WTF Design

What WTF Design does

WTF Design is a privately held Finnish advertising and marketing agency headquartered in Oulu with a second office in Kokkola, operating since 2008. The firm delivers a full-service marketing offering across branding, web and e-commerce development, digital marketing, video and photography, content production, and AI/AR/data analytics, targeting B2B regional enterprises and public-sector entities (municipalities, welfare areas, educational institutions) primarily in Northern Finland but with national delivery reach. The agency's core technology stack is WordPress and Concrete CMS for web development, with secondary expertise in HubSpot for CRM and marketing automation, supported by PHP, Node.js, and HTML/CSS/JavaScript; e-commerce builds are executed on WooCommerce, Shopify, MyCashflow, PrestaShop, and Magento. Multi-language marketing materials (English, Finnish, and others) and Zoner Oy-partnered hosting complete the technical infrastructure.

The business model is predominantly retainer-based, distinguishing the agency from project-only competitors by offering ongoing marketing management, content production, social media and Google advertising, visual design, hosting, and reporting as continuous services. This is supplemented by project-based revenue from discrete branding, website, video, and campaign deliverables. WTF Design has won multiple public-sector framework agreements (Raahen kaupunki, Päijät-Hämeen hyvinvointialue, Ekami, Pohjois-Pohjanmaan hyvinvointialue) through competitive tendering, and maintains long-standing relationships with enterprise clients including Ruukki (since 2016) and Kokkolan Energia (since 2020). Go-to-market is sales-led, led by CEO Sanna Paakkonen and Business Director Lasse Paakkonen, with distribution via direct outreach, website contact forms, and public procurement. The company is recognized by Kauppalehti as a Growth Company (top ~2% of Finnish corporations) and Sustainable Achiever (top ~6%), and serves as an official brand partner of Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture.

Name

WTF Design

Legal name

WTF Design Oy

Website

https://wtfdesign.fi

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WTF Design is a Finnish full-service advertising agency based in Oulu and Kokkola, delivering branding, web development, digital marketing, video, and AI/AR services to B2B regional enterprises and public-sector clients across Finland. Founded in 2008, it operates on a retainer-led model with multi-year contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Advertising and Marketing Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (541430)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Event Fabrication & Scenic/Set Build (Custom Builds, Installations) (BPAFAGAK)

Keywords

• Advertising agency services
• Brand identity design
• Web development services
• Digital marketing campaigns
• Creative video production

Headquarters

HQ city

Oulu

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ongoing/Retainer Services: Continuous marketing partnership services including marketing management, social media and Google advertising, visual design, content production, hosting, website maintenance, measurement and reporting. This forms the majority of revenue, distinguishing the company in a project-driven industry through recurring retainer relationships.
2. Project-Based Services: Individual projects including brand development, website builds, video production, marketing campaigns, and other discrete deliverables. These include branding and concepts, websites and digital services, marketing and communication, video and photography, and AI/AR/data analytics.
3. Hosting and Maintenance Services: Website hosting services with domains and email solutions, resold through partner Zoner Oy.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

WTF Design is a full-service advertising and marketing agency that delivers branding, web design and development on WordPress and Concrete CMS, e-commerce solutions, digital and social media marketing campaigns, video and photography production, and AI/AR/data analytics services to B2B companies, municipalities, and public-sector organizations across Finland. The agency emphasizes ongoing retainer-based strategic marketing partnerships supplemented by discrete project deliverables.

Product overview

WTF Design is a design and marketing agency offering a suite of digital services including branding, web design and development (with platforms such as WordPress and Concrete CMS), e-commerce solutions, digital marketing, video and photography production, and AI/data analysis services. The offering is a portfolio of service lines rather than a single software product or platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Campaign reach of 15 million impressions and 100,000 link clicks for Naturpolis recruitment campaign
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, supporting, core and minor.

• Oulu2026 (Oulun kulttuurisäätiö)flagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026WTF Design is an official brand partner (brändikumppani) of Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture. The company develops Arctic Food Lab brand visibility and is involved in building the story of Northern food culture. This high-profile partnership provides visibility and positions the agency within cultural/creative sector projects.
• Zoner OysupportingTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2025Zoner Oy serves as WTF Design's hosting and domain services partner, reselling Zoner's infrastructure services (hosting, domains, email) to WTF Design's clients. This partnership enables WTF Design to offer comprehensive digital infrastructure alongside its marketing and development services.
• NTRNZ CreativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025WTF Design and NTRNZ Creative announced a strategic growth partnership (strateginen kasvukumppanuus) to strengthen both companies' business foundations. The partnership aims to expand capabilities and market reach for both agencies.
• Sami Väkevä (Music Producer)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSami Väkevä, a Helsinki-based music producer, created the soundtrack for WTF Design's brand video. Sami has contributed to numerous recognizable theme songs, soundscapes, and songs that have achieved platinum and gold streaming numbers (Skandaali, Chebaleba, Epeliet, Konola Cartell). This collaboration reflects the company's 'high-caliber makers' positioning.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Dingle: Finnish creative and digital agency offering branding, campaigns, and digital production. Similar integrated mid-sized agency competing for B2B and consumer mandates in Finland.
• Kansainvälinen: Finnish creative agency producing brand strategies, campaigns, and content for ambitious clients. Comparable mid-sized integrated agency model with similar service portfolio.
• NTRNZ Creative: WTF Design's named 2025 strategic growth partner; a Finnish creative agency offering complementary brand and digital capabilities. Closest comparable peer given explicit partnership overlap.
• Superson: Helsinki-based creative and digital agency offering branding, content, and campaign production. Similar mid-sized integrated agency competing for the same Finnish brand and content briefs.
• Bob the Robot: Helsinki-based Finnish creative/digital agency offering branding, campaigns, and content production. Comparable integrated agency model serving B2B and public-sector clients in Finland.
• Folk Finland: Helsinki creative agency providing advertising, brand, and digital services across the Nordics. Comparable integrated agency profile and service mix.
• hasan & co: Helsinki creative agency focused on branding, campaigns, and digital content. Similar mid-sized integrated agency profile serving Finnish B2B and consumer clients.

Broad incumbents

• Dagmar: Established Finnish marketing agency (Dentsu-owned) providing full-service advertising, media, and data-driven marketing. Overlaps heavily with WTF Design's services but at significantly larger scale.
• TBWA\Helsinki: Finnish office of the global TBWA network, providing full-service advertising, brand strategy, and digital. Competes for the same enterprise and public-sector briefs WTF Design targets.
• Accenture Song Finland: Global experience-led agency arm of Accenture operating in Finland, providing brand, marketing, and technology transformation. Competes for large enterprise and public-sector digital mandates where WTF Design also bids.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/wtfdesign
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wtfdesign

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WTF Design