Iceland's Image

I remember an international survey, done many years ago, about the image of Iceland in other countries. The remarkable thing about the outcome was that most of the participants did not know that Iceland existed. Some people had heard about it but were unable to point it out on a map. This became a matter of great concern for many people. It is always sad when other people don’t know about you and think you don’t exist. I think it was after this survey that the uniquely Icelandic concept “landkynning” (country promotion) was brought back, and politicians became aware of the value and importance of Iceland being known for something.

Many publicity campaigns were organized, delegations were sent abroad, and there were campaigns to promote something. Some of this was a terrible blunder, almost bordering on a desperate need for attention. Some things were well done, others not so well. Iceland was, for example, marketed for a long time as some kind of a paradise for promiscuous alcoholics and it was maintained that Icelandic women were always ready to sleep with anyone, especially when they were drunk. Some of these campaigns were really silly, for example when a guy in a TV commercial was seen buying fish and chips in England and asking for a cocktail sauce with it: A good idea from Iceland. I don’t know where the cocktail sauce comes from, but it is certainly not from Iceland.

The Trademark Iceland is at a crossroads

It is important for a small country like Iceland to promote itself. A name is a trademark and can represent various qualities. These qualities are often subjective, but that does not mean they are unreal. Paris, for example, is supposed to be a very romantic city and many people go there to experience it. And even if you don’t find much romance sitting in a car with a French taxi driver, or waiting in a long line in the burning heat, that does not mean it isn’t there. You just have to look better for it. All these campaigns have been successful to some degree.

Björk Guðmundsdóttir has, however, probably been more useful. She put Iceland on the map. And other musicians have followed in her footsteps. Eyjafjallajökull did even better. And even the economic collapse joined in. More and more people of the world know that we exist and are even curious to know more about us. The trademark Iceland is at a crossroads. And I am not talking about the British grocery stores.

In 1989, I went to America for the first time. I was surprised by how few people knew something about Iceland. The few who recognized it were convinced that it was cold and nothing else worth mentioning. This changed quickly. A few years later, when you said you were from Iceland, people nodded and said: “Ah, Bjork!” I think this was a direct result of Debut, released in 1993. On an American comic map of the world from the year 2000, Iceland was called Bjork-land. Then this gradually changed and more music-related names came to people’s mind when they heard the name of our country. You often felt like you were working for a giant record company.

It seems to me that this is changing once again. I have been travelling around the U.S. over the past few months and people I meet often ask me where I’m from. I haven’t met anyone who does not know something about Iceland. Everyone knows Björk and Sigur Rós and Of Monsters and Men. Most people I meet say that they have heard that Iceland is a beautiful and interesting country. They even know something about the climate and they know for sure that it is not at all as cold as the name indicates. These are by far the most common reactions. Sometimes, I even meet people who have been to Iceland. And they are always ecstatic about their visit and say they are determined to return there, and this time taking more people with them.

Lack of political vision

Iceland has incredibly many things to offer. Icelandic nature is unique in the whole world. I think it is our duty to protect and preserve it, for ourselves and for our guests to enjoy and experience. The situation of these matters is not good enough. Iceland not having an impressive Natural History Museum is nothing less than a national disgrace. Icelandic history and literature are the national heritage.

Unfortunately there has been a lack of political vision and understanding of these matters. Most politicians seem to think that the backbone of Icelandic culture is the roast saddle of lamb, and that nothing is properly Icelandic unless you can eat it. It isn’t so. We could do so much more by taking out our manuscripts and making them accessible to ourselves and our guests. But the core of the Icelandic culture is not buried in the past or hidden in the future. It is ourselves, now. It appears in the words and tones we produce.

Happy Easter!