Oslo is just not… a city. You know what I mean?
VisitOslo
Most tourism boards would panic if their main spokesperson said that. Oslo built an entire global campaign around it.
Instead of showing ultra-curated, hyper-polished clips of travel influencers living an unattainable fantasy, the VisitOslo campaign, created by the Norwegian creative agency and content studio called NewsLab, did something radical. They leveraged deadpan irony.
They created “Halfdan”, a 31-year-old local who is seemingly unimpressed by his own city. He complains that Oslo is too “available,” walks past the Prime Minister without security, gets walk-in tables at world-class restaurants without being famous, and scoffs that Munch’s The Scream is “not exactly the Mona Lisa.”
Why This “Anti-Marketing” is a Masterclass in Positioning
As marketers, we are taught to highlight benefits and hide flaws. But in an era saturated with fake reviews, AI-generated travel itineraries, and heavily filtered Instagram reels, consumers have developed a hyper-sensitive radar for marketing fluff.
Franco Folini
As marketers, we are taught to highlight benefits and hide flaws. But in an era saturated with fake reviews, AI-generated travel itineraries, and heavily filtered Instagram reels, consumers have developed a hyper-sensitive radar for marketing fluff.
This campaign works spectacularly for three core reasons:
- The Power of Flawed Authenticity: Consumers don’t buy “perfect” anymore because perfect feels fake. Data consistently show that products with 4.2-4.5-star ratings convert better than those with perfect 5-star ratings. Why? Because the rough edges make it believable.
- The “Flaw” is Actually the Feature: By complaining that you can walk across the city in 30 minutes or easily get a table at a top restaurant, Halfdan is actually highlighting Oslo’s greatest selling points: accessibility, safety, culture, and ease.
- Subversive Disruption: It directly subverts the exhausted tropes of traditional destination marketing. It doesn’t try to compete with the chaotic grandeur of Paris or New York; it boldly embraces exactly what it is not.
Consumers don’t buy “perfect” anymore because perfect feels fake. Data consistently show that products with 4.2-4.5-star ratings convert better than those with perfect 5-star ratings.
Rick Rome
The Takeaway for Brands
Sometimes, the fastest way to build trust isn’t by shouting from the rooftops how great you are. It’s by having the confidence to admit what you aren’t, and letting your true value speak for itself.
Exceptional marketing isn’t about overselling a fantasy; it’s about finding the compelling truth behind the reality.
