Branding has become the decisive factor in whether airlines appear in AI-powered travel recommendations, according to Icelandair's director of global marketing, Gísli Brynjolfsson. The battle for visibility starts long before a traveler types a prompt - and carriers that fail to build a recognizable, emotionally resonant brand risk being invisible when customers turn to AI tools for travel advice.
"Branding has never been as important as it is today because, at least on our side, no one really understands how AI search will develop," Brynjolfsson said. His strategy pushes Icelandair to build a "distinctive" brand that people already recognize and feel something about before they seek a recommendation. The airline competes for attention not just with other carriers, but with everything appearing in customers' feeds, including user-generated content.
The trust gap in AI-generated content
Icelandair's recent campaigns draw from a single insight: people are increasingly surrounded by polished, generated content, which creates a growing desire for experiences and stories that feel genuine and human. Brynjolfsson traced the first idea to a photograph of a volcanic eruption beneath the Northern Lights. Facebook users debated whether the image was real, and the reaction sparked a video campaign featuring a skeptic who refuses to believe Iceland's landscapes are authentic.
"There's too much fake, AI-generated content out there, and people are just becoming tired of it. They're craving something authentic, something that's genuinely real, and we felt that this was a very natural space for Icelandair to play in," he said.
Why a bad photographer sold Iceland better
The same thinking informed Icelandair's 'Really Bad Photographer' campaign. The airline invited ordinary people who considered themselves terrible photographers to apply for the chance to capture Iceland's scenery. The message was blunt: Iceland does not need perfection to look extraordinary. The campaign reinforced the brand's bet that authenticity cuts through noise more effectively than polished marketing.
"The biggest challenge today is getting attention. You can't just put out another destination with a price, that's not going to cut it. You have to be way more interesting," Brynjolfsson said. "Going back to the basics and truly believing that the brand is the strongest thing that you can have in your toolkit is very relevant at the moment."
Technology as a human connector
Alongside its creative work, technology remains integral to Icelandair's marketing. The airline uses search behavior, website activity, booking data, social listening and brand tracking to understand demand and identify potential audiences. Brynjolfsson believes these tools should strengthen the human connection with the brand, not replace it.
"Technology should make marketing more human, not less," he added.
Why this matters for marketing professionals
Icelandair's approach signals a shift that marketers cannot afford to ignore. As AI-powered search and recommendation engines become the default way people discover products, brand recall and emotional connection become the new ranking factors. A strong brand is no longer just a creative asset - it is a distribution advantage. If your brand does not occupy mental real estate before a customer opens an AI tool, no amount of performance marketing will close that gap.
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