The Impact of Monolingual Marketing in Finland's Multilingual Capital: a Helsinki perspective
Montgomery, Lewis Scott (2025)
2025
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202503275111
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202503275111
Tiivistelmä
This study explores the role language in marketing strategies has on consumer engagement and decision-making with the focus on Helsinki-based businesses and demographics. Whilst Helsinki aims to represent itself on the global stage as a multicultural capital, limitations on multiple language usage in daily life may suggest otherwise. In an ever-growing multicultural Europe, linguistic diversity is one of the key factors to successful economic and cultural development and is one of the core building blocks of culture and society.
The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of monolingual marketing in Finland’s multilingual capital city of Helsinki and explore why many businesses purposely choose to market themselves monolingually. The study investigates the reasons behind limited linguistic engagement polices, the impacts this has on consumer engagement and outreach, and what possible changes and improvements can be made.
The study revealed that whilst a variety of businesses across a variety of industries do their part to be inclusive of the different linguistic demographics who reside in Helsinki, monolingualism is still a common issue which dominates all industry sectors in the capital and thus by extension negatively impacts the inclusivity and accessibility of many linguistic demographics.
The study is beneficial for giving businesses within the capital region an understanding of the current limitations monolingual marketing has on consumer engagement and decision-making, and what positive changes can be made to make marketing policies and strategies more inclusive. Whilst the research sheds light on some of the challenges faced with language usage in marketing, it also highlights some of the amazing work and effort given by a variety of different businesses in the city, suggesting that change for improvement and more inclusivity is wanted and being worked towards.
The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of monolingual marketing in Finland’s multilingual capital city of Helsinki and explore why many businesses purposely choose to market themselves monolingually. The study investigates the reasons behind limited linguistic engagement polices, the impacts this has on consumer engagement and outreach, and what possible changes and improvements can be made.
The study revealed that whilst a variety of businesses across a variety of industries do their part to be inclusive of the different linguistic demographics who reside in Helsinki, monolingualism is still a common issue which dominates all industry sectors in the capital and thus by extension negatively impacts the inclusivity and accessibility of many linguistic demographics.
The study is beneficial for giving businesses within the capital region an understanding of the current limitations monolingual marketing has on consumer engagement and decision-making, and what positive changes can be made to make marketing policies and strategies more inclusive. Whilst the research sheds light on some of the challenges faced with language usage in marketing, it also highlights some of the amazing work and effort given by a variety of different businesses in the city, suggesting that change for improvement and more inclusivity is wanted and being worked towards.