Congratulations to the teams behind Icelandair’s The Real Unreal campaign, which was awarded Best in Travel & Tourism at this year’s Shorty Awards.
The 18th Annual Shorty Awards were held yesterday in New York City, celebrating some of the most creative and innovative work in digital and social media from brands, agencies, non-profits and creators around the world. Judged by the Real Time Academy, the programme recognises standout ideas that drive engagement, build awareness, shape culture and deliver impact across digital platforms.
From real-time activations to bold storytelling, the awards spotlight work redefining what’s possible in the digital space.
Our award-winning campaign: Icelandair – The Real Unreal
Iceland’s beauty is so jaw-dropping, it’s mistaken for fiction. In focus groups, people literally said, “It looks too good to be true.” And in an era where AI generated imagery dominates travel content and adds to traveller cynicism, that doubt becomes a barrier.
Our mission? Flip the script.
With this data-driven campaign, we set out to prove that Iceland’s surreal beauty isn’t artificial – it’s astonishingly, powerfully real. Our goal was to turn global scepticism into visceral belief. Positioning Icelandair not just as an airline, but as the ultimate gateway to authenticity in an artificial age. The villain in our story? AI itself.
Read more about The Real Unreal here: Icelandair: The Real Unreal – The Shorty Awards
