One of my favorite campaigns ever

One of the coolest awareness marketing campaigns I’ve ever seen was for the country of Iceland. I don’t remember if it was the Icelandic Tourism Board or IcelandAir - but since they are both government entities it doesn’t really matter - the goal of either of those is “Come to Iceland!” 

I had stepped onto a subway in Boston and the entire inside of the subway car was wrapped in wallpaper showing an Icelandic landscape in hazy red all around you. I remember riding through the black subway tunnels looking around at this otherworldly scene and my brain registering for the first time that Iceland might be a place to visit. 

3 or 4 years later I went on my honeymoon, and our first stop was Iceland. Now, a lot of things happened between that subway ride and the honeymoon - I had friends visit the country and heard their experiences, I learned about IcelandAir’s extended layover option, and - of course - I did my own research to see if I was interested in going.

97% of your audience isn’t ready to buy right now, but investing in awareness marketing is key to building relationships and building pipeline so that you are top of mind when they are ready to buy. When I got on that subway, I was not ready to book a vacation anywhere, but when I was deciding on honeymoon destinations, Iceland was near the top of the list. And it all started with that campaign.