A few weeks ago, I attended a McDonald´s convention in Helsinki. In the middle of the crowd, I saw a dainty young woman wearing an old-fashioned Finnish folk costume. She was surrounded by people.

Some wanted their picture taken with her, while others wanted an autograph.

My curiosity got the better of me. I just had to ask her a couple fo obvious questions: Are you a celebrity? Why all the excitement? She answered immediately. Ninety-two percent of the Finnish population knows who she is so, of course, she´s well-known around the country. Since then, I´ve learned morde about the phenomenon know as Paula. Fourteen different women have portrayed her since 1950. Who she is? The symbol for Paulig, Finland´s best and most celebrated coffee. The Finns associate Paula with wholesome, traditional values, and she is an important part of the company´s marketing strategy.

As I thought about Paula and Ronald McDonald, another famous icon, I couldn´t help feeling a little jealous. I wish our company had a living symbol that personified it in our market in the same explicit way that Paula and Ronald do in theirs.

Bengt Ivansson
Zone Systems CEO

P.S. Now I also have an autograph...