200M+ views on Social Media and 1B+ earned TV coverage for Rovaniemi
Waitan/Nordic Friend strengthened recognition of Rovaniemi as the Official Hometown of Santa Claus among Chinese audiences. The campaign generated more than 200 million social media views and an estimated earned television reach of 1.6 billion.
About Rovaniemi
Rovaniemi is the capital of Finnish Lapland and is located on the Arctic Circle. Visit Rovaniemi, the city’s tourism board, wanted to strengthen awareness in China of Rovaniemi as the Official Hometown of Santa Claus.
The Campaign
We used Santa Claus’s global recognition and social media storytelling to raise awareness of Rovaniemi as the Official Hometown of Santa Claus. The campaign included several livestreams and an online wish-making platform that encouraged Chinese social media users to share their wishes using the hashtag #checkinginxmas.
Using Weibo as the campaign’s primary channel, Waitan/Nordic Friend secured verified personal-account status for @SantaClausOfficial, an unusual achievement for a fictional character.
10MChinese Reached in 30 Days
1.6BReached Through Earned TV
200MViews for #checkinginxmas
Results
After four years of account management in partnership with Visit Rovaniemi, @SantaClausOfficial had more than 224,000 followers on Weibo, making the campaign the most successful digital campaign for the city of Rovaniemi.
The campaign attracted interest from Chinese media. One major result was a 20-minute Rovaniemi-themed segment produced by CCTV-4, featuring Nordic Friend CEO Rixin Jiang introducing Rovaniemi and Santa Claus to a broader Chinese audience.
The account continued to gain followers, and users tagged @SantaClausOfficial when sharing their experiences in Rovaniemi. Its visibility also attracted collaboration opportunities with major Chinese companies, including Alibaba.
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