As the world went into collective pandemic lockdown, the last thing people stuck inside with pent-up frustrations needed was a tourism campaign from somewhere they couldn’t go. But with Iceland’s tourism industry, and much of their economy, on the line, we couldn’t afford to let that stop us.

So we sought a powerful, human truth to position Iceland as the answer for people’s emotional needs in a world where travel wasn’t an option. It would take an unusually powerful creative strategy, delivered on with a breakthrough creative idea, to be effective in this unprecedented moment. That’s exactly what we did.

Tourism is Iceland’s top industry, comprising 30% of its GDP. So when the world went into pandemic travel lockdown it presented an existential threat to the Icelandic economy. It was essential for Iceland to build demand for the eventual re-opening to global tourism.

We needed a campaign that would make would-be travelers crave returning to Iceland as soon as possible by keeping awareness and interest high, and establishing Iceland as the top preferred destination post-Covid lockdown.

To add to the challenge, we needed to do this in a way that set us apart from travel destination competitors that, on average, outspend Iceland 8 to 1.

In the midst of Covid, the business challenge was clear: make the thought of traveling to Iceland desirable in the midst of an unprecedented global ban and collective health & safety fears.

Our target market was an audience segment we identified in our key markets called "First Movers"--younger, more optimistic, more affluent travelers who are four times more likely to travel overseas during this moment.

Our objective was to build awareness and preference with our target audience and elevate Iceland to the top of First Movers travel destinations post-Covid lockdown.

Our insight was born from the experience our own team members felt around the globe, verified through social media analysis. Whether sitting at home in New York, Los Angeles, London, Berlin, Sydney, or Iceland, we were all sharing a truly universal experience—countless days/nights struggling with the crippling fear of the pandemic, and mind-numbing stress and boredom of life in lockdown.

In this unprecedented moment, could Iceland deliver a uniquely cathartic experience for would-be travelers locked at home?

We took inspiration from acclaimed therapist and mental health consultant Zoë Aston, who taught us that screaming into wide, open, undisturbed spaces was a therapeutic tool developed in the 1970s as a way to release pent-up emotion. The idea for "Looks Like You Need to Let It Out" was born.?

After months of a global lockdown, the world was exhausted, frustrated, and longing for a world outside of their four walls. Birthdays were cancelled, holiday plans postponed, and once calming walks around the block became sources of anxiety. Every media outlet was a 24/7 marathon of anxiety-inducing news stories. It was enough stress to make the world want to scream.

So Iceland invited the world to do just that. We set up live camera feeds and speakers across Iceland’s seven regions and invited the world to Let It Out. We built a website with feeds of Iceland’s waterfalls, black sand beaches, and ocean cliffs with lighthouses, and invited people to record their screams at home and watch as it echoed into Iceland’s vast landscape. We even partnered with a therapist to provide step-by-step instructions on how to let out your most therapeutic scream in order to maximize stress relief.

How would people around the world react to a tourism campaign when travel was not an option? It turned out, Iceland was exactly what the world needed, and then some.

AdWeek called it “2020’s ultimate tourism campaign,” Muse said “Iceland’s new tourism campaign is a scream, perfect for 2020,” Good Morning America said “sometimes you just have to let it out!” and that was just a taste of the reaction from 848 editorial features that generated over 2.6 billion impressions and $18.8 million in media value (13x ROI).

Consideration for traveling to Iceland increased nearly 50%, purchase intent increased over 5x on average, and Iceland jumped to #1 on the competitor list.

Incredibly, Icelandair reported up to a 17% increase in travel searches as a result of the campaign, and Expedia reported up to 48% increase in searches by market.