The City of Helsinki’s Operation: Make Pamela a Hyytiäinen campaign won the Best Communication Strategy: Place Brand category last week at the City Nation Place Global Awards 2026 in London. Furthermore, the campaign was recognised at the Finnish Comms Awards 2026 as the best B2C Communications Campaign and the Advocacy Campaign of the Year.
Inspired by an interview with Actor Pamela Anderson in the December 2025 issue of Vogue Scandinavia, the campaign also won the Kultahuippu (gold prize) award at the Vuoden Huiput 2025 creative design competition and was awarded in the Kampanjat (campaigns) and Liikkuva kuva (moving image) categories. In the interview, Anderson said she wanted to take back her Finnish surname, Hyytiäinen. Helsinki responded to the news by writing Anderson an open letter and inviting the star to the city.
This gave rise to an exceptional campaign: while it was aimed directly at just one person, its purpose was to generate wider international interest in Helsinki. The aim of the campaign was to reach new audiences, raise Helsinki’s international profile and reinforce a positive image of the city.
The campaign was carried out by Helsinki Partners, a group company responsible for the City of Helsinki’s international communications and marketing, in collaboration with the advertising agency United Imaginations.
International recognition boosts the city’s vitality
Increasing international recognition of the city is one of Helsinki’s strategic objectives. It strengthens the city’s vitality, appeal and growth, and is reflected in things such as the interest shown in Helsinki by tourists, businesses and investors.
“Helsinki is competing for international attention with many larger and better-known cities. We need bold and distinctive ways to raise Helsinki’s profile on the world stage. Raising the city’s profile helps to boost its appeal as a tourist destination, a city for events, and a place to live, work and do business," says Chief Communications Officer Liisa Kivelä from the City of Helsinki.
“According to the latest income and employment impact assessments of tourism, foreign tourists brought 717 million euros to Helsinki last year. Tourism and the associated service and events sectors are also major employers for the people of Helsinki. Increasing Helsinki’s international reputation and appeal actually benefits us, the people of Helsinki, in many ways.”
Pamela campaign drums up widespread international media coverage
The campaign video for Operation: Make Pamela a Hyytiäinen campaign received over a million views on MyHelsinki’s Instagram account, and the post brought the channel more than 4,000 new followers. Pamela Anderson’s sons also shared the video on their own channels.
Paid advertising reached 3.99 million people, generating 8.26 million impressions and 1.49 million ThruPlay views.
A total of 285 editorial articles about the campaign were published around the world, with an estimated total reach of 527 million. In addition to this, the campaign was featured in 61 international social media posts, with a combined reach of 10.1 million.
The campaign was featured, amongst other places, on a national television programme on the CBC, as well as in international travel, culture and marketing media.
Campaign reinforces Helsinki’s image
The impact of the campaign on Helsinki’s image was assessed retrospectively through a survey. In New York, 57 per cent of respondents, and in London, 66.8 per cent of respondents, said that the campaign had made their impression of Helsinki more positive.
Operation: Make Pamela a Hyytiäinen has won awards in national and international competitions:
- Vuoden Huiput 2025: Kultahuippu, Kampanjat and Kultahuippu, Liikkuva kuva
- Finnish Comms Awards 2026: Communications Campaign, B2C and Grand Prix, Advocacy Campaign of the Year
- City Nation Place Global Awards 2026: Best Communication Strategy: Place Brand