald’s wanted to connect with a younger audience – the TikTok generation, which expects more from brands than ads. McDonald’s needed something authentic and engaging to capture their attention and give them a reason to participate and share their experiences. The key to success lies in finding a partner whose voice resonates with young people in an inspiring and relatable way.

Objectives

Increase McDonald’s brand visibility and trust among younger audiences.
Position McDonald’s as a brand that understands and connects with local pop culture.
Create an iconic collaboration and reach the target audience through a trusted spokesperson.

Campaign video

Creative Solution – An Iconic Meal

At the heart of the campaign was a universal truth: everyone has their favorite meal at McDonald’s. Through target audience analysis, we identified that personalization is crucial for young people, which meant creating something both personal and meaningful.

To bring this truth to life, it was essential to find an authentic partner who shared the brand’s values and love for McDonald’s meals. This led us to collaborate with villemdrillem, a highly popular hip-hop artist in 2024, who has a genuine connection to the brand. Together, we created the limited-time villemdrillem meal.

The collaboration between villemdrillem and McDonald’s wasn’t just about creating a meal combo — it was a seamless blend of his personality and the McDonald’s brand. The 24-year-old artist was given creative freedom to ensure his unique style shone through in the campaign, from the meal’s composition to the design of its visual elements. Through this campaign, we emphasised that McDonald’s is more than just food — it’s a part of the culture and an experience that anyone can make personally meaningful.

Through this campaign, we emphasised that McDonald’s is more than just food — it’s a part of the culture and an experience that anyone can make personally meaningful.

*Villemdrillem x McDonald’s. Photo author: Kaarel Metssalu*

What We Did?

The Artist as a Creative Partner: villemdrillem wasn’t just the face of the campaign – he was its heart. Every detail, from designing the meal to producing social media content, embodied his personality and love for the brand. This authenticity naturally fostered trust and excitement among young audiences.
Harnessing TikTok and UGC Power: To connect with young audiences, we focused on platforms where they spend their time – TikTok and Instagram. Villemdrillem shared energetic, humorous posts that inspired his fans to try the meal and share their experiences. TikTok users responded enthusiastically, creating organic reaction videos that amplified the campaign’s momentum.
Beyond Social Media: While the campaign’s core focus was social media, it naturally extended into traditional media, gaining coverage on various radio stations and in major publications across Estonia.

Results That Speak for Themselves

McDonald’s and villemdrillem’s partnership didn’t go unnoticed. TikTok became the campaign’s crown jewel, with organic videos driving significant engagement:

earned media features

1.3M+

reached people through media

Over 350K

views on UGC TikTok videos

13.5%

growth in product category during campaign period

Over 2M

people saw campaign in media

Villemdrillem and McDonald’s collaboration proved that modern consumers are drawn to more than just products – they crave meaningful experiences and stories that brands can tell. Success lies in refreshing a menu and choosing the right partner – someone whose values and authenticity resonate deeply with the audience. This kind of genuine and thoughtful collaboration builds trust for both parties, strengthens a sense of community, and inspires people to engage with the brand.

5 min read

International Media Analysis as a Cornerstone of Strategic Event Marketing

Organizing international conferences is more than just executing an event—it is an opportunity to shape trends in the sector and highlight local and global success stories. Choosing the right themes, speakers and PR strategy can turn an event into a key industry gathering that attracts the attention of both experts and the broader public.

Last October, the Estonian Space Office organized the International Software Defined Space Conference (SDSC), focusing on software development and cybersecurity in the space industry. As a PR partner of the conference, Meta Advisory helped raise the conference’s international and domestic visibility and strengthened Estonia’s position in the space sector.

Our activities, therefore, had three main focuses:

attracting international journalists to attend the conference,

highlighting stories related to Estonian companies in both local and international media,

activate the space community on social media.

The Role of Media Monitoring in Building Strategy

A key role in the communication activities was played by the in-depth media analysis carried out for the Estonian Space Agency before the conference. We used the international media monitoring tool Meltwater to analyze space infrastructure and cybersecurity topics covered in European and North American media from 2020 to 2024.

International Media

Just as gaining media coverage for niche topics in Estonia is challenging, it is even more difficult to secure a spot in tier 1 publications internationally. How can we effortlessly find journalists and publications interested in space-related topics? Once again, we turned to Meltwater for support.

The monitoring tool helped us map out potential journalists to invite to the conference. We sent them personalized invitations, emphasizing the conference’s uniqueness, introducing panels aligned with their interests, and highlighting Estonian and international experts participating in the event. We showcased success stories from Estonian companies in the space sector to further spark interest.

For journalists attending the conference, we offered the opportunity to visit Estonian space technology companies. As a result of one interview, an article was published on space.com, which was cited in more than ten international publications.

Estonian Media

The space sector is a complex and in-depth field with a specific audience. Unlike the international media, no publications or journalists specialize in space in Estonia. Therefore, it was essential to find engaging and trendy topics that connected the space industry with broader societal impacts, presented from an interesting angle, and appealed to the general reader.

Additionally, we aimed to explain why the space sector is vital for a small country like Estonia and to provide an overview of its current state. To achieve this, we encouraged representatives of Estonian companies to participate in radio shows and offered them interview opportunities to increase interest and awareness of the sector’s developments.

Elon Musk is a name that sells in the media. Therefore, we linked Estonian companies’ space experience to Musk’s Starlink activities and discussed what expanding a single company’s influence in the space industry means from a cybersecurity perspective.

Activating the space community on social media

Conference participants recognize SDSC as a great meeting place for industry colleagues—a venue to see what others are working on, share experiences, and exchange ideas about the future of the space sector. We aimed to activate these messages on social media before the conference. To achieve this, we invited both Estonian and internationally recognized thought leaders to share their past experiences with the conference on LinkedIn.

International media analysis and targeted communication helped bring Estonia’s space sector success stories into both domestic and international media, thereby increasing interest in the conference as well as Estonia more broadly. As a result, Estonian companies were highlighted, and the development of the space industry was supported.

5 min read

How Did We Get an Entire City to Solve Math Problems?

Sweaty palms, a racing heart, and a head full of confusion – it’s time for a math test. Why are so many of us afraid of math? The path to knowledge shouldn’t be intimidating, especially in a world that increasingly demands mathematical thinking. How can we break the fear of numbers, improve attitudes towards math, and encourage young people to choose advanced math courses in high school? With these questions in mind, META Advisory and its partners launched the largest online math challenge in Estonian history. How did it go, and what did we learn along the way?

Firstly, let’s answer the question: why do we need math? Beyond practical skills like financial literacy or statistical analysis, math trains our brains and develops logical thinking. Without it, society simply wouldn’t function. Yet math has acquired a reputation of being difficult, tedious, and unnecessary. This is especially evident to lecturers at Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech), who notice a steady decline in math skills among incoming students year after year.

The gap is most pronounced between high school students who follow the “narrow” and “broad” math curricula. Those studying narrow math often lack a solid foundation after three years. Moreover, students who take the narrow math exam cannot even apply to TalTech. The university’s experience also shows that many first-year students who studied broad math still need significant support to catch up. Unfortunately, we cannot afford engineers who build bridges that collapse or programmers who confuse ones and zeros.

To raise awareness of TalTech’s concerns, we envisioned a national campaign culminating in a collective math-solving event. Inspired by Estonia’s e-dictation (e-etteütlus) tradition, we proposed the idea of an “e-math challenge“ (e-rehkendus). The plan was to involve students but also, more importantly, their parents, who often guide young people in choosing between narrow and broad math tracks.

Objectives

Highlight the importance of math in Estonian society

Influence parents and students to opt for the broad math curriculum in schools

Improve the average national math exam scores of potential university applicants

Preparation Before PR

The first step was finding partners to support our initiative. Securing a trusted media partner and a major sponsor was crucial. Fortunately, both Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR) and SEB Bank immediately understood the campaign’s value and shared our passion for promoting math. Foremost, ERR also has invaluable experience with e-dictation.

Next, we needed to create the math challenge — the “product” we would promote. Hats off to the developers at Reiven Solutions and the math teachers who created the math problems involved. Countless work hours, including late nights, went into this effort throughout August and September. Although we had the idea already in spring, the first lines of code were written only at the end of August. By early autumn, we were feeling a mix of excitement and nerves, much like preparing for a math test ourselves.

Strategy

Before the ads for “e-rehkendus” appeared on radio, social media, and in shopping centers, TalTech’s rector, Tiit Land, had already published two opinion pieces emphasizing the importance of math. These articles gave us a rallying slogan: “Math should be Estonia’s second language.” The campaign gained further momentum with appearances on popular shows like “Terevisioon,” “Vikerhommik,” “Huvitaja,” “Ringvaade,” and “Hommik Anuga.” Even unprompted, organizations like Metrosert stepped in to support the cause. Metrosert’s director, Aigar Vaigu, solved math problems live on “Ringvaade.” Meanwhile, ERR aired radio promos, and our banner prominently featured on their website.

We also reached out directly to schools through principals and math teachers. SEB Bank notified all its clients about the event, and word spread through personal networks. As the event approached, we issued press releases, and then the big day arrived: October 2.

Just before 10 a.m., when the “e-rehkendus” platform went live, President Alar Karis spoke on Vikerraadio, encouraging everyone to participate. The president’s endorsement was a major win and undoubtedly boosted participation. Within minutes of launch, the platform began receiving correct answers. By the end of the day, the results were staggering, over 10,000 participants had submitted their answers in just a few hours.

Results

Nearly 30,000 participants overall

11,019 submitted answers

Over 60 media mentions across national and local outlets

Lessons Learned

What could we do differently? First, we need to engage schools earlier, as many teachers and students didn’t hear about the challenge in time. Our PR strategy could also benefit from a broader range of spokespersons, including those who can discuss math’s relevance in various fields, such as the humanities and social sciences.

What’s Next? The “e-rehkendus” is not a one-time event. Math will remain important tomorrow, next year, and for decades to come. We’re committed to ensuring that math truly becomes Estonia’s second language. See you at the next event on October 9!

A Bonus Challenge for You: here’s a sample problem from the “e-rehkendus”, reflecting a second-grade level. Good luck solving it!

What time is it if the time remaining until the end of the day is four hours more than the time that has passed since the start of the day?

5 min read

Can what’s happening on agricultural fields captivate people beyond just farmers?

In short, the answer is yes — it can indeed, provided the right communication strategy is applied, impactful creative solutions are used, compelling stories and personalities are identified, and influencers who resonate with the target audience are involved. Our experience shows that thousands of Estonians, if not more, are interested in what happens in agricultural fields.

This summer, many traveling across the country may have noticed beautiful paintings by Estonian artists displayed along the edges of agricultural fields. Beyond being visually stunning and intriguing to compare with the actual fields, the project carried a deeper message about the vital role of agriculture in all our lives.

The META team worked with BASF and AD Angels to share Estonian farmers’ stories in the media and on social media.

Our activities in numbers:

The campaign ran from July to August, with PR activities carried out exclusively in July, lasting just one month;

Social media collaboration with one influencer;

Media outreach relied on one spokesperson;

Total of 18 media coverages;

17 different media outlets (local and national media, television, and radio);

Estimated earned media value: €52,510;

We reached approximately 440,000 people in total.

What did we do?

Since the paintings were displayed in seven different locations across Estonia, it provided an opportunity to engage both regional and national media.

The campaign generated 18 pieces of earned media coverage across 17 different channels in just one month. News about the paintings displayed along the edges of agricultural fields appeared online, in print, and on radio, and through a well-chosen spokesperson, even made it to television news. For context, Estonia has 15 counties, and most counties have their own local publication. This means that a significant portion of people in every region of Estonia learned about the paintings and, along with them, the activities happening in the fields.

The news stories primarily focused on the paintings, which in turn helped tell the story of crops and farmers — presenting agriculture in a way that could engage even those who might otherwise find the topic uninteresting.

Through 17 different channels, we reached nearly 400,000 people. This means the news, and the topic itself, reached almost as many people as the population of Tallinn.

Carefully selected spokespeople and influencers

One of the key figures of the campaign was Farmer Tõnis, a familiar name to many through social media. In addition to blogging, he shares his daily life on Instagram, where he has gathered nearly 12,000 followers. Tõnis is the first farmer in Estonia to bring the everyday life of a farmer to a remarkably large audience in the Estonian context through social media. What makes his content particularly engaging is his honest and humorous take on both successes and challenges, including failures.

Instead of focusing on the campaign’s goals as such, we approached the media through Tõnis’ personal story. Using his own genuine experiences, Tõnis highlighted the most important aspects of the campaign: what truly happens in the agricultural fields, the challenges farmers face, and what they think about most while working the farm fields. Farmer Tõnis shared his story with tens of thousands of viewers on TV3, helping to create a people-centered perspective on agriculture. Our goal was to inspire people driving past beautiful fields in the summer to reflect on the possible stories behind them.

Photo: Farmer Tõnis, Instagram @farmer.tonis

One of the campaign’s goals was to bring agriculture closer to Gen Z (born roughly between 1997 and 2010). This is the future generation in the broadest sense, with media consumption habits that differ from those of older generations. To reach and engage them in a way that would help them relate to an otherwise unfamiliar topic, we involved a second influencer—someone with no prior connection to agriculture—who could explore and present the topic in their channels with genuine curiosity and a sense of discovery.

We collaborated with Loora Liisa Leosk, known as looraxo. With 43,000 followers on Instagram, she is well-known among young people but has no direct connection to agriculture. Loora visited the paintings displayed near the fields and shared her experience on Instagram through one post and three stories. Her content reached nearly 40,000 people. For comparison, in the same month—July — the circulation of one of Estonia’s most-read newspapers, Õhtuleht, was 29,400.

Photo: Loora Liisa Leosk, Instagram @looraxo

The project was created in collaboration with BASF and the AD Angels team, with META providing communication support through Ann Hiiemaa, Mirjam Mäesalu, Janet Õunapuu, Merilyn Säde, and Anett Veske.

5 min read

How to Make Your Marketing Campaign Visible in the Media?

Rinnakiosk x META

Overview:

Media mentions: 17

Reach: 383,800 people

Goal: To strengthen the image of R-kiosk as a socially responsible brand that engages in activities with real impact.

Campaign background:

Rinnakiosk was a summer campaign by Reitan Convenience and the Estonian Health Insurance Fund (Tervisekassa). The creative idea was developed by AD Angels. The campaign aimed to raise awareness about the importance of early detection of breast cancer. In July and August, the R-kiosk at Pärnu Beach was transformed into the “Rinnakiosk” to highlight breast cancer awareness. A key factor in generating media interest for the marketing campaign was finding a newsworthy angle and using strategic communication to bring the issue into the public spotlight.

Challenge and Solution:

By listening to people and monitoring various social media channels, we realized that the Rinnakiosk and its location on Pärnu Beach had a provocative impact on the public.

Initially perceived as a challenge, we turned it to our advantage. This became the main message to amplify the campaign in the media. A traditional awareness campaign suddenly took on a new angle: Why does this approach seem provocative in 2024?

Using this information, we found a way to get the media talking about the topic by offering stories and angles that encouraged reflection and sparked discussions. The newsworthiness was not just in health awareness but also in the campaign and the societal attitudes it provoked, which interested journalists and opened up additional opportunities for extended interviews.

Goals:

1. Strengthening brand image: Present R-kiosk as a socially responsible brand that cares about health and its employees. We created a strong and straightforward message explaining why the company is running this campaign — over 90% of its employees are women, so this issue is important to them, and they want to draw attention to it. The message was concise and impactful.

2. Making the marketing campaign appealing to the media: The media always needs more than just information about a campaign. It requires a creative, value-added angle that generates as much media coverage as possible.

3. Raising awareness: Increase public awareness about breast cancer prevention and encourage people to go for regular health check-ups.

Actions:

• Launch event at Pärnu Beach: We organized a launch event where the Rinnakiosk was opened, and the campaign was introduced to journalists.

• Media engagement: Sharing press releases and photos from the launch event, offering interviews, and providing background information on the feedback received by the company regarding the campaign.

• Adjusting the media angle: Based on initial feedback, we adapted our communication strategy to emphasize why the provocative approach of Rinnakiosk raised questions in society. This allowed us to offer new perspectives to the media and secure more in-depth coverage.

Results:

• 17 media mentions, including interviews in both newspapers and radio.

• The campaign reached 383,800 people through media.

• At Pärnu Beach, 700 people scanned the QR code and reflected on their health.

4 min read

How to talk about a topic you don’t want to talk about?

The solution that will make Estonia’s economy thrive has always been sought, but many experts believe that solutions are in front of us. So how can we talk about bringing foreign talent, or foreign labour, to Estonia in public and do it in such a way that it is actually a driving force, not an exit force?

In November, we helped the Work in Estonia team organise a forum on foreign talent policy in Estonia, which focused on the ideas and needs of representatives of different professions and sectors regarding foreign talent policy for skilled labour. The result was a multifaceted, in-depth, substantive and enjoyable debate that was, above all, solution-oriented, spilling over into the media’s pages and society at large.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT SPEAKERS AND OPEN UP THROUGH STORIES

Generally, one key factor in communication always determines the sequence of events that follow – the story. Telling a story well and using the right spokespeople can make complex or challenging issues understandable. The subject must be told by experts in their field who have a broader view and believe in what they are saying. Perhaps most importantly, people need to have faith to talk about it – because if you don’t believe in what you are doing or talking about, why should others?

If you don’t believe in your actions, why should others?

To open up the sometimes complex topic of external lending policy, we brought in experts from various fields, from economics and employers to the health system, to speak at the Forum and discuss the issue. With their stories and concrete examples, all of these people painted a comprehensive picture of what is happening in Estonia’s external lending policy and what still needs to be fixed or happening, but for which there are high expectations.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT APPROACH

Stories are always best told by real people or companies with their real challenges and ideas. We focused our Forum communication entirely on content and stories. It is good to use the media to raise different perspectives and open up the problem and solutions for such socially important, multifaceted issues. To this end, the team and I took Estonia’s external lending policy apart:

In cooperation with the Work in Estonia team, we mapped out the different challenges of foreign lending policy and wanted to tell the story of Estonian foreign lending policy through these challenges;

According to the challenges (or even the joys), we mapped out the appropriate channels and publications to deliver the valuable content and story exclusively from the speakers.

To do this, it was necessary to engage with representatives from different sectors – primarily talented people themselves, but also family doctors, offshore wind farm developers, employers, businesses, people who deal with talent every day, etc. – and to listen to what the missing pieces of the puzzle are in external talent policy. Along with the gaps came the things that Estonia has done well, and we didn’t leave those unsaid either because they are part of the story.

FIND THE RIGHT MOMENT

It’s easy to say that you need to find the right moment to talk about something, but many things cannot be discussed at any given moment. There may not be the right moment to talk about anything at any given time because of events in the world or Estonian society.

When the state of the Estonian economy and the search for solutions is being discussed by politicians, experts, employers, various professional associations and people in social media spaces, it is clear that this is one of the topics people are interested in right now. Price rises and interest rate hikes have been just one part of what has got many people thinking more about the economy than before and has increased their interest in the subject more broadly. So, it was an opportune moment to bring the topic of external lending policy into the economic debate.

Otto Pukk, president of the electronics industry group Incap and chairman of the Estonian Electronics Industry Association council, told Delfi Ärilehe that if you want to be world-class, you need people with world-class skills. According to the OSKA report, Estonia needs 2,600 more ICT specialists yearly to maintain the current level. There is a shortage of talent in other areas, too.

**Coverage of the Estonian Foreign Lending Policy Forum.**

Both the general public interest in economic issues and the thought-provoking facts and stories that emerged after the Forum confirmed that it was the right moment to talk about external lending policy and the challenges it faces. There was a willingness and interest from representatives of different sectors, policy makers and the media.

What happened after the story was told?

As mentioned, the Forum opened a constructive and meaningful discussion that spilt over into the media and the pages of the press. The Vice-Chancellor of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications promised to make dealing with the immigration quota, together with the external migration policy in general, a goal of his term of office. The minister spoke about bringing foreign labour to Estonia and the need for Estonia to focus on foreign investment policy, especially in terms of a skilled labour force of talent.

Through the stories of people and companies, we reached the next and long-awaited level in the Estonian economy – finally, society is ready to talk about foreign labour and come up with the right solutions. On a positive note, a direction has also been taken to give substance to Estonia’s economic policy, including the external labour policy, and to take the next necessary steps.

media coverages analyzing the topic

speakers from different fields

powerful subject

= real change

Meta team

Merilyn Säde Senior Consultant

Urmas Vaino Trainer

3 min read

Driving Sustainability at Rally Estonia: KWOTA’s PR Triumph

Estonia has hosted Rally Estonia since 2010. This year, a startup called KWOTA collaborated with Rally Estonia to positively contribute to society by addressing the carbon footprint associated with this rally event.

The mission was simple: encourage as many rally-goers as possible to purchase tokens. By buying these tokens, fans lent their support to material producers, providing them with financial backing to prioritise recycled materials over virgin resources in their production of goods. This sustainable approach significantly reduces CO2 emissions by a minimum of 50%, aiding in the fight against climate change.

Goals

Traditionally, motorsports fans are often associated with a lack of environmental consciousness, mainly because of the sport they follow. So, we had a big task ahead of us: making our targeted audience care about the environmental campaign and raising their awareness of how they could reduce their own and their favourite sports event’s carbon footprint so it could also endure in the future. We had three weeks to take the most out of PR.

Objectives and strategy

The objectives we needed to focus on and complete in three weeks were as follows:

Raise awareness. Educate people about the purpose and benefits of carbon credit tokens, including where the money goes and how they contribute to Rally Estonia.
Facilitate purchasing. Encourage and guide individuals towards the buying process of carbon credit tokens, ensuring they take action to support the cause.

The campaign’s strategy was to engage and activate individuals by addressing the key question ’’Ready for the future?’’ and stating ’’Your contribution matters.’’. The underlying idea behind this message was to empower fans and give them a voice in shaping the event’s trajectory. By posing this question, the campaign aimed to prompt enthusiasts to reflect on their desire to see Rally Estonia thrive in the coming years. To translate this support into action, the campaign encouraged fans to contribute to carbon credit tokens that will compensate Rally Estonia and their carbon footprint, benefit small manufacturers in Estonia, and show that Rally Estonia fans belong at the top regarding cooperation and caring about sustainability.

Before launching the campaign, we needed to identify our target audience, their media preferences, and the most effective channels to reach them. After creating a profile of a rally sports fan, we determined that the most effective ways to engage with them were through radio and television or by offering participation rewards.

To capture people’s attention, we needed to find a strong spokesperson who shared the campaign’s values, was media-ready, and held significance for rally fans. Thanks to the strong relationship between KWOTA and Rally Estonia, we secured Urmo Aava as our spokesperson. Aava, a former Estonian rally driver with seven years of experience in the World Rally Championship, also serves as the director of Rally Estonia.

Results

During the three weeks, we focused on activities that delivered quick results and had the most significant possible positive impact on the company. The strategy we developed took us to rally fans with a clear message that appealed to their community and raised awareness of the partnership in the international motorsport media. For example, a story by renowned sports journalist Reiner Kuhn on KWOTA in the World Rally Championships (WRC) news will still be published in December.

media coverage in Estonia

stories in the international media

reaching more than 200K

people through the media

Meta team

Lily Mägi Consultant

Annabret Helena Järv Assistant

Video author: KWOTA. Link to the video on their YouTube channel here.

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