Hello! My name is Kerstin and I would like to share my experience on what has inspired me to study marketing.

Three years ago, when I arrived in Finland, I was already aware of all sorts of plant milk alternatives there are and had tried a lot of them, but after living here for a little while one specific brand caught my eye. How and why? With their outstanding approach on marketing. Their billboard poster slogan “It’s like milk but made for humans” might make clear that I am talking about the one and only “Oatly”. Since then, I have not only enjoyed their products but also their genius way of advertising them.

Oatly is an oat milk brand from Sweden which not only made its way into many people’s hearts but also into the media with their straightforward and different marketing strategy and conquering the world all the way to America and recently even China. Oatly’s very confident CEO Toni Petersson tells in an interview with “The Times Magazine” that: “The world needs companies like us because we’re making impossible things happen.” and “That’s the beautiful thing about what we do. The more we sell, the better it is for our planet and people.” John Schoolcraft the CCO says that the strategy to plaster cartons with mini essays, quirky facts, and even lonely-heart adverts for people in the office works because it makes people pick it up. Oatly had their breakthrough in 2015 after loosing the case when a Swedish dairy industry sued them for their “Milk, but made for humans”
slogan and received a lot of attention. But their real breakthrough in the world with their contrarian way of marketing came when their advertising clip was played at the Super Bowl, showing Petersson on a piano in a field singing “Wow, wow, no cow, no, no, no”.

Those are not the only things Oatly does for marketing. They create good vibes on social media with pep talk, facts, oat-based life hacks and more. They also use negative feedback and the CO2 emissions made in the process on their products and try to inspire change. They connect with their audience and have started a project showing all kinds of individuals doing good for the planet and local communities. With their “Hei Barista!” product Oatly is aiming to reach professionals and small businesses looking for alternatives to dairy.

Another aspect of their marketing strategy is producing advertising that is making fun of
advertising. They are serious about their cause, but never 100% serious with their methods. What makes them so likeable is that even though they are growing, they are open about what it takes to create their products and furthermore make you feel good. Being highly professional and cool at the same time makes Oatly’s marketing so unique. Now besides their awesome marketing, they also make delicious products I enjoy on a regular basis and am glad to find in our cafeteria at Metropolia Business School Myyrmäkki campus as well.
Oatly as a company and their different way of advertisement definitely became my role model in how I want to work in marketing in the future and make the world a better place.