Trendi & Lily - kaksi loistavaa on liittynyt yhteen - Ad Analysis
AI Editor notes
Straight from the gut!!
“For 2013, this is a gutsy move. Framing a media merger as a lesbian wedding is a statement. It's beautiful and memorable, but it's also banking entirely on emotion and borrowed cultural weight. Does it explain what the new 'Trendi & Lily' actually is? Not really. It's a classic case of brand-as-activist, which can be powerful, but also risks feeling like the message is disconnected from the actual product—a magazine and a blog site.”
Quick Summary
This campaign announces the merger of two Finnish women's media platforms, Trendi magazine and the Lily blog portal, by courageously framing the corporate partnership as a beautiful, same-sex wedding. [4, 5] It sacrifices product-level explanation for a powerful, culturally resonant statement on female unity and progressive values, using the tagline "United State of Women" to anchor the idea.
Executive Summary
This 2013 campaign from Finnish media house A-lehdet is a strategically bold piece of communication designed to announce the union of its Trendi magazine and Lily online community. [4, 8] Instead of a conventional ad detailing the benefits of the merger, it presents a purely emotional, aspirational narrative. The core insight is that for its audience, the union of two beloved media brands isn't a business transaction; it's a deeply personal and cultural event that can be celebrated like a marriage.
The execution follows a simple but powerful narrative arc focused on building emotion. The setup is an ethereal, dreamlike scene. We see two women, styled as brides, in a tender, intimate moment. The high-key lighting, soft focus, and romantic piano score immediately establish a mood of love and celebration, grabbing the viewer's attention with its beauty and ambiguity. The turn, or central action, is the long, passionate kiss. By holding on this moment, the ad builds emotional weight and transforms from a pretty picture into a statement. In 2013, this was a particularly potent image, tapping directly into the cultural conversation around LGBTQ+ rights and equality. The payoff arrives with the on-screen text: 'trendi ♡ lily' followed by the tagline 'UNITED STATE OF WOMEN'. This reveal re-contextualizes the entire film: the 'wedding' is between the two brands. The final call-to-action, directing viewers to a website to share their own 'kiss photo' for a chance to win diamond rings, is a smart way to translate the broadcast emotion into direct, user-generated participation. [2, 3]
The debrief for the creative team is that taking a calculated risk on a culturally charged issue can pay massive dividends for brand awareness. This ad is not about the features of a magazine or a website; it's about what the brand stands for. By aligning with values of love, inclusivity, and female solidarity, Trendi & Lily positioned themselves not just as media providers, but as cultural leaders for their community. The campaign created an identity and a feeling, which is often more durable and powerful than any product feature.
Theme Keywords
Brand Position
The cultural and emotional center for modern, progressive Finnish women.
Brand Archetype
The Lover
Creative Game Plan
Dramatize our corporate merger as a beautiful and culturally significant wedding to create an unforgettable emotional statement about unity.
Diagnosis: Issues & Solutions
Primary Issue: Strategic Sense
The Problem:
The primary weakness is the abstract connection between the creative metaphor (a wedding) and the business reality (a media merger). The ad relies entirely on the audience's prior knowledge of the two brands and their ability to interpret the symbolism. To an uninformed viewer, it's a beautiful but confusing film with no clear product.
The Solution:
A single, brief line of copy after the brand reveal, such as 'Finland's leading voices for women, now one,' could have grounded the abstract concept in a tangible benefit without compromising the emotional tone.
Secondary Issue: Clarity of "What's Next?"
The Problem:
The call to action drives users to a contest, which is effective for short-term engagement but misses an opportunity to onboard users to the newly combined media experience. The goal became 'win rings' instead of 'explore our new world.'
The Solution:
The contest landing page should have been deeply integrated with content from both Trendi and Lily, ensuring that users who came for the contest were immediately exposed to the core product.
Additional Notes
Credits
Share this Analysis
More Trendi & Lily ad breakdowns
- Step into the adventure with Sky Movies this ChristmasSky Movies
- The Sun - Big Holidays for Small ChangeThe Sun
- Lost Votes – An Initiative by The Times of IndiaThe Times of India
- God Only Knows - BBC MusicBBC Music
- BBC One: Sprout BoyBBC One
- Libero Football Magazine / #TouchYourFootballsLíbero Football Magazine
- BBC Radio 4: 4 in FourBBC Radio 4
- The Sun - Get Holiday Ready - Grey LondonThe Sun