City of Vantaa
Innovative Vantaa – the strategy that generated pure excitement
The need
We worked as the communications partner of the City of Vantaa in launching and disseminating the strategy for the city council's 2022–2025 term. Our goal was to create communications materials that would acquaint the residents with the main focus points of the strategy and inspire them to develop their city.
The main target groups for the strategy communications were the municipal organisation as well as current and potential Vantaa residents.
The solution
A solid foundation for strategy visualisation
We started the collaboration by verbalising the vision and summarising the hefty strategy package. Our goal was to condense the city strategy into an easily understandable and engaging form. Once we had a solid foundation, we created a strategy visualisation that introduced Vantaa's vision, values and the six main focus points in a clear and inspiring manner.
Finally we provided the city's strategy presenters, municipal personnel and media staff with materials for the strategy launch and dissemination. The package included a video animation, a PowerPoint presentation, brochures for both residents and media, social media postings and a Teams background image.
Crystal clear strategy
The lead character in the visualisation brings together multiculturalism, openness and courage as well as respect for nature and the equality of people. Elements of the visualisation can also be used separately in strategy communications as emblems for the main focus points.
Launch and public engagement
In January 2022, the city held a launch where the strategy visualisation and video acted as attention grabbers and the materials communicated the strategy story in a straightforward fashion. Engaging the personnel continued according to the plans of the city's communications department.
As part of the external strategy implementation, Vantaa organised an innovation competition to inspire residents to develop their home town. For the competition, we created a visual look and communications materials aligned with the city strategy.
We also set foot in the city and asked the residents how they would wish to develop their living environment. Posted in social media, the interview videos brought forth ideas that would steer the competition participants towards innovations with the most meaningful impact for the residents. The best ideas were rewarded at the Innovation Festival, which also celebrated Vantaa's European Rising Innovation City Award.
The results
The strategy picture that came to life
The bold and down-to-earth strategy picture evoked the various municipal service branches to put their own roles in realising the strategy into visual form. This started the implementation of the strategy within the branches and connected their actions to the citywide goals. The strategy is now visible in daycare centres, the city planning department as well as, for example, the Resource Wise Roadmap.
"We liked the visualisations so much that we had transfer tattoos made for the staff."
- 10/10Customer satisfaction
The results
The competition that sparked a plethora of ideas
The innovation competition turned out to be a hit with the people of Vantaa: the city had received 174 development ideas by October 2022.
"When Valve created Vantaa's strategy package, complete with visualisations, in just a few weeks and exactly as we'd agreed, I thought 'wow', you can trust this agency. Since then everything was always gone as agreed, within schedules and budgets, and the end products have been exactly what was briefed and wished for."
Mari Kalmari
Director of Communications
City of Vantaa
