I was standing on a burning platform and jumped into the North Sea. Well, I was pushed, but I screamed “CANNONBALL!!!”
Nine incredible years with the greatest brand that ever existed and most talented individuals imaginable. I’ve dodged the layoff-reaper many times before and am very saddened to see my number finally come up.
I’m very proud of my accomplishments at Nokia. As editor-in-chief I took Nokia’s official blog from nothing to over one million uniques per month in five languages, making it the third most read corporate blog on the internet. As a digital marketer I was the madman behind such innovative viral campaigns as WidSets Pets, OpenAtOwnRisk AKA “the weirdest video ever”, and Design by Community where our readers collectively designed a phone. As a communications manager I was often up to the wee hours of the morning personally responding to Nokia fans on Twitter and Facebook when major, and often difficult, announcements were made such as the changes in strategy, CEO, or ironically, layoffs.
And after eight years at Nokia’s headquarters in Finland I was sent to their new US headquarters in Silicon Valley to head up social media for North America and launch the Lumia 900, which has been extremely successful. Nokia is an open, transparent, and social company, and I feel I played an important role in making this happen.
My social strategy has always been “content is king”. I treat our social spaces like publications rather blogs, handles, or accounts. I take great pride in the effort we put into investigative long-form journalism in our blog, the personal engagement to each of our fans and foes alike, and the passion each of our social editors give every hour.
Nokia social media isn’t corporate, it’s human.
And it’s in very good hands with talented people like Conversations editor Jason Harris, editor-in-chief Heidi Lemmetyinen, social gurus Tom Messet, Craig Hepburn, Elisa Hautaniemi, and all the brilliant people at Republic Publishing, as well as gifted marketers like Felicia Trujillo and Carol Soriano, PR gurus Keith Nowack and Doug Dawson, and Head of North American Marketing Valerie Buckingham who is the force behind the gutsy Smartphone Beta Test. And I can’t forget the very smart and down-to-earth EVP of Sales and Marketing Chris Weber, and of course the visionary and genius who is Stephen Elop.
I’m about to depart into some very unfamiliar territory as I’ve been dedicating my life to Nokia ever since leaving school. I’m looking for another killer brand who live and breath social media and want to take it to the next level. I’m a young guy with international flair, great sense of humor, and a passion burning in my belly.
I’m searching for fun group of people who share my passions, and would be humbled if you would explore my site, check out my resumé, connect with me on LinkedIn, stalk me on Facebook, read my blog, or laugh at my bad jokes on Twitter. Until then I’ll be continue work on my next book – this time I’m tackling marketing, social media, and business life, but it will of course include my dark comedic twists. My first book, “How to Marry a Finnish Girl” from Gummerus Publishers has been a huge hit, and I’ve been aching to dive back into writing.
It’s been a very sad day for me, I’m trying to hold back the tears as I write this. I’ll miss seeing so many amazing colleagues and hanging out with Nokia fans at events and online. While I’ll no longer be at official capacity, I’ll always be an ambassador for Nokia. I guess I’ll have to enjoy Nokia’s continued comeback from the stands instead of on the field. Cause ain’t nuttin’ sexier than a Nokia and none smoother than Windows Phone, baby.
Nokia is so blessed to have the best fans on the globe, and I am so blessed to have had Nokia. Love you Nokia colleagues and Nokia fans forever!!
