Situation:

Our consumption life style is eating away on our planet. CO2 levels are record high and the arctic is melting. Even climate sceptics are feeling the heat.

But there was no scorecard for change or automated connect between consumptions cause and effect. The Nordic’s have a dying Baltic sea, 15% already dead, and the highest

usage of digital transactions/credit cards. This is home for Ålandsbanken, situated in the middle of the sea.

Brief:

Make use of Ålandsbanken’s 20-year history of supporting environmental projects and position our brand relevant our values; responsible, personal and ambitious.

Objectives:

A. Build brand awareness with a cost efficient multi-market activation true to brand, origin and problem.

B. Influence clients to join as agents for change with the bank and increase funding, deposits and accounts.

C. Engage partners and enter new “rooms” of prospects, governments and civil society.

D. Inspire the industry, or have clients make demands.

Solutions three principles:

1. Follow the money: We created the Baltic Sea project for funding (great ideas for the Baltic) and understanding (a credit card reminding of our consumption impact)

2. What gets measured gets managed: We merged the need of the Baltic Sea with the acceptance* and interest** of clients and prospects by developing the Aland Index connected with the card.

It measures the Co2 impact of every credit card transaction. The digital report is presented with the monthly bill and suggests local, global or lifestyle call to actions to compensate your impact.

We made complex data simple, and technology work seamless, turning your tool for consumption into a purposeful instrument for nature; relevant every purchase and every market.

3. Sustainable change is created together

Meeting objectives, actions and results:

A. Focus on PR & digital distribution to clients that could make use of the film presenting the idea; how the way we pay can save the sea.

Results: Brand awareness +308% (9,8% to 40%) in RAM DN, Survey.

B. Engage clients through digital channels in acting on their impact. Then re-engage with individual data throughout the year.

Results: Funds for environmental projects +380 000 €. Deposits +30% (32 275 656 €). New accounts +4,4%.

C. Activate partners, MasterCard, KPMG, Gemalto, WWF Finland, Sustainalytics and ReutersThomson to compensate for the small communications budget of the bank and engage with academy, science and civil society to have endorsement.

Results: Invited as actionable example to high level meetings at UN in NYC and Bonn, International Monetary Fund and the World Bank’s bank. Mandatory case at Stockholm School of Economics. Invited multiple times to Sustainable Brands Summit. Endorsed by Swedish Minister of Financial Markets, President of Finland and Finish minister of trade, Climate week in NYC.

D. We made Aland Index scalable to all geographies bringing value to partners, then gave it away to any bank for free. Results: Not only banks targeting +30 000 000 clients but also large food chains are now discussing implementation. To top it off, full distribution to banks through MasterCard, touching 2.2 billion cards.