Launching a successful brand into a new territory and establishing yourself with a fresh audience is the test of any good marketing strategy. What works in one market is unlikely to translate to another, as 66°North head of marketing, Fannar Pall Adalsteinsson, is well aware.
“We are proud that we are from Iceland, but still, we need to be relevant to the local market here,” he tells Marketing Beat. “So we try to use Iceland as a communication tool to create awareness here in London.”
The outdoor clothing brand, which was founded in 1926, recently opened its first international store outside of Iceland and Denmark on London’s iconic Regent Street, to help shivering Brits combat the cold weather.
“Authenticity and being true to our heritage is something that we constantly need to protect,” Pall Adalsteinsson continues, as he outlines next year’s plans for the successful brand, which include launching London-centric adverts to target the UK.
Bringing the ice from Iceland to the UK
According to the head of marketing, who has been in the position for around five years, the company’s media strategy consists of ensuring its imagery and brand expresses its heritage.
“Our campaigns are all shot in Iceland, making them visually appealing and true to our brand,” he says. “We are a market leader in Iceland, but in the UK we need to use our heritage and background to convince the UK audience.”
The company has started to advertise in the UK, albeit in a “very limited way”, with editorials shot in Iceland, alongside spreadsheet ads and full page ads in magazines to show potential customers where we are from and what to expect from the Icelandic brand.
66°North aims to overtake The North Face, Monclear and Canada Goose to become the most talked about outdoor brand within the UK.
In the brand’s most recent campaign, content was created in ice caves and glacier tunnels located in the East Fjords of Iceland.
“The campaign shows a contrast of the average day in small villages in Iceland,” reveals Pall Adalsteinsson. “You see the extreme conditions of those who live in the smaller areas of the country.”
“The UK faces similar weather to Iceland, it’s always raining both sides,” he jokes, “although during winter Iceland just gets a tad colder”.
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On attracting the UK audience
Despite the prime location of its Regents Street flagship store, just a few meters away from Piccadilly Circus, Pall Adalsteinsson recognises that 66°North will “struggle” to compete with the marketing budgets of bigger companies.
As a result, the marketing team has been asking themselves how can they “build these communities around the brand” and tap into other communities which the UK already knows and loves.
“We have also worked with other brands and we’re doing collaborations – I think that is is a great opportunity to introduce the brand to the UK market,” he adds.
Just last week, the outdoor clothing brand announced its first collaboration drop with British artist James Merry.
Merry, whose ‘sideline’ – hand-embroidered vintage sports tees and sweatshirts – has garnered something of a cult-like following, is originally from the UK, but has lived in Iceland for the last decade and worked with Icelandic singer Björk.
“When we told [Merry] about our London flagship store, he began to think about what – aside from the cold weather – what natural elements connect the UK and Iceland.
“That’s how the swan design came to production. Swans fly between Iceland and the UK and we partnered that up with flight tracking routes – it made perfect sense,”
66°North is also working with UK-based influencers and talent to showcase its products to the UK market. One of these influencers includes Chris Burkard, an award-winning, self-taught photographer and artist, who has a strong following in the UK.
“Chris [Buckard], is very big name in the outdoor and exploring field – so we thought who else to help launch our first international push in the UK?”
On the future for 66°North
In the new year, 66°North is launching a collaboration with Denmark-based brand Ganni.
“I love working with contrasts, it’s part of our DNA, so working with the 66°North design team to create these amazing technical pieces brings a great counterpoint to the SS19 collection,” Ganni creative director Ditte Reffstrup said when announcing the partnership.
“We are proud and excited to bring the brand to the UK,” Pall Adalsteinsson concludes, “but more importantly; to a new audience.”
