Service
Social Strategy & Content
Scope
Social Creative & Community
Year
2016
Result
EFFIE GRAND PRIX WINNER
↘ The brief
Iceland’s tourism board was watching the same overtourism backlash hitting other destinations — beautiful footage, but no reason for anyone to feel invited rather than just impressed.
Inspired by Iceland’s answer was to stop selling scenery and start selling a person: a semi-fictional local named Guðmundur who would answer any question the world had about the country, live and unscripted, direct to camera.
↘ The approach
As part of The Brooklyn Brothers’ social team, I advised on the social creative and community strategy that carried Guðmundur’s answers across YouTube and social — shaping how the films were seeded, replied to, and kept in conversation as they travelled internationally.
The format lived or died on tone: dry, self-aware, and willing to answer the awkward questions honestly rather than dodge them with tourism-board polish.
↘ The outcome
#AskGudmundur became one of the most awarded tourism campaigns of its year, winning the Effie Grand Prix — advertising’s effectiveness award, judged on real commercial results rather than creative merit alone.
It’s still cited as one of the clearer examples of a destination brand finding a genuinely different creative idea instead of another highlight reel.
Result
EFFIE GRAND PRIX WINNER
The Effie Grand Prix is judged on business effect rather than craft alone — which is the part that matters when a tourism board has to justify the spend.