Situation analysis
Ülemiste Centre had been a main sponsor of Ülemiste Ööjooks since 2020. The centre’s name and logo were visible on medals and running shirts, but communication around the partnership largely ended there. Supporting social projects and charitable initiatives is close to Ülemiste Centre’s values, yet this remained invisible in the context of its sports sponsorship. A fresh idea was needed.
Shortly before the 2025 Ülemiste Ööjooks, the Estonian Olympic Committee had launched the "Minu sportlane" support platform, which at the time offered an opportunity to support Estonian athletes preparing for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. As Ülemiste Centre CEO Guido Pärnits also took part in the run every year, this created a natural opportunity to connect his personal tradition with a charitable goal and turn conventional sponsorship into something more meaningful and human.
Campaign objectives
- Bring Ülemiste Centre and its CEO Guido Pärnits positively into the media spotlight by meaningfully connecting the centre’s social responsibility themes with sports sponsorship.
- Create a distinctive and memorable campaign that would stand out from traditional sponsorship.
- Show Ülemiste Centre as a company that contributes to Estonian sport and the community in a meaningful way, not only financially.
- Strengthen Guido Pärnits’s visibility as a sector thought leader and advocate for social responsibility in the Estonian business landscape.
Communication strategy and implementation
- We built the campaign around a personal challenge by Ülemiste Centre’s CEO.
- The central idea was simple and engaging: Ülemiste Centre would donate 5 euros for every person who completed the 5 km distance faster than the centre’s CEO.
- Instead of conventional sponsorship, we created a story in which the company’s CEO did not hide behind a logo, but publicly put himself to the test. The competitive element made giving fun and measurable for participants, while cooperation with the Estonian Olympic Committee and the then active "Minu sportlane" initiative gave the campaign credibility and broader social relevance.
- Communication included press releases, media pitches, interviews, athlete involvement and the ceremonial handover of the donation to former Estonian Olympic Committee president Kersti Kaljulaid.
Results
- The 5 km distance attracted 1763 participants, the largest number in the history of Ülemiste Ööjooks.
- In total, 1117 people ran faster than Guido Pärnits, including participants in the 5 km costume run. A total of 5585 euros was donated to Alexela Team Estonia LA 2028 athletes, which at the time of the campaign was the largest one off private company contribution through the "Minu sportlane" initiative.
- The campaign earned 24 media mentions in leading Estonian media channels.
- In August 2025, Guido Pärnits was the most covered spokesperson in the retail and real estate sectors, appearing in 30 articles.
- The campaign positioned Ülemiste Centre as a role model in social responsibility and Guido Pärnits as an advocate for sports sponsorship and private sector responsibility.
- The campaign proved that sponsorship in corporate communication does not have to be limited to logos. When a company is willing to be authentic, personal and meaningful, a sponsorship relationship can become an engaging story that resonates emotionally and stays memorable.