Vattenfall and HAVU are the perfect match: Finland's most sustainable electricity company brand (as perceived by consumers in the Sustainable Brand Index survey) is just the right player to help HAVU reduce the environmental impact of gaming. Both share the ambitious mission to be the most sustainable operator in their field.
The goal of this collaboration is to make gaming more sustainable by using fossil-free electricity, to concretely illustrate the environmental impacts of fossil-free electricity, and to strengthen Vattenfall's brand perception among gamers. Vattenfall aims to win gamers' trust as a responsible operator that believes in the future of esports.
Traditionally, gamers have been a difficult target group for Vattenfall to reach. Although gamers today are a diverse group, the majority are still young men. The complexity of sustainability in energy production adds to the difficulty, as it is a topic that can seem distant to consumers. Moreover, communicating about it requires precision.
For Vattenfall and HAVU, it is important that gamers can focus on their gaming without worrying too much about the environmental impact of their electricity usage. That’s why we want to make choosing a fossil-free electricity contract an easy decision for them.
We went where the players are – online. The campaign was inspired by a meme familiar to the target audience, where a gamer chooses to play regardless of the weather.
Vattenfall, on the other hand, makes the most of any weather. No matter the conditions, Vattenfall produces renewable energy—keeping the games going. Rain provides hydropower, sunshine provides solar power, and windy weather provide wind power. It's always good #GamingWeather.
The "Gaming Weather" concept (”pelikeli” in Finnish) naturally combines renewable energy sources and gaming, and speaks the language of the target group. Under this concept, a diverse content campaign was created, visible in advertising on Vattenfall’s, HAVU’s, and Elisa Esports’ channels and at events throughout 2023.
We also wanted to take the campaign to channels most frequented by gamers, such as Twitch game streams. Additionally, the goal was to increase relatability by bringing well-known players to the forefront of all campaign materials. HAVU players acted as influencers in the #GamingWeather communication. Vattenfall logos adorn HAVU's jerseys, and after victories in tournaments, HAVU has communicated on social media about the good gaming weather.
We created a unique promotional video for each of the three production methods, featuring HAVU's star player xseveN at the mercy of the weather conditions—and returning indoors to play, because it’s always good gaming weather.
We also wanted to emphasize the importance of energy efficiency in reducing CO2 emissions. We designed and built a particularly energy-efficient Vattenfall x HAVU gaming computer, that features water and fan cooling related to the production methods and is illuminated in Vattenfall colors. This unique computer was raffled off among eager gamers in the summer of 2023.
The campaign moved from online to real life at the Tapiola Festival and the Elisa Masters tournament. Both events were held at the Espoo Metro Arena, which operates on fossil-free hydropower produced by Vattenfall. Metro Arena also strives to be Finland's most sustainable venue in its field, a connection that was highlighted in our advertising at both events.
Each month, a CO2 report for one HAVU player is also published, detailing the number of gaming hours and CO2 savings. A similar CO2 report is available to all Vattenfall customers, allowing them to track the concrete impacts of their electricity use on the climate.
The budget for this collaboration has been about 100,000 euros this year, covering partnerships, concept design, video productions, prizes, media—essentially everything.
Produced promotional videos in Finnish:
Windy weather isn't necessarily bad weather
Wet weather isn't necessarily bad weather
It's always good #GamingWeather
We set up a Vattenfall x HAVU gaming station at the Tapiola Festival, where visitors could enjoy arcade games and test their sim racing skills against HAVU's professionals. The sim racing car was powered by the Vattenfall x HAVU gaming computer, which could be won in a raffle. The event also gathered leads specifically for our #GamingWeather newsletter, designed for players.
Finland's largest esports tournament, Elisa Masters, brought great visibility to HAVU, as the team sensationally made it to the semifinals. The Vattenfall x HAVU collaboration was also featured in an advertisement video produced specifically for the event. The Vattenfall x HAVU gaming station also entertained visitors at Elisa Masters. This time, the raffle prize was a gaming gear set signed by HAVU's captain, Airax.
We came up with the wild idea of raffling a gaming computer designed in collaboration with HAVU (valued at €3,799). The computer is designed for high gaming performance without compromising energy efficiency. The setup is topped off with custom water cooling, RGB lighting, and autographs from HAVU's CS:GO team. This computer is a magnificent masterpiece and one of a kind.
Participation involved guessing the annual gaming hours accumulated b the HAVU CS:GO team (hint: these hours result in 625 kg of CO2 savings). Everyone who signed up for a Vattenfall electricity contract on the campaign page was also entered into the draw. The competition was valid until September 30, 2023.
Specifications of the computer:
Player: Jussi Airaksinen
Nickname: AIRAX
Role in the team: IGL (In-Game Leader)
Special skill: Problem-solving
Best game ever (excluding CS:GO): Escape from Tarkov
First CS experience: 2005, playing against bots in CS 1.6 offline
Years playing (CS:GO): Since 2014
Practice sessions per week: 5
Gaming PC
Of course, a gaming PC with the best parts ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°)
Peripherals
Mouse: Gpro Superlight
Keyboard: Logitech G715 TKL
Monitor: Zowie XL2540
Sustainability Report
CS:GO player Airax plays about 1850 hours a year. By switching to fossil-free electricity, the CO2 reduction from just playing is 128 kg per year. This is equivalent to the amount of CO2 absorbed by 20 trees annually.
1850 h
Gaming hours per year
128 kg
Annual CO2 savings
20 trees
Forest carbon sink savings as conifers
"We see the popularity of esports growing further and want to be part of developing the activity. The connection to electricity is very evident, and we strongly believe that our investments will also benefit us through consumers' sustainable choices. Working with HAVU has had a great dynamic. As a brand, it has proven to be a perfect fit for us through ambitious goals and campaigns already undertaken. This year, the collaboration is even more visible."
Santeri Määttänen,
Vattenfall Head of New Sales team
"The best game right now is NHL 2023, although I was able to score more goals in earlier versions of the game. :)"
"To us, Vattenfall is Finland's most sustainable electricity company, and HAVU strives to be Finland's most responsible esports organization. I believe we have already succeeded brilliantly in our cooperation, but we base our partnership on long-term and effective action. We aim to create a positive impact on the esports field that genuinely shows."
Lasse Salminen,
CEO of HAVU
”Currently, my free time is spent playing Dota 2. It's the best pastime in good company!”
Gaming does not depend on the weather. Gaming does not depend on mood. Gaming does not see skin color, age, or gender. You can play alone, in pairs, in threes, with strangers, with friends, or as a team in front of the whole world.
No matter how or when you play, it’s always good #GamingWeather.
Vattenfall and HAVU have been collaborating since 2020, but the 2023 "Always Good #GamingWeather" campaign elevated their visibility to a whole new level.
The campaign's results exceeded expectations. The content was warmly received, thousands participated in raffles, and the Vattenfall x HAVU gaming station at the events proved to be a hit, attracting approximately 23,000 visitors in total.
Incorporating channels specialized in esports into the media strategy brought special visibility to the campaign among the target audience. Our content garnered over 3.8 million impressions in esports media.
Thanks to this collaboration, Vattenfall has increased its recognition among players. Professional gamers have undeniable potential as influencers within the target group. The tactical potential of the campaign is indicated by the fact that as many as 19 percent of the target audience would choose Vattenfall as their electricity provider solely based on the HAVU collaboration.
This visibility also reflects in sales, as the sale of fossil-free electricity contracts has grown by 53 percent within the target group. The new contracts have saved up to 931,000 kilograms of CO2 emissions. This amount corresponds to the CO2 absorbed by 143,233 trees in a year – essentially a considerable coniferous forest. Fun fact: the name HAVU refers to coniferous twigs in Finnish.
The figures are from a user survey we conducted in November 2023.*
Advertising on the Tapiola Festival screens.
The Vattenfall and HAVU gaming station awaits the gaming crowd.
We guided the festival crowd to our gaming station with this kind of map.
We also created a series of digital player cards, revealing statistics and hardware details of the players.
Social media was naturally harnessed strongly for our joint communications.
We also had a cheerful #GamingWeather crew at the events.
Advertising on the Elisa Masters screen.
The gaming station designed with HAVU featured our #GamingWeather -concept.
Even Nintendo was pulled out from the mothballs.
This time, the raffle prize was a gaming gear set from HAVU's captain, Airax.
HAVU was successful at the arena.
Banjo, ottoNd, Airax, sLowi, and uli successfully fought their way to a shared third place in the tournament.
First place in Ecogain's biodiversity index and in setting goals for the protection of biodiversity.
Consumers perceive Vattenfall as Finland's most sustainable electricity company brand in 2024, for the sixth consecutive year.
Ecovadis Platinum rating for environmental aspects, ethics, and supply chain responsibility.