Driving brand and Northern Lights awareness across core markets

Interest in visiting the Northern Lights in Iceland has declined, with travellers increasingly opting for destinations such as Norway, fuelled by stronger search visibility and media narratives positioning it as the “best” place to see the aurora.

For Icelandair, this created a dual challenge: to reclaim Iceland’s authority as a world-class Northern Lights destination while strengthening the association between the Icelandair brand and Aurora travel. At the same time, there was a need to drive organic visibility across key markets including the UK, US and Germany.

Put simply, we needed to shift the narrative and ensure Iceland was firmly front-of-mind as solar activity peaked.

We developed a data-led, reactive digital PR campaign built around a simple but powerful truth: 2026 marks a solar maximum — the peak of the Sun’s 11-year cycle, when the Northern Lights are at their most visible.

To bring this to life, we created localised press releases tailored to the UK, US and German markets, ensuring relevance landed at a regional level. Using open-source data and smart desk research, we built rankings that identified the best places in each market to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights before travelling to Iceland, sparking intrigue closer to home while building intent to travel further afield.

We then positioned Iceland as the ultimate upgrade: the place where the Aurora isn’t just visible, but unforgettable: experienced in its most dramatic, natural setting. To add real value (and cut through), we supported coverage with expert photography tips and practical guidance, helping audiences not just see the lights, but capture them.

By combining timely scientific relevance, locally resonant data and genuinely useful travel guidance, we secured high-impact coverage that firmly connected both Iceland the destination and Icelandair as the brand with the Northern Lights.