Iceland Express

The Brief

• Promote new route launches, including London Gatwick to Reykjavik, which commenced on 1 May 2009
• Continue to raise awareness of the low-cost airline to help drive sales
• Provide ongoing PR support

Rooster’s Solution

• We arranged a ‘media mission’ in London to generate interest ahead of the Gatwick to Reykjavik launch, which was attended by Iceland Express representatives and journalists from a range of the UK’s best consumer and trade outlets
• We organised and accompanied a group press trip to Iceland on the inaugural flight to Reykjavik in May 2009, securing coverage from top-tier media, including national and regional newspapers, websites, radio stations and consumer and trade magazines
• Rooster arranged and accompanied another group press trip to Reykjavik in October 2009 with an aim to push both the Gatwick route and the re-instated London Stansted route, which commenced in November 2009. Nine journalists attended the trip, from outlets including Times Online, Daily Mirror, Sky Travel and News of the World
• Rooster generates ongoing news flow on the airline and new routes through press releases, targeted sell-in and by arranging individual press trips

Campaign Highlights

• The inaugural flight press trip generated coverage in The Times, Daily Express, Daily Mirror and Candis, while the Press Association piece was picked up by 30 regional newspapers
• Iceland Express was included in a BBC Fast Track broadcast on the BBC World Service website
• A three-page feature dedicated to Iceland Express appeared in Low Fare and Regional Airlines Magazine, with a cover mention
• Following individual and group press trips, Iceland Express has been featured by a wide range of top-tier publications, including The Times, The Observer, The Guardian, Sky Travel, Times Online, News of the World and 4x4 Magazine
• Turning the volcanic dust cloud story into positive coverage for the client

Key Learnings

• The collapse of the economy in October 2008 provided us with an unexpected news hook (investment by an airline during recession). This enabled us to reach out to business titles that otherwise might not have featured the route launch and gain additional coverage
• The client was highly flexible in the information and messaging it provided during the launch, which allowed us to invite a more diverse range of media, from Gay Times to Business Traveller