Zalando is a leading international online platform for fashion and lifestyle products. The company has previously invested heavily in marketing in Finland, but there hasn’t been much focus on PR efforts, and local media contacts were missing. Additionally, communications were managed  from Germany, leading to minimal local relevance.

Zalando aimed to strengthen its position in the Nordic markets and to enhance its corporate communications. The goal was to increase visibility for the company’s global messages.

Strategy & actions

The strategy involved identifying suitable target media and key journalists in Finland, competitors in the Finnish market, relevant events, and annual trends within the industry. We translated and localized the company’s global messages, targeting key journalists to increase local relevance. Proactively, we proposed new and intriguing media angles and events for Zalando to consider, strengthening its position in the Finnish market.

Through active media monitoring, we closely monitored industry events and competitors’ movements in Finland. We compiled a comprehensive competitor and industry analysis on a weekly basis, translating the most relevant hits into English for the client. We provided in-depth insights into market dynamics, aiding our client in responding swiftly to changes.

We built and maintained strong relationships with key media outlets and journalists. Active engagement with the media helped our client maintain visibility and strengthened their position in the industry.

We localized and distributed targeted press releases tailored to directly appeal to the Finnish market. This ensured that our client’s communication was not only effective but also locally meaningful and comprehensible.

Results

As a result of our collaboration, Zalando’s reputation has remained strong, and we managed to avoid major media crises, partly due to establishing good and open relationships with key media outlets. A notable achievement was the participation in local events, such as SLUSH 2023, a significant step in reinforcing the company’s thought leadership in Finland.

“JMW, Kompas, Involve and Ahjo have been partners of choice when we started working together in 2020. We have achieved important milestones in the Nordics thanks to our great collaboration. I am very thankful for having had you by my side – especially after taking over the entire region – and I want to give a big thank you to all of you for the support over the last 4 years“

-Anne Vibe Hansen, Corporate Communications Manager in the Nordics, Zalando