Icelandair Says Strong Branding Will Matter More as AI Transforms Travel Search and Discovery

Icelandair says the battle for AI search starts before the prompt, as strong branding, authentic stories and trust could decide which airlines travellers remember when seeking travel advice.

Icelandair says the battle for AI search begins before the prompt, putting strong branding at the centre of the airline’s strategy. As travellers increasingly use artificial intelligence for travel advice, airlines face a new challenge: remaining visible and memorable before a digital recommendation is requested.

Icelandair Marketing Chief Gísli Brynjolfsson argues that brand recognition, authenticity and emotional connection can influence whether travellers consider an airline in an increasingly crowded digital environment. Meanwhile, Icelandair is using creative campaigns, customer data and technology to strengthen its identity.

The approach highlights why trust and distinctive storytelling may remain important as AI reshapes travel discovery.Brynjolfsson outlined the approach during a World Aviation Festival webinar on 7 September, titled “The secret behind Icelandair’s viral marketing campaigns”, ahead of his appearance at the event’s Marketing Summit in Lisbon next month.

Why Does Icelandair Believe Branding Matters in AI Search?

The central argument from Icelandair’s Director of Global Marketing, Gísli Brynjolfsson, is that airlines cannot wait until a traveller enters an AI prompt to start competing for attention. By that point, the airline’s brand may already need to be familiar enough for the traveller to recognise, consider and trust it.

Brynjolfsson discussed the issue during a World Aviation Festival webinar on 7 September, ahead of his appearance at the event’s Marketing Summit in Lisbon in October. His comments reflect a wider shift in travel marketing, where traditional search engines, social platforms, recommendation systems and AI-powered tools increasingly overlap.

For airlines, this creates a strategic question: how can a company remain distinctive when travellers may increasingly ask an AI system to recommend destinations, flights or travel experiences?

How Is Icelandair Responding to Changing Traveller Behaviour?

Icelandair is focusing on brand distinctiveness rather than attempting to predict precisely how AI search will evolve. Brynjolfsson said the airline believes strong branding remains one of the most valuable tools available because the future structure of AI-powered search is still developing.

The strategy also reflects a change in the competition for consumer attention. Airlines are no longer competing only against other carriers promoting destinations and fares. They are competing with social media creators, user-generated content, entertainment and an enormous volume of professionally produced digital material.

Consequently, simply publishing another destination advertisement or fare-led campaign may struggle to attract attention. Icelandair’s approach is to create stories that generate curiosity and encourage audiences to engage with the brand.

Why Is Authenticity Becoming Central to Icelandair’s Campaigns?

Icelandair has recently developed campaigns around the idea that travellers are increasingly questioning what they see online. The airline identified an opportunity in the growing contrast between highly polished, AI-generated imagery and the desire for experiences that feel authentic.

One campaign developed after an image showing a volcanic eruption beneath the Northern Lights triggered online debate over whether the photograph was genuine. That reaction eventually inspired a video featuring a sceptical character who questioned whether Iceland’s spectacular landscapes could actually be real.

The campaign did not simply frame AI as artificial and Icelandair as authentic. Instead, it explored a broader consumer response to an internet increasingly filled with perfect, generated and manipulated imagery.

What Was the ‘Really Bad Photographer’ Campaign About?

Icelandair extended the authenticity theme through its ‘Really Bad Photographer’ campaign. The concept invited people who believed they were poor photographers to apply for an opportunity to photograph Iceland.

The underlying idea was straightforward: Iceland’s landscapes do not require perfect photography to appear impressive. By deliberately moving away from polished visual perfection, the campaign sought to demonstrate that genuine experiences can have their own marketing power.

This approach also gives the airline a distinctive narrative that can travel beyond conventional advertising. Instead of focusing exclusively on prices or destinations, the campaign connects Icelandair with a broader conversation about authenticity, imperfection and real-world travel.

How Does Technology Fit Into Icelandair’s Marketing Strategy?

Despite the emphasis on human connection, Icelandair is not moving away from technology. The airline uses search behaviour, website activity, booking information, social listening and brand tracking to understand customer interests and identify potential audiences.

Brynjolfsson’s position is that technology should support better marketing rather than replace human understanding. Data can reveal what people are searching for and how they interact with content, while creative storytelling can provide the emotional context that makes a brand memorable.

This combination could become increasingly important as AI changes how consumers discover travel information. Airlines may need both strong digital signals and a recognisable brand identity to remain relevant.

What Comes Next for Icelandair and AI-Powered Travel Marketing?

Brynjolfsson is scheduled to discuss Icelandair’s marketing strategy further at the World Aviation Festival Marketing Summit in Lisbon from 13-15 October 2026. The event will bring together airline and airport professionals to examine developments spanning marketing, customer experience and technology.

The wider lesson from Icelandair’s approach is that AI-powered discovery does not necessarily reduce the importance of traditional brand building. Instead, it may make recognition, trust, distinctive storytelling and authentic experiences increasingly significant.

The cause is the rapid growth of AI-powered search and the increasing amount of generated content competing for travellers’ attention. The answer, according to Icelandair’s marketing approach, is to build a recognisable airline brand before customers ask AI for travel recommendations. The reason is that technology cannot remove the importance of familiarity and emotional connection from travel decisions. Icelandair is therefore combining data-driven marketing with campaigns centred on authenticity and real experiences. Its strategy suggests that airlines need to understand both technological change and human behaviour. As AI continues to influence discovery, memorable brands may have a greater role in helping travellers navigate an increasingly crowded digital travel environment.

Icelandair’s latest marketing strategy highlights a fundamental change taking place across the travel industry. As AI search becomes another gateway through which travellers discover destinations, airlines face pressure to establish recognition and trust before a customer ever writes a prompt. Gísli Brynjolfsson’s approach places brand building, authentic storytelling and technology within the same framework. Icelandair’s recent campaigns demonstrate how concerns about generated content can become opportunities to promote real landscapes, imperfect photography and human experiences.

At the same time, the airline continues to use search data, booking behaviour, social listening and brand tracking to understand its audiences. The strategy does not attempt to predict exactly how AI search will develop. Instead, it focuses on creating a distinctive identity that can remain relevant as digital discovery changes. For travel marketers, the development underlines the continuing importance of human connection alongside increasingly sophisticated technology.