Transparent Lobbying: The Next Leap for Agencies

Status quo challenged

Finland’s biggest retail chain, S Group, wants Finnish consumers to benefit from more affordable medicines, better opening hours and new pharmacy services. That’s why it recently kicked off a radically different lobbying campaign in downtown Helsinki with its agency partner United Imaginations. The gutsy move to build a model pharmacy in the heart of the city asked a serious question, why shouldn't the Finnish pharmacy market be open to all who meet the requirements? How would the competition benefit the consumer?

At the beginning of April, Finland will hold parliamentary elections, after which the new government will take up the matter. If the pharmacy monopoly is overturned, Finland joins the group of European countries, where qualified pharmacists and retail chains can compete freely in an open yet regulated marketplace.

A new direction

“The monopoly on sales of medicine in Finland has a long history, so overturning it is without a doubt a bitter pill for some and a welcome alternative for many,” said Jyrki Poutanen, creative director and founding member of United Imaginations.

The agency, for its part, wanted to help S Group to find a new way to influence the conversation surrounding the sales of prescription and over-the-counter medicine in Finland. “S Group decided to be totally open with lobbying. No hiding behind gimmicky messages, no hush hush about their purpose. They wanted to be completely open about their role in the conversation.” S Group also wanted to focus on the chain’s strengths, as well as champion a nation-wide campaign about the advantages of a monopoly-free pharmacy market in Finland.

As planned, the public could look directly into the prototype pharmacy and draw their own conclusions about the pros and cons of doing things differently. “Lobbying is seen as suits talking to suits behind closed doors. S Group wanted to go up against this cliché and rethink what lobbying could be in a modern society open to debate and new perspectives,” said Jyrki. “It was a big leap for the agency. We were taking our knowledge of experiential marketing into a new domain and putting ourselves on the line.

No risk, no reward

While marketing is often the object of ridicule, lobbying comes with a different set of risks. An unfortunate uppercase letter error in the model pharmacy’s promotional material sparked a fierce debate in Finnish media, with one side arguing supermarkets have no business selling any type of medicine.

The mistake was fixed immediately, but the genie was out. In one night, the model pharmacy was headline news in Finland. If people before knew nothing about the issues regarding the current pharmacy ownership regulation, they were now passionate about it and wanted to have a say in it, which was a huge positive. The next challenge is to shift the conversation away from a typo and talk about how consumers stand to gain from a more open and competitive pharmacy market in Finland.

Despite the risks involved in taking a side in contested issues, the team sees a clear opportunity for creative agencies committed to transparency and ethical lobbying. “Value creation is about understanding environmental, social, and governance concerns. No wonder companies are looking to work with people who can bring a new kind of openness and creativity to the conversation,” said Jyrki. “And when you are clear about your purpose, the reward is always greater than the risk.”