PROMOTE ICELAND / INSPIRED BY ICELAND

Since 2010, we have worked with the country of Iceland, successfully developing an entirely new creative platform, ‘Inspired by Iceland’ which has become their tourism programme for the last eight years.

In 2010 the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano combined with the role played by Icelandic banking in the global financial crisis meant the Icelandic economy was at an all-time low. It was vital to show the world that the country was still one of the wonders of the natural world and firmly open for tourist business.

The ‘Inspired by Iceland’ platform we created was targeted firmly at the independent millennial traveller, socially engaged, highly mobile and hugely suspicious of traditional tourism ‘advertising’. We knew this audience were the most dubious, led by experiences, digital natives who are much more likely to listen to their peers via word of mouth beyond any other marketing discipline. It was clear, that the paid for advertising approach was not going to cut it with Generation Y. We needed to engage with them in a different way that encouraged them to share their stories, make their own recommendations and ultimately, make their own mind up.

We needed a brand idea with people power at its heart to connect with Iceland’s core target millennials to turn the cycle of negativity on its head and create a virtual social movement of our own. Rather than target tourists, we wanted to stimulate Icelanders to share their inspiring stories with the world.

We created an army of fans that spread news and positive messages across Facebook, Twitter and Vimeo. Utilising celebrity ambassadors such as Viggo Mortenson, Eric Clapton and Stephen Fry, their own social reach and that of the campaign channels we shared films and their stories in addition to posting on the ‘Inspired by Iceland’ website. This ongoing activity sparked people around the world to get involved and post their own stories. By the end of the first day 1.5m people had downloaded different videos from the website.

In addition to this we launched webcams showing live streams from some of Iceland’s most iconic locations so people at home could check in and see what was happening in downtown Reykjavík or at the Blue Lagoon. To keep growing the momentum of the campaign, we wanted to reward contributors with a truly public ‘thank you’. We held a live web cast concert for the people of Iceland and our supporters worldwide. The event provided a fitting climax to the campaign with acts like Spiritualized and Damien Rice.

RESULTS

— 22.5m stories spread worldwide

— 60m people responded

— ROI of 61:1

— £138.7m in additional tourism revenue through the remainder of 2010

LONGEVITY OF THE INSPIRED BY ICELAND PLATFORM

Since the very first campaign ‘Iceland Hour’, we have used the Inspired by Iceland platform each year (over seven years) to further Iceland’s strong image and reputation abroad and specifically to promote Iceland as an attractive tourist destination in a fiercely competitive global environment for tourist revenues.

In the fall of 2011, we launched the campaign ‘Honorary Islander’; In August 2012, we launched ‘Iceland By Another Name’ to grow Winter tourism; In September 2013, we launched ‘Shared the Secret’ to inspire travellers to seek out the country’s undiscovered treasures; In October 2014, as a second chapter to Share the Secret, we launched the ‘Secret Tour of Iceland’, a global search for the world’s most intrepid tourist. All of these campaigns were developed under the Inspired by Iceland platform.

A more recent Inspired by Iceland launch, was for ‘Ask Gudmundur,’ where we created the world’s first human search engine. A unique service that offered a personal search platform for tourists to seek out the country’s hidden secrets. Later in the year, we quickly followed up with ‘Gudmundur 2.0’ - upgrades included real-time real-time Gudmundur Hangouts, a series of unique, once-in-a-lifetime experiences in Iceland for Winter. The campaign again, relied heavily on our understanding of millennial consumer attitudes, particularly in the fact that they liked to ‘get involved’ in both the on and offline world’s. 

All of our work for Iceland has combined traditional advertising, digital media, traditional and digital PR including broadcast, print and online, social media and experiential activation. They have been driven from the heart by millennial advocates and fans of Iceland from around the globe. Our work has been awarded and recognized globally, winning a number of creative and effectiveness awards.

CHANNELS

Advertising, Digital, PR, Social, Content, Experiential

RESULTS

— Grand Prix and 4 x Golds at the 2016 European Effie Awards

— Social Media Agency of the Year at the European Effie Awards

— Three Cannes Lions for PR and Social Media in the last three years

— Gold awards for PR, social and integrated at the IPA Effectiveness Awards