Can 13 images actually tell us more than millions of words?
Finland's leading newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat, highlighted important social issues and quality journalism with a poster-based campaign, where augmented reality turned words into poster art and experiences to engage the Finns.
| Client | Helsingin Sanomat |
| Agency | TBWA\Helsinki |
| Production | Helsingin Sanomat & Arilyn |
| Awards | INMA Global Media Awards - 2nd place - Best idea to encourage print readership or engagement |
Helsingin Sanomat asked 12 top artists and IBM's "Watson" AI to create posters of its most in-depth and high-quality articles. The only guideline given to the artists was that the work should be built utilising the iconic outline of the HS logo. The artists and Watson turned the millions of words of the articles into 13 pieces of art, enhanced with AR.
The posters decorated the streets of Helsinki as an urban outdoor exhibition. The artwork was also printed in the newspaper and displayed at various art exhibitions and public events. When scanned with the Arilyn app, the posters came to life, cycling seamlessly through the individual art pieces and giving a deeper look into how the artists interpreted the themes.
Augmented reality makes it possible for art pieces such as these to present to the viewer the inspiration and motivation behind the artwork and display an entire gallery of work from a single starting point, right alongside the original art.
As a result of this campaign, the number of Helsingin Sanomat subscribers grew for the first time in 25 years. The campaign reached over 11 million people, who loved the artwork, and many of them purchasing the posters presented.
TBWA\Helsinki and Helsingin Sanomat created the concept, the individual artists made the artwork and Arilyn animated and produced the AR presentations.