Iceland isn’t AI-generated, just like it isn't some form of metaverse dreaming. It’s real.
The national airline of the island nation, Icelandair, has launched a social media campaign, Expedition Iceland, developed by social-first agency Kubbco in partnership with Icelandic creative shop Hvíta húsið.
The work builds on a campaign concept that leveraged the launch of the metaverse by Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg. This spawned the Icelandverse, a real world, in 2021.
The latest campaign, in a two-minute film, follows an online conspiracy theorist who doesn’t believe that Iceland is real and confidently shares his views with his followers.
How could volcanoes, hot springs, lava fields, geysers, Northern lights and puffins possibly be real?
His sister, who is confident in her knowledge that Iceland is indeed real, tries to prove it to him by taking him there.
He remains sceptical: “If we really are in Iceland, where is all the ice?”
The campaign will run across Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, and the Icelandair website for four to six weeks.
“In these both strange and wonderful times, where AI is everywhere, we wanted a fun and culturally relevant way to show people that Iceland is as real and stunning as it gets,” said Gísli Brynjolfsson, director of marketing, Icelandair.
“Kubbco instantly understood the mission and brought forward an idea that speaks the same language we all use online: playful, curious, and a little mischievous.
“The collaboration with all agencies (Kubbco, Republik, and Hvíta húsið, red.) has been both challenging and genuinely rewarding. Everyone brought their strengths, and the result is a campaign that feels both seamless, full of personality and has the potential to live on in so many ways.
“The response has been beyond what we hoped for so far. Seeing people laugh, share and even plan their next trip to Iceland is ultimately why we do this.”
David Juul Ledstrup, executive strategy director at Kubbco, said the task was to come up with something that would resonate on social media.
“Armed with cultural insights revolving around the use of humour, likeable characters, and spinning off the popularity (or frustration) of conspiracy theories and fake news, we created a social media concept and idea that has been overwhelmingly well-received by our audiences,” said Ledstrup
“It’s great to see how many people are interacting with this piece - and planning their next trip to Iceland.”
CREDITS
Executive Creative Director Emils Lukasevics
Social Media concept and Script Josefine Forslund-Dalsgaard
Executive Strategy Director David Juul Lerdstrup
Account Management Yu Zhao
Project Management Tai Christensen
Broader concept and production Hvíta húsið
Director Reynir Lyngdal
Production Republik
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