The latest social media campaign by Kubbco for Icelandair pokes fun at an online idea so absurd that it becomes entertaining again: the claim that Iceland isn’t a real country at all but generated by AI. Sounds crazy? Perfect. That exact theory forms the foundation of “Expedition Iceland,” developed together with the Icelandic agency Hvíta húsið.
The two-minute film follows a self-proclaimed truth-seeker who explains to his followers why Iceland cannot possibly be real. His evidence? Volcanoes – too dramatic. Lava fields – obviously CGI. Northern Lights – filters. Puffins – clearly robots.
His sister can’t take it anymore and drags him to Iceland for real. When she mentions that the country even has its own airline, he replies: “Great, is it called Icelandair?”
During the trip, he remains skeptical: “If we really are in Iceland, where is all the ice?” And apparently there are no trees — “and trees don’t grow on green screens.” Despite all his doubts, his resistance begins to crack, until in the end he runs off again wearing his “Iceland is AI-generated” T-shirt, spreading his original theory. The film closes with a clear statement: “Iceland. It’s real.”
Gísli Brynjolfsson, Director of Marketing, Icelandair, says: “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. 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 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: “We were introduced to an amazing concept and challenge by Icelandair, to show that Iceland isn’t AI-generated. Armed with cultural insights revolving around the use of humour, likeable characters, and spinning off the popularity of conspiracy theories and fake news, we created a social media concept that has been overwhelmingly well-received. 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 & Script: Josefine Forslund-Dalsgaard
Executive Strategy Director: David Juul Lerdstrup
Account Management: Yu Zhao
Project Management: Tai Christensen
Broader concept & production: Hvíta húsið
Director: Reynir Lyngdal
Production: Republik
Agency kubbco.com