Last but not least: Swap tourist for iceberg
While Iceland is considered incredibly hip, Greenland ekes out an existence in its shadow far away from all attention. That is about to change: The local tourism authorities are launching an image campaign.
While Iceland is considered incredibly hip, Greenland ekes out an existence in its shadow far away from all attention. That is about to change: The local tourism authorities are launching an image campaign.
But unlike the Icelanders, they can't rely on figureheads like Sigor Ros or Björk. And the advertising budgets are more than modest - alone, so are the goals: "We want the world to know that we exist," Mads Nordlund, PR and Marketing Coordinator of Greenland Tourism tells Brandchannel.com. And he doesn't mean that ironically at all. The strategies are still very, very rudimentary, he says, but so is the Greenland brand. "Most people still think that polar bears run around the streets here and we still live in igloos," Nordlund continues. "O.k., there really are polar bears running around and some of us still live in igloos, but we are also a very modern society." The Greenlanders now want to present this to the world. We want the world to know that we exist and that you can actually travel to Greenland," insists Nordlund.
The Danish-born artist, who now markets his new home, has experience with such equally Herculean and sensational actions. In 2004, he helped the Danish artist Evaristti paint an iceberg red. He used his experience with icebergs again last year for a PR campaign for Greenland. On this occasion, he had an iceberg shipped to Copenhagen, where it was served in the form of ice cubes in drinks at a tourism fair. It remains to be seen whether the streams of visitors will soon flow in the direction of Greenland. If not, it is to be feared that Nordlund will soon send a whole caravan of icebergs in the other direction, freely according to the motto: If you don't come to me, then I'll come to you.
But unlike the Icelanders, they can't rely on figureheads like Sigor Ros or Björk. And the advertising budgets are more than modest - alone, so are the goals: "We want the world to know that we exist," Mads Nordlund, PR and Marketing Coordinator of Greenland Tourism tells Brandchannel.com. And he doesn't mean that ironically at all. The strategies are still very, very rudimentary, he says, but so is the Greenland brand. "Most people still think that polar bears run around the streets here and we still live in igloos," Nordlund continues. "O.k., there really are polar bears running around and some of us still live in igloos, but we are also a very modern society." The Greenlanders now want to present this to the world. We want the world to know that we exist and that you can actually travel to Greenland," insists Nordlund.
The Danish-born artist, who now markets his new home, has experience with such equally Herculean and sensational actions. In 2004, he helped the Danish artist Evaristti paint an iceberg red. He used his experience with icebergs again last year for a PR campaign for Greenland. On this occasion, he had an iceberg shipped to Copenhagen, where it was served in the form of ice cubes in drinks at a tourism fair. It remains to be seen whether the streams of visitors will soon flow in the direction of Greenland. If not, it is to be feared that Nordlund will soon send a whole caravan of icebergs in the other direction, freely according to the motto: If you don't come to me, then I'll come to you.
