Icelandair launches campaign featuring ‘world’s worst photographer’

Icelandair has launched its ‘Really Bad Photographer’ campaign to promote the natural beauty and authenticity of Iceland. The initiative selected Blanche Mortemard, who submitted a collection of poor-quality photos, from a pool of 127,642 applicants seeking the title of ‘world’s worst photographer.’

The campaign is the fourth installment of the airline’s ‘Real Unreal’ marketing umbrella. According to Gísli S. Brynólfsson, Icelandair’s director of global marketing, the strategy aims to combat the rise of AI-generated imagery and misleading travel information. The airline seeks to demonstrate that Iceland is so inherently beautiful that even unskilled photography can capture its essence without the need for digital filters or artificial intelligence.

The ‘Real Unreal’ concept originated after social media posts featuring volcanic eruptions in the Reykjanes Peninsula and the Northern Lights sparked public debate regarding whether the images were authentic or digitally altered. The airline intends to rebuild traveler trust by emphasizing the realness of the destination.