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Iceland FAM Opens Minds of Outdoor Manufacturers

By Chris Chesak

The attendees of a recent FAM were not your usual participants.

Instead of travel agents or media, the host, Icelandair, invited gear manufacturers from several prominent outdoor brands, including Black Diamond, Camelbak, Confluence Watersports, Kelty, Marmot, and Petzl.

“Our strategy was to showcase Iceland to marketing staff of a few key outdoor brands,” noted Melissa Andretta, Icelandair’s Marketing Manager for The Americas. “We wanted to expose our unique product to these companies and specifically invited them so that they would consider doing photo shoots here for their catalogs and marketing materials, since Iceland has such diverse terrain in close proximity. We hope that they also consider product testing or perhaps a trip for their employees to our spectacular home.”

Peter Metcalf, President of Black Diamond, Inc. said, “Iceland really wasn’t on our radar before, but this trip opened our eyes to all the various possibilities of working with such a destination.”

ATTA staff, who have more than 40 years experience in the outdoor industry, were able to utilize their deep contacts with in the space to recruit the trip’s participants.

“ATTA’s staff was critical in reaching out to the right people at the right brands for this trip. If it were not for their help, this trip wouldn’t have been the success it was,” added Andretta. “Approaching these brands on my own was pretty much fruitless. But working with the ATTA gave me the credibility needed to ‘open the door’ to discussions.”

And while most of the attendees were content to more casually explore the rugged island nation, Marmot took full advantage of the trip by sending a journalist, adventure photographer, and filmmaker team deep into the Icelandic backcountry.

“We came with the intention of shooting [video] for a short brand clip. But once we got there, we said, ‘let’s go for a full film,’” explained Marmot Public Relations Manager Jordan Campbell.

Marmot’s trio spent seven days exploring the Vatnajokul Glacier and world-famous Jokulsarlon Ice Lagoon in southeastern Iceland, one time even battling nearly 100mph winds on the country’s highest peak, Hvannadahlshnukkur (2100 meters).

Iceland’s takeaway from the FAM from just Marmot alone is impressive: a photo shot on the trip will be used for Marmot’s fall 2007 poster, 20 hours of high-definition video were shot for a possible brand development video and/or documentary, a forthcoming 4,000-word article will run in an adventure magazine, and more than 2,500 photos were taken.

“We will use the images in tons of marketing collateral including point-of-purchase materials like hangtags, in-store signage, posters, and rack toppers, and then also on our websites,” added Campbell.

But this trip was not just a boon to Iceland.

“This trip really got us thinking in terms of what other locations are out there that aren’t so typical,” noted Confluence Marketing Coordinator Tanya Talbert. “Sure, everyone does product shots here [in the U.S.] because that’s easy. But now we’re starting to think in terms of less common destinations that will provide a more stunning backdrop for showcasing our product.”

Drew Simmons, a public relations director for Kelty, expressed similar sentiments. “Thanks to the [FAM] trip, Iceland is clearly at the center of our attention the moment. But that trip really opened up our minds to the possibility of other adventurous destinations that we can work with, both in the short term to fulfill our needs for adventure and product shots but also to create some long-term partnerships.”