For the last decade the Icelandic football teams have gained both momentum and success, qualifying for both the men’s end women’s Euros and becoming the smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup. With a strong team spirit these spectacular achievements have attracted attention around the world, but the brand stood without a story to tell.

This new, redefined brand, inspired by our heritage, nature and spirit, was launched with an online film, bringing our saga to the world with a different

approach to storytelling and how to announce a new identity and crest.

The goal was to introduce our new brand identity and it's back story. Due to Covid19 a scheduled event was cancelled and other measures had to be taken in order reveal our new crest but at the same time to introduced people to the saga on which our crest is based on, the story of Icelands guardian spirits who lived in the country and protected the island from afar when the first settlers arrived.

The main objective was to reveal the crest to the Icelandic people, but due to our achievements in recent years Iceland has a growing fan base all over the couldn't be ignored. So an online film was produced, supported by a website that made sure this story got delivered to the whole world.

A need had arisen for a crest and an identity that could better encompass the fundamental values and essence of the Icelandic team spirit – a passionate symbol of unity, which draws on our strengths, history and heritage.

One of the most common symbols in Iceland is the coat of arms which shows the four protectors of Iceland, the bull, the eagle, the dragon and the giant. The Icelandic Book of the Settlements describes how they were warned not to sail to the country with “gaping heads or grimacing symbols”, lest they should provoke the guardian spirits.

These four creatures, each with their own different attributes and their own territory to watch over, they are the ideal symbol for a team spirit needed for our national teams. Their also a great saga to share with the world, that amplifies what our teams stand for.

It goes without saying that a team for a nation of only 364.136 souls has a limited marketing budget.

Therefore, the strategy for the launch of the new brand was simple. Tell the world the "mostly" true story of how a small nation in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean defied all odds in a harsh environment. Story about a nation whose true heritage is the art of storytelling and folklore. Story of a team without superstars that needs to band together to stand a chance against a seemingly unbeatable foe. A story the world would fall in love with and inspire them to share and tell others.

…

The FA enters a new chapter with an identity that finally amplifies the teams values and connects with the Icelandic nation, where the old badge fell short. To help prove that point, people are now getting the crest tattooed, first time ever in the FA history.

8.135.570 organic social media reach (+4410%),

2.31M total Tweet impressions,

36.000.000 non social media reach,

and

$0 Media spend.

With wildly positive reactions, Iceland has now gained thousands of new supporters all over the world. And as a side effect Iceland as a destination gained valuable awareness and interest.