Nella Salonen received 55 brand offers after viral interview

Nella Salonen has received 55 requests for commercial partnerships since a Yle interview at Helsinki Market Square made her a social media phenomenon, Yle reports. The 24 year old interior architecture student says the small assignments generated by the interview have helped finance her living expenses.

Finland had just won the ice hockey world championship when Salonen was interviewed at the team’s gold medal celebrations in May. Her sincere manner attracted attention, particularly when she said the significance of the victory was that she could “go drinking”.

Salonen has spent three months on leave from her customer service job at an indoor sports and event centre. She has appeared at Beazt Fight Night and created sponsored content for Coca Cola Fan Zone and Uuno Pinza. Most recently, she took part in a video for a hotel company.

The partnerships have included appearances, but Salonen has not accepted every offer. She says advertising alcohol on social media does not interest her.

In four collaborations, she repeated some of the phrases from the Yle interview. However, she says she mainly wants to be herself.

“I make TikToks as a hobby. On Instagram, I share content from my everyday life, but I do not take a stand on anything on social media,” she says.

Salonen has also recently been invited to take part in a television programme and an event. She says she would appear on the programme as herself, not as a representative of a company. She expects to know within a couple of weeks whether the opportunities will go ahead.

Salonen says a television appearance would be a pleasant challenge. If it does not happen, she plans to continue working in customer service at the indoor sports and event centre.

She still stands by what she said in the Yle interview and says the attention has brought new people and opportunities into her life. She is regularly stopped in the street, especially by people who have been drinking.

“It has been funny to me because I am such a normal person. Someone has even told me they are my fan,” Salonen says.

The most common remark is: “Did you come here to drink?” Salonen says the joke is beginning to feel old.

Her future hopes include working as an interior architect and starting a family.