The old-school Finnish name “Ukko” (could be translated as “an Old Man”) of the MEP candidate has been the all over the web and streets of cities. Despite the long career in politics and EU-positions, Ukko wasn’t a known character in Finnish politics two months ago. Now, after an intensive marketing campaign Ukko is the fourth or fifth most popular Coalition Party member in the latest polls, and possibly a new MEP on Sunday.

Three campaign success factors: 1) Biggest support team in Finland, consisting of young and enthusiastic people, 2) Active utilization of a social media ecosystem: website, blog, videoblog, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, geolocation map etc. 3) High quality advertising in city centers.

Disclaimer: I’ve been involved in the marketing planning and I’m voting for Ukko.