Presidents Putin and Trump are known for their critical stance towards the free press. As they held their first official summit in Helsinki on the 16th of July 2018 Helsingin Sanomat had the opportunity to remind the visiting leaders about the role of the value of free press.

The paper created an outdoor campaign that targeted the two presidents directly as they drove from the airport to the summit. The three possible routes the presidents could take were taken over by 300 billboards containing the newspaper’s actual headlines that dealt with both presidents’ relationship with the free media. They were accompanied by the tagline “Mr. President, welcome to the land of free press”.

The stunt was reported widely in traditional and social media generating more than a billion impressions and a worldwide discussion about the importance of free press. “The Land of Free Press was a timely reminder of how endangered press freedom is worldwide”, wrote The Economist.