Company apologizes after ads projected onto Mannerheim statue

Advertisements were projected onto the stone pedestal of Helsinki’s Mannerheim equestrian statue without permission on Thursday evening, Yle reported. Mediateko Oy’s chief executive apologised for the resulting harm and said the projections would not continue.

Passers-by could see advertisements on the side of the pedestal facing the Kiasma art museum. The projected text promoted Finnish marketing experts and a website for a campaign intended to “raise the top names in marketing” onto the pedestal. The website said more information would be released on Monday.

The statue belongs to the City of Helsinki’s art collection, managed by the HAM art museum. Copyright is overseen by the Aimo Tukiainen Purnu Foundation. Both told Yle they were surprised by the campaign and said no permission had been requested or granted.

HAM’s head of public art, Taru Tappola, said artworks should be respected and not used for advertising, particularly when they are memorials. The museum does not usually allow artworks to be used directly for commercial purposes, she said. It has no specific means to prevent advertisements being projected onto statues.

Mediateko CEO Sampsa Savolainen apologised and said the company had not intended to damage the statue. He said the campaign was meant to use the pedestal to highlight leading figures in marketing, and that the projections would stop.