The marketing of the malt beverage highlighted Lahti in its products and slogans, the most famous of which were Ei oo Lahden voittanutta (No one has beaten Lahti) and Moi, Lahtelaista (Hello, Lahti). The advertising linked the brewery to Lahti's clean groundwater and the city's sporting tradition.
The slogan Ei oo Lahden voittanutta is thought to have been inspired by the national epic Kalevala and the words of Väinämöinen: …there is no one who has conquered Vuoksi, crossed Imatra…
The slogan quickly became well known and was used in all advertisements for Mallasjuoma products from the early 1960s onwards. Mallasjuoma was the first of the large breweries to have a slogan that caught on across the country.
The use of the phrase "No one has conquered Lahti" was discontinued in the 1970s in connection with beer advertising. New slogans were developed to replace it.
Lahtelaista – totta kai! (From Lahti – of course!) may have come into use as early as the late 1960s, but it was most commonly used in advertising films in the 1980s. It was probably based on the Finnish brewing industry's slogan "Beer! Finnish – of course!"
Moi, lahtelaista! (Hi, Lahti native!) became one of the most popular phrases of the 1970s. It spread throughout the country, and the accompanying L-finger sign is still familiar and recognizable. At the time, "Moi" was a new greeting that had become fashionable in Finland. The 1973 dictionary of modern Finnish does not yet recognize the word moi.
From the 1960s onwards, Lahti was also featured in advertisements for Vichy and mineral water. In 1974, an advertising film was made explaining how mineral waters were made from the clean water filtered by the gravel ridges of Lahti. The nature of Lahti – the purifying power of the Salpausselkä ridges – was used in the advertising of the waters.
Mallasjuoma and its products have been involved in the Salpausselkä Games and the World Championships in Lahti. In 1977, a competition drink was launched: the World Championship pineapple drink. This lemonade was used to support the Lahti World Championships in 1978. Skier Juha Mieto advertised it in a television commercial by simply saying: "Hi! You too can drink the World Championship drink!"
The 1976 Finnish Olympic team was supported by Mallasjuoma's passion fruit-flavored Olympic drink, which was advertised by Mona-Lisa Pursiainen and Pekka Vasala, as well as a humorous fitness video featuring Spede Pasanen and Simo Salminen.
The beverage industry has been an important part of Lahti's history. Founded in 1912, Mallasjuoma grew to become one of Lahti's best-known companies. At the time, it was Finland's first brewery to focus exclusively on the production of mild malt beverages. After the wars, in the 1950s, Mallasjuoma became the country's leading beverage manufacturer.
Mallasjuoma operated as an independent company for over 75 years until it merged with Hartwall in 1988. With Hartwall, the beverage industry continues to thrive in Lahti. In 2003, production and distribution moved from the old Mallasjuoma factory area to new premises. Today, Hartwall is part of the Danish Royal Unibrew Group.
The legacy of Mallasjuoma lives on in Lahti. Part of the old factory block has been preserved and given a new lease of life with the Malva Museum of Visual Arts and the Malski Cultural Center. Completed in 1987 to mark the company's 75th anniversary, the Launeen neidot sculpture and fountain still adorn Kirkkopuisto Park. The work is by sculptor Kari Juvan and was donated to the city of Lahti by Mallasjuoma.
The source used is Suvi Kuisma's article Ei oo Lahden voittanutta – Mallasjuoma ja lahtelaisuus mainoselokuvan silmin 1950–1990 (No one has beaten Lahti – Mallasjuoma and Lahti through the eyes of advertising films 1950–1990) in the book Nuori satavuotias Lahti (Young Lahti, 100 years old). Lahti Art Museum publications 1/2005.