The Télé Matin show on France 2 on Saturday morning extensively covered the range of skin drops from Sif Cosmetics. The female presenter personally endorsed the product, saying that she has seen a noticeable positive effect from the product in both herself and her friends, Vísir.is reported.

The broadcast had an immediate impact and the product sold out completely at the Colette fashion shop in Paris. In addition to this, the French distributor’s website crashed under the pressure.

The segment included interviews with the president of Sif Cosmetics, and also with Iceland’s First Lady, Dorrit Moussaieff.

The segment can be seen on the France 2 website, here. Press ‘Play’ at the top left of the screen and select ’28/01/2012′. The segment begins at around 1 hour and 45 minutes. The programme is (of course) in French.

As many as 18 executives from companies including BP, Shell and Statoil were ambushed by a group of suit-clad activists as they made their way to a genuine seminar, which was meant to be hosted by Greenland’s Raw Materials Directorate, at Nordatlantens Brygge in Copenhagen.

The undercover agents waited in the building’s lift for the businessmen before advising them that the meeting had moved to another room – one hired by Greenpeace. According to Politiken, rather than receiving information about how they could become involved in oil and gas exploration in the Arctic region, the group was then subjected to a 15-minute power-point presentation about environmental concerns.

Seemingly more interested in the hot drinks and croissants laid on by their generous hosts, it was not until the end of the presentation that the audience became aware that Greenpeace was calling the shots. The activists thanked the executives and left the building after the meeting, joining their more conspicuous yellow-clad comrades outside.

Instead of traditional decorations and a choir as expected, onlookers gathered to see the unveiling of the seasonal display at the city’s landmark Svampen (The Mushroom) on the first day of Advent were met with larger than life-sized characters from the Hollywood movie Alvin & the Chipmunks 3.

Even the city councillor who opened the proceedings was bemused by the presence of the singing rodents. “I was very surprised at the unveiling of the display, because in the application it was described as Christmas decorations,” Ulla Hamilton, city councillor for traffic, told trade paper Resumé. ”This was not at all in line with the permits we had issued,” she added.

Both the traffic division and the City Council have agreed that Alvin, Simon and Theodore were not stipulated on the permit, even though they were aware that the organisation planning the display was working with sponsors.

”City i Samverkan [the traffic division] has not been able to give me a clear picture of how it all got away from them in the end, but they were the first to express regret that something had gone wrong,” Per Anders Hedkvist of i Samverkan told Dagens Nyheter (DN) last Tuesday.

”They had a permit for a tree and four Santas. The chipmunks will be gone before the end of the week. We’ll put it behind us and continue onwards, as soon as the chipmunks are gone,” he said.

Also talking to DN, onlooker Anna said “I thought I was witnessing something historical. But all I feel is used and dirty.”

Reuters yesterday reported that work to lay the new data cable is expected to start next year and will cost investors in the region of ISK 36 billion (EUR 226.76 million).

“This project has been under intense preparation for several years,” Þorvaldur told Vísir.is. He says that the new cable will be the highest speed connection which has so far been laid under the North Atlantic. He said that there are already 14 cables between Europe and the USA; but all of them are much slower than the one Emerald Networks wants to lay.

According to Þorvaldur the new cable will increase the likelihood that Iceland can become a global hub for data centres. In order for that to become a reality several different pieces need to fall into place. Firstly there needs to be a plentiful supply of cheap electricity; which Iceland has. Number two, he says, is to use Iceland’s often-cold air to cool the servers; replacing the need to pump masses of water around the buildings. There also needs to be enough available land to build the data centres — which Iceland also has. Then there is the need for excellent high-speed internet connections; which the new cable would ensure.

“The fifth element is peripheral things like, for example, the tax environment,” Þorvaldur explains. “Alþingi has passed regulation stating that foreign data centre customers do not need to pay value added tax in Iceland. That makes Iceland competitive compared to other data centre locations in Europe and the USA.”

The award highlights the efforts of Icelandair and its marketing team following the most successful year the company has seen since it was founded in 1937.

Icelandair is also in the process of expanding its fleet with the addition of two more aircraft, bringing the count to 16 in comparison to 7 in 2003.

In addition to Icelandair’s award, Jon Asbergsson, CEO of Promote Iceland, the agency which is heading the Inspired by Iceland campaign, won Marketer of the Year 2011.

Johnny’s Senap mustard, made by the Druvan company, is being marketed with retro, pop-art style posters bearing the messages: ‘Real men don’t sew their own clothes’, ‘Real men don’t wear deodorant’ and ‘Real men grill’.

The campaign, which features 1950s rocker character Johnny has caused some offence, with many Swedish women taking to ‘Johnny’s’ official Facebook page to renounce Druvan’s products and call the ads “chauvinist”.

Kristina Ljungkvist, the company’s marketing director, is unconcerned, however, claiming the product is aimed specifically at men. “Our target group has always been men, and I think that’s one of the factors behind our success; that we actually dare to direct ourselves to men. All other retail businesses are directed to women,” she told to the Dagens Media newspaper.

However, even some men have expressed a dislike for the commercials, with one commenting: “Real men don’t try to use cooking products or grilling as proof of their own self esteem, and can eat whatever the hell they like”, and another asking, “So, women aren’t allowed to grill?”

Druvan are sticking with the theory that all publicity is good publicity, with Ljungkvist adding, “All I can say is that in my profession as a marketer, it’s hard to please everybody. We’re a small company, and need to do something tongue in cheek to get some attention.”

The inspiration for the posters was apparently taken from the classic adverts for Norrlands Guld beer, which depicts a stereotypical northern Swede. “We’re going to keep doing stuff that’s in Johnny’s spirit. We see him as kind of cool and retro; someone who dares to be himself,” Ljungkvist told Dagens Media.

The country’s biggest retailer, Tesco is also said to be interested in buying up Iceland — as are third and fourth place retailers, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons. There is considerable pressure on Old Landsbanki to get a good price for its stake in Iceland, as the money is needed to help pay off the Icesave debt. A bidding war between Britain’s biggest supermarkets could drive up the price.

The resolution committee of Old Landsbanki holds 67 percent in Iceland, which is a nationwide supermarket chain best-known for its town and city centre locations and its emphasis on low prices, especially on frozen goods. Iceland may not compete with the Big Four (who have over 75 percent market share); but it is by far the biggest company in its particular niche and the business is performing well. The Landsbanki stake was taken from BG Holding when its parent company, Baugur Group went bankrupt.

The Financial Times and Bloomberg claim that a bidding war is in the offing; saying that Asda has appointed Lazard, one of the world’s biggest financial advice agencies to help. Asda is owned by Wal Mart and recently bought its smaller rival Netto.

An information booklet about Iceland is due to be sent to interested parties at the end of the month.

Malcolm Walker, the founder and chairman of Iceland, is also interested in owning more of his company by buying the Landsbanki stake. He offered a billion pounds (ISK 130 billion) last year and that offer is still on the table. He also has the option of equalling the highest bid when the sales process formally gets going.

Economists questioned by RUV believe it is not unlikely that the Landsbanki share in Iceland will go for GBP 1.5 billion – 1.8 billion — which is up to ISK 337 billion.

Inspired by Iceland’s main focus was, and still is to showcase Iceland’s many unique and appealing attributes by allowing individuals to share their stories and memories of the country. In addition to this, Inspired by Iceland has also organised and held many events across the country and online, showcasing Iceland’s culture and natural beauty.

In June 2010, the Inspired by Iceland campaign was kick started with such an event. ‘Iceland Hour’ involved the whole nation of Iceland for one hour to welcome and encouraging the world to experience Iceland themselves with online messages. Over 1 million messages and e-cards were sent and the Inspired by Iceland promotional video was downloaded over 1 million times that same day. Tweets reached over 5 million people on the same occasion.

Another significant accomplishment was the ‘Iceland Inspires’ concert, which took place in downtown Reykjavik on 1st July 2010. The open-air concert, which featured Damien Rice, was streamed live over the Internet, giving viewers the chance to watch the event from anywhere in the world. The concert proved to be a huge success with over ninety thousand visits from fifty-two countries tuning in through Inspired by Iceland’s website.

Due to Inspired by Iceland’s success, the tourism campaign has got some acknowledgments, won the ICCA Awards 2010, nominated to the Global Effie Awards in June this year and as well as being nominated for two awards at the European Excellence Awards.

An increase in positive attention from global media pays tribute to Inspired by Iceland’s success. For example, shortly following the launch of the campaign, the American publication USA TODAY voted Iceland as a top travel destination for 2011, and Lonely Planet listed Iceland’s Westfjords as one of its ‘Top 10 regions to travel for 2011’. In addition, CNN’s travel website, CNNGO featured Reykjavik as the top holiday destination for Christmas 2010.

Following all the success and positive attention, the Icelandic nation doesn’t show any signs of slowing down and with this, the Inspired by Iceland campaign continues to grow. With the recent opening of HARPA, the Reykjavik Concert Hall and Conference Centre, and the numerous cultural events set to take place throughout the summer months, 2011 looks set to be another prosperous year for Iceland tourism.

For more information about the Inspired by Iceland campaign, visit www.inspiredbyiceland.com or follow on Twitter and Facebook.

The billboard, which has been rolled out across Europe, shows two men holding hands with the caption, “We are open to all families”.

In response to the campaign, Giovanardi said, “I think that many clients of Ikea will not find this pleasant”. He added that the Swedish furniture giant is free to address who it pleases, but that using the term ‘family’ in relation to a gay couple, “is in direct opposition to our constitution, which says that family is founded on a marriage”.

Aurelio Mancuso, a gay rights activist, branded the MP’s comments as “dangerous and aggressive”, and said they “risk fuelling the climate of homophobia that drives violence and insults against gays, lesbians and transsexuals.”

Fellow gay activist and lawmaker Franco Grillini, however, blamed the conflict on Italy’s anti-gay culture, pointing out that, “in the rest of Europe, they have adopted laws that recognise all forms of family”.

Italy has no law against homophobia and does not identify same sex marriages or civil partnerships.

Giovanardi was also criticised by fellow MP Ignazio Marino for “launching a crusade against an advertisement”.

The campaign in question was run by Hvita Husid on behalf of VIB, the wealth management arm of Islandsbanki and was praised for its candid and straightforward approach and its innovative ways of reaching customers.

Advertising Age editor Rance Crain wrote that Hvita Husid and VIB have together succeeded in doing what American banks have not ever even tried: to educate consumers on the risks of taking financial ‘quick-fix’ measures.

Crain awarded Hvita Husid some high praise; describing the four-television-commercial campaign as nothing more or less than “stunning”.

Few companies have a harder time creating successful advertising campaigns today than banks; because everything they do and say is usually connected back to the financial crisis. It is therefore an onerous task for advertising agencies like Hvita Husid.

Where the VIB campaign differs from most banks, according to Rance Crain, is that it replaces empty slogans with a realistic picture of how customers run their businesses and how he/she expects the same level of professionalism from the banks.

The campaign is made up of people talking about their philosophies and what it takes to achieve success. A horse trainer, watch maker and a fisherman talk about how patience and foresight are needed to get results. The adverts are well-made and of high quality, Advertising Age says.

They can be viewed online here:
http://www.hvitahusid.is/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/vib_sjomadur_42sek_hd-client.mov
http://www.hvitahusid.is/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/vib_ursmidur_35sek_vefutgafa.mov
http://www.hvitahusid.is/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/vib_hestur_42sek_hd-client.mov

Hvita Husid’s Gisli Brynjolfsson and Elin Helga Sveinbjornsdottir were behind the VIB campaign. Sveinbjornsdottir explains that the goal was to create a campaign which shows the importance of time in all re-building – whether financial re-building or elsewhere in society:

“The adverts reflect a respect for the time and patience people have put in to become experts in their field,” she says.

Gisli Brynjolfsson agrees, saying that time matters in finance: “For example when to buy, when to sell and how long to invest. And that is exactly what we felt the brand should reflect: well-informed, well-timed and professional finance decisions. We feel we have succeeded by showing off people in other professions who need to be patient and focused in their work to get results.”

The Advertising Age article can be read in full here:
http://adage.com/article/rance-crain/iceland-bank-spots-bank-ads/149471/