The city should be heard and seen

Imatra made a rare decision at the beginning of 2017 when it separated the city's marketing and communication.

The decision was strategically significant. With the same European investment, you can now get more.

One spark of the change was that Ukonniemi's big investments will not pay off if they are not marketed. The new theater and later Kulttuuritalo Virta needed the same effect.

Communication was invested

Marketing and communication are often thought of as the same thing, but they are two different fields and require different skills.

─- The purpose of marketing is to sell Imatra outside the city. The task of communication is to inform about Imatra's services, decisions and their backgrounds. That's why it's good to keep the functions separate, Mayor Kai Roslakka says.

In recent years, the communications team has been able to focus on its core mission and at the same time encourage the townspeople to participate. Communication must meet the law's requirement for transparency. For this reason, the communications director is involved in the city board and the group's management team.

Today, the city's communication is done clearly more and through multiple channels.

─- The results are constantly monitored based on customer feedback and the number of visitors to websites and social media, Director of Communications Liisa Hupli-Oinonen says.

Non-profit sales company

Marketing and sales require agility. For this, marketing was incorporated. Imatra Base Camp Oy (IBC) was born.

- So our work is not just marketing. We have a strong sales perspective, CEO of IBC Jukka Aallikko says.

The purpose is to make arriving at Imatra and using the services as easy as possible.

- We are a non-profit company operating with funds allocated by the city. From us, the good is distributed to the actors in the region and we do not act as anyone's competitor but as a support, Aallikko clarifies.

There are not many similar public sector companies in Finland.

Renewal continues

Of course, IBC and the city's communications team cooperate a lot. Discussions take place almost every day, for example, about the city's brand and various content marketing campaigns. One of last year's campaigns was to publicize the renewed school network. Story-like advertisements were published in Helsingin Sanomat, Suomen Kuvalehti, Ilta-Sanom and Etelä Saimaa, among others.

What about in the future?

- We will continue to market the city's strengths, raise the Imatra brand and take into account the needs of tourists even better. In the future, we will focus more on sports and sports tourism marketing and will continue to work closely with clubs, says Aallikko.

Communication focuses on quality.

- Corona has taught us that video production and online services must be in order, because they can be used to deliver many municipal services, Hupli-Oinonen states.

Both communication and marketing are fields that divide opinions. The feedback is sometimes a bit too much.

- Feedback has been received and we will continue to receive it in the future. Constructive feedback is always welcome, Aallikko states.