My portfolio.
Brand builder and creative strategist
What I do better than anyone
Introduction
Hi – I’m Kerkko. I’m a brand professional & creative strategist on a mission to build enduring brands.
I have extensive experience in leading the strategic and creative efforts of global B2B and B2C brands. This mix of strategy and creativity and industries has taught me how to go from overarching vision to nitty-gritty details of execution – a core talent when building enduring brands. It has also given me a unique understanding of contemporary creative language and what audiences expect from brands.
I have a solid track record of creating long-term business opportunities and mentoring advertising professionals.
One of my greatest strengths is the ability to connect signals into actionable insights. It has helped me consult my clients on trends and best practices.
Formerly a strategy lead and social media expert at Wunderman Thompson, I am currently employed by the brand agency Bou.
SOME OF THE BRANDS I’VE WORKED WITH
Nokia, Telia, thisisFINLAND, Finnair, Huawei, Outokumpu, Seriously, Vaasan, Saarioinen, Marabou, LEGO, Lambi, the City of Helsinki
The best of both worlds
Social media has played a major role in my career. My TV work was a precursor to today’s live streams. As a journalist, I covered the rise of social media platforms. And when I joined the creative advertising industry, social media became my specialty.
Being a social media specialist didn’t mean just one competency. You need to understand strategy, conceptual thinking, copywriting, design and analytics – as well as know how to lead a client.
This diversity has helped me grow into a brand-building expert who has a unique capability of marrying strategic goals with creative ambitions – the best of both worlds.
I like to say I’m pretty good at a lot of things, but together, those skills make me a damn good brand and advertising professional.
Where I’ve been
Bou
Brand Lead, Creative Strategy, Marketing
Current position
Wunderman Thompson
Strategy Lead
01-11/2021
Nokia
Social Media Lead (team extension)
09/18–12/20
Nokia
Brand licensing manager (team extension)
07/17–03/18
Wunderman Thompson
Social Media Lead
07/17–12/20
Wunderman Thompson
Senior Social Media Manager
02/15–06/17
Isobar Finland
Community Manager
08/11–02/15
MTV3 News / Radio Nova
Journalist, radio & online
11/08–05/11
MTV3 Interactive
TV host & director
06/06–02/09
What I’ve done
thisisFINLAND
Impressive audience growth and engagement rates – with a purely organic strategy that definitely made Finland the quirkiest country on Instagram.
Nokia
Some highlights from my longest and most extensive collaboration: creating the global social media strategy & style guide, establishing collaboration models with brand licensees, and managing campaigns for key industry audiences.
Precisely
I created the brand platform and led the visual identity renewal for the Swedish contract management platform that sets a new standard for digital contracting.
Vaasan
Our creative strategy quickly resulted in the highest audience sentiment rate the brand had ever seen. What a tasty collaboration.
Recommendations
Here are some kind words from people I’ve worked with.
“Reliable, constructive, and brimming with creativity, Kerkko knows just how to lead large organizations out of their comfort zone and into the world of social media. A writer at heart, Kerkko brings clarity and order out of the chaos. In fact, it’s very rare indeed to find a writer with the skills and attention to detail that Kerkko possesses – in both English and Finnish! Oh, and he just happens to be a lot of fun to work with as well.”
Conrad Rasmussen | Head of Experience at Wunderman Thompson UK
“I believe that a great leader is more of a mentor than a commander. Someone who gives you guidance when you need it and pushes you when you’re standing still. Someone who you can always turn to when you’re feeling lost. Kerkko was my boss for 4,5 years and in that time I grew from a naive kid with silly ideas to a true professional with silly ideas. He is a true leader full of compassion and creativity, traits which extend to everyone he’s working with.”
Henri Kärjä | Marketing specialist at Vattenfall
“It has been a pleasure to work under Kerkko’s supervision as a part of the social media and content team at Mirum Agency. He is always very constructive, professional, diligent, and encouraging. Along with a great sense of humor, he also sports a great visual eye. I can recommend him for pretty much anything social media-related, but also for the development of creative concepts and coaching young talent.”
Stefani Kirilova | Creative Strategist at Troot
“Some of your ideas made sense to me.”
Anonymous client feedback
Get in touch
Feel free to send a message or connect with me on LinkedIn.