We caught up with Nordic Marketing Manager, Tuomas Lonka, to find out what’s been going on and why he thinks a customer’s interaction with a brand should always be an experience.
Tuomas is the man in charge of shaping marketing campaigns and PR activity across the Nordics – from Norway to Sweden, Latvia to Lithuania, and of course, Finland. When he’s not working, he’s normally balancing a healthy love for sport with his passion for music production and DJing.
Sadly he didn’t play us any tunes during the interview.
What do you think makes good marketing at the moment?
“So many things. But I think it’s really important to give people the chance to interact with our products and give the developers access to the audience for their services. Good marketing should always be an experience, whatever format it takes.
Our recent Angry Birds tournament in Finland is a great example of this. You see young kids as young as 5 or 6 just picking up the Nokia N8 and instinctively knowing how to use it – it’s amazing. And they’re getting involved because they’re having fun. The new generation is just so in-tune with technology that it makes our jobs as marketers really interesting going forward.”
What do you think we’ll be seeing more of in the future?
“I’m personally really excited about the many opportunities we have to reach people across all channels – not just digital. We have so many possibilities for what we can bring to the audience and the way we engage them.
This is particularly true when you think about the blending of the physical and virtual worlds – especially in gaming. We’re also seeing motion sensor manipulation having an impact on retail marketing. And it’s exciting – we can allow people to really interact with high-quality products and services from all angles, whether it’s instore or through the screen of their TV, PC or mobile.”
How did the idea for the Angry Birds tournament come about?
“Nokia has worked with Rovio for a long time, and Angry Birds is riding high at the moment. Both parties really wanted to make something of that and share it with the audience. The search for a champion player was suggested and it just seemed to fit.
Importantly, the roadshow gave us a perfect opportunity to get people hands-on with the Nokia N8, and really allow them to play the game, find their own way around the phone and enjoy themselves.
And the great thing was people’s willingness to just get involved and have a go.”
What’s next?
“Many things I can’t tell you about, but all very exciting. Obviously ongoing collaboration with existing and new partnerships. And, the success of our search for an Angry Birds champion has created some real buzz, so we will also be looking to take that show to other countries around the world.
“Keep your eyes peeled and your gaming fingers limber.”
A great brand experience can be anything from a good video, to a live tournament or maybe even a blog post (we hope!). And Nokia is pushing to deliver the best experience at every turn.
Exciting times ahead we’re sure you’ll agree.