Craft winning campaigns with one of Finland's most loved social media brands
As an Englishman living in Finland, I bring a fresh perspective to Finnish culture, reaching an average of 15+ million monthly viewers across six social platforms. My Very Finnish Problems social channels, with nearly 1.3 million followers, attracts diverse audiences including prime ministers, presidents, and sports stars. Featured in global publications like The Sunday Times, Washington Post, Bild and Cosmopolitan, I've also written two best-selling VFP books. In short, VFP content is a vibrant mix of videos, stories, memes, infographics, and podcasts, making it an excitingly unique and effective platform for reaching audiences both in Finland and internationally.
Meet the man behind Very Finnish Problems
Joel Willans Creator of Very Finnish Problems
Moi! I'm Creative Director at Ink Tank Media and a best-selling author. In the last 15 years I've crafted digital marketing campaigns and content strategies for organisations as diverse as Nokia, Microsoft, Moomin, Fiskars, YLE, Rovio, Reima, Business Finland, Duolingo, L'Oreal, Amazon Prime and the European Parliament.
Leading influencer marketing platform, Klear, ranks my engagement and audience quality as "outstanding"
If a building becomes architecture, then it is art
Some companies I've worked with
What people say about VFP and working together
Joel's "The world's happiest word" campaign concept to launch Duolingo in Finland was brilliant. We aimed for 10k downloads and got over 50K! The execution with VFP worked amazingly and the engagement was way way more than we ever expected. Great work!
Colin Watkins
Director, Marketing, Communications and Partnerships - Duolingo
"Look at these numbers and be amazed...Very Finnish Problems caught my eye last year because it generates huge engagement beating practically any Finnish rivals. And more importantly, the growth is organic."
Kalle Pirhonen
Audience Editor at Yle
Joel came up with and idea to promote and brand Tampere as Sauna Capital of the World, via Very Finnish Problems and it did really well. The content engaged huge numbers of people. Joel's relaxed attitude and attention to our needs made him very easy to work with. The greatest part was how easy was to collaborate and gain suggestions. Then we just let Joel do his magic.
Olga Javits
Marketing and Communications at Visit Tampere
It was very pleasant and easy to work with Ink Tank Media and Joel on our Very Finnish Problems' campaign. The team delivered exactly what they promised and the whole process was easy going yet professional. Thank you for helping the first ever LIFT Helsinki Festival to find its audience!
Maria Ainamo-McDonald
Social Media Manager at LIFT Helsinki
Our collaboration produced great results thanks to our excellent working relationship. Joel is a master at social, flexible and creative. He really puts his heart into everything he does. It's been a privilege to get to know him and great to work together!
Juha Lauhamaari
Marketing Manager at Sports Tracker
"Very Finnish Problems engagement is comparable to that of Helsingin Sanomat. Finnish people are fond of reading about how they are viewed in the world, especially when it's favourable, and content written in English carries a novelty and weight."
Steve El-Sharawy
Head of Innovation at EzyInsights
"Finland is perceived as a well-functioning place...but we lack on the fun-side. So I especially welcome endeavours, like Very Finnish Problems, that work to tell the everyday story of Finland from a funny point-of-view."
Petra Theman
Director of Public Diplomacy at Ministry of Foreign Affairs
"Very Finnish Problems was the perfect brand match with Oddlygood. We carried out a fun collaboration on 'Finland's oddest coffee habits' to promote our new Ice Ice Coffees. Working with Joel was very smooth and enjoyable, and the final posts had a great engagement rate!"
Rosa Soisalo
Social Media Manager at Oddlygood
My promise
Creative that delivers
I've 15 years experience coming up with creative campaigns that engage, educate and entertain. I know exactly what it takes to come up with creative that delivers.
Organic reach that wins
It's harder than ever to gain organic reach on social channels. I can guarantee you'll reach a set number of people every campaign.
Results that wow
Time after time my collaborations generate results well beyond expectations. If you're ready for better engagement, greater brand awareness and deliverables that matter, I can help.