CASE 97 / Inspired by Iceland / Promote Iceland / 2020
Looks Like You Need to Let It Out
A remote scream became a small participatory visit to Iceland when ordinary travel was constrained.
AI-assisted research and analysis for the SNS Creative Fieldbook; published by SNS Media Tech. No named human reviewer is claimed.
Sources reviewed 2026-11-05
Campaign credits belong to the original creators. They did not write or endorse this analysis.
Credits: SS+K, Peel Iceland, M&C Saatchi and M&C Saatchi Talk for Promote Iceland; The One Show credits Firefall for digital work and Skot Productions for production.
Recognition: 2021 One Show Bronze Pencil, Experiential & Immersive / Events / Stunts / Competitions / Virtual - Livestream.
Launch / edition: 2020. Award years: 2021.
The problem. The idea. The experience.
The pandemic interrupted international tourism and made ordinary holiday promotion difficult. The agency framed the task as maintaining Iceland’s relevance while acknowledging people’s immediate frustration, rather than assuming they could book and travel normally.
How the idea came to life
On 15 July 2020, the Icelandic government announced Let It Out. People could record a scream through a website and have it played through one of seven speakers in Icelandic locations. They received video of their contribution in the landscape.
How it reached people
The activation combined the interactive site with a brand film, paid-social versions, creator demonstrations and media appearances. The government described a two-week invitation, while the award entry summarizes the broader integrated campaign.
Supporting sources: Primary government announcement in Icelandic → Primary award archive with entrant narrative → Primary agency retrospective →
Read the data in context.
The numbers below describe different kinds of outcomes. Their date, scope and reporting source are part of the result.
- Reporting period
- 2020 campaign, reported in the 2021 award entry; exact cutoff unstated
- Scope
- People said to have used the website; user definition and deduplication not supplied
- Evidence
- Entrant narrative in The One Show archive
The One Show’s 2021 entry reports 725,000 site users, with no precise counting period specified, and records a Bronze Pencil in Experiential & Immersive. Participation is not the same as a completed scream, a unique traveller or a booking.
The creative mechanism.
A person’s input is visibly transported into a real destination and returned as a shareable record
Acknowledge the audience’s present situation
A destination cannot always ask for immediate travel. A useful communication can begin with the audience’s current constraints and offer a small experience that fits them. The principle is relevance, not the exploitation of distress: give people agency, avoid diagnosing their feelings and let nonparticipation be a comfortable option.
Make remote participation have a visible consequence
The screen interaction mattered because something was shown happening elsewhere. A clear input, observable response and personal record make a remote experience easier to explain. For small teams, even a scheduled human response can work if its timing is honest; there is no need to imply instantaneous automation where none exists.
Let the setting do some of the explanation
The landscapes were integral to the contrast between confinement and open space. An adaptation should identify what the real location contributes that a generic digital background cannot. This might be a working studio, a garden or a local performance space, with access and environmental responsibilities established before promotion.
Design the return object as carefully as the participation
A recording lets the participant revisit or share what happened, extending the experience beyond a button press. It should be understandable to outsiders without exposing private information. Make publication optional and moderate inputs before they reach a public setting, particularly where people may submit abusive or personally identifying content.
The intended behavior loop
- 01Recognize a present frustration
- 02Send an optional contribution
- 03See it placed in the destination
- 04Keep or share a personal recording
Growth job: Remain relevant during travel disruption → invite remote participation → keep the destination in consideration. This is an interpretation of the mechanism, not an audited attribution model.
A direction to take into the room.
Original editorial interpretation and proposed adaptation. This is a proposed adaptation, not historical campaign execution or a forecast.
The transferable principle
Offer an honest remote experience in which people can see their contribution interact with a real place.
Keep these boundaries
Do not copy the scream mechanism, make therapeutic promises, or broadcast unreviewed audience recordings into public or natural spaces.
Turn the lesson into a test.
Illustrative adaptation, not a historical campaign fact
A small-team experiment
A community garden invites people to submit one word about a hoped-for visit, then creates a short, scheduled visual arrangement using reusable letter cards.
Build the test
- Explain that submissions will be reviewed and filmed in scheduled batches, not live.
- Obtain site permission, use no amplified sound and let people receive a private clip without publishing their name.
- Show one verified detail about the garden alongside each original arrangement and offer a voluntary visit-information link.
Measure the right thing
Separate valid submissions, delivered clips, voluntary shares and later event enquiries; collect simple feedback about clarity and enjoyment.
Know when to stop
Pause if moderation fails, residents or wildlife are disturbed, or participants believe the activity is mental-health treatment.
How this reading fits your brief
Start with the useful part.
Best for: Remain relevant during travel disruption → invite remote participation → keep the destination in consideration
What to adapt: Offer an honest remote experience in which people can see their contribution interact with a real place.
Prerequisites: Permitted real location; Moderation and privacy controls; Reliable remote participation and clear timing; Environmental safeguards.
Smaller-team route: A community garden invites people to submit one word about a hoped-for visit, then creates a short, scheduled visual arrangement using reusable letter cards. Constraint: Do not copy the scream mechanism, make therapeutic promises, or broadcast unreviewed audience recordings into public or natural spaces.
Budget: Not established by the cited sources. No cost-fit claim is made.
Trade-offs and evidence: Read the limits below before choosing a test. There is no guaranteed reach, sales lift or ROAS.
Questions for your next brief
- What can people experience now if they cannot buy or travel yet?
- What visible response would make a remote contribution feel complete?
Sources & further reading.
Brand and award-entry results are attributed claims, not independent causal audits. Source links open the original third-party pages.
- Government of Iceland: Inspired by Iceland invites people to release stress in Iceland →Primary government announcement in Icelandic · Supports: 15 July 2020 launch, two-week invitation, seven speakers, returned video and moderated sound volume.
- The One Show: Looks Like You Need to Let It Out →Primary award archive with entrant narrative · Supports: Execution, distribution, credits, reported site participation and 2021 Bronze Pencil.
- M&C Saatchi Talk: Business Iceland →Primary agency retrospective · Supports: Pandemic challenge and temporary landscape installation; disparate numerical results not combined.
Independent educational analysis of external campaigns. These are not SNS client projects, endorsements or claims of involvement. Campaign facts and reported outcomes are attributed to their sources. Explanations, adaptations and test plans are original analysis and hypotheses, not proven causal findings.