Campaign Planning and Media Relations

Former colleagues Mikko Tikander and Marju Lökström met for coffee in the spring of 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic had created more room in their schedules, and both were wondering whether they could use some of that newly available time to support a cause of real social significance.

The pair discussed current societal trends. As a result of the pandemic, more people were spending time outdoors than ever before, but their outdoor recreation and fire-making skills were not always at the level required. At the same time, climate change and increasingly dry conditions were raising the risk of wildfires in Finland. Also fresh in their minds was the 2021 Kalajoki wildfire, which caused millions of euros in damage and is suspected to have been started by a discarded cigarette.

A few days later, Mikko T. sent Marju a message saying that her idea for a wildfire prevention campaign had stayed with him. Together, they began considering potential partners, a more specific target audience, and the best approach for the campaign.
Looking for inspiration, they explored similar initiatives from around the world and came across the character Smokey Bear.

The longest-running campaign in the history of the Ad Council, Smokey Bear and his famous warning, “Only You Can Prevent Wildfires,” were introduced to Americans in 1944.
More than 70 years later, Smokey Bear still serves as the face of the campaign.

At this stage, copywriter and concept designer Mikko Huurre was invited to join the discussions. In early June 2022, he wrote: “Käpy palaa!” Those two words sparked the idea of two squirrel friends, Vili and Veli, and their adventures. Vili is a careless little rascal who has singed his ear tufts more than once through reckless use of fire. Veli, on the other hand, is the smart and responsible older-brother type who constantly tries to keep Vili out of trouble. Yet time and again he finds himself saying: “Vili, mulla palaa käpy sun kanssa!”