2026VisitOSLOTravel, Leisure, Retail & RestaurantsVideo ad
VisitOSLO: It's totally even a city!
VisitOSLO tasked NewsLab with increasing winter tourism by moving beyond standard travel tropes. The goal was to reach international leisure travelers with a campaign that felt honest and engaging. They needed to highlight Oslo as a vibrant, year-round destination while overcoming the perception that winter is a low-season period, ultimately driving guest nights through a distinct, memorable brand voice.
Creative Idea
A cynical local's complaints about winter coziness erupt into a campy, festive musical.
The campaign uses a cynical local to mock Oslo's cozy winter culture, turning his deadpan complaints into a musical celebration. This irony highlights the city's authentic charm while subverting the overly polished, fake tone of traditional tourism advertising.
The Musical Horror That Conquered Winter
A Sequel Built on Skepticism
Following the success of the original campaign, NewsLab AS faced the challenge of avoiding a repetitive sequel. Director August Jorfald and Managing Director Linn Isaksen opted for a tonal shift, pivoting from a standard travelogue to a Christmas horror musical. The production team leaned into the absurdity of the concept, even composing an original score with lyrics published on the VisitOSLO website to encourage audience participation. The strategy was to embrace the "cult-like" coziness of the city, turning Halfdan’s cynical narration into a campy, high-energy performance that subverts the polished aesthetic of typical tourism spots.
From Grumbling to Global Reach
The campaign achieved significant traction, securing over 5 million organic views within its first week. This momentum arrived during a period of steady growth for the destination, with 2025 guest nights reaching 6.9 million, a 3% increase over the previous year. Through August 2026, the city saw an additional 6% rise in guest visits compared to the same period two years prior. Industry commentators have hailed the spot as a masterclass in anti-destination marketing, noting that the use of dark humor and self-deprecation effectively builds trust with modern travelers who are increasingly wary of overly curated advertising.
Halfdan’s Curated Cynicism
To maintain the campaign's narrative, VisitOSLO launched "Halfdan's sort of OK guide to Winter in Oslo". This digital companion piece allows the character to maintain his persona while providing practical travel advice, categorizing local attractions with his signature deadpan wit. By highlighting specific winter activities like floating fjord saunas and skiing through city-adjacent forests, the agency successfully positioned Oslo as a year-round destination while keeping the brand voice consistent with the film's cynical, yet oddly inviting, tone.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
VisitOSLO leveraged its unique, authentic winter lifestyle, including fjord saunas and urban skiing, to showcase a distinct, year-round city identity.
Category
Tourism boards typically produce polished, aspirational, and overly positive content that often feels generic and disconnected from the actual traveler experience.
Customer
Modern travelers crave authenticity and humor, feeling skeptical of traditional, glossy destination marketing that hides the reality of a location.
Culture
The rise of anti-destination marketing and a preference for self-deprecating, honest storytelling allowed this cynical, musical approach to resonate globally.
Company
VisitOSLO leveraged its unique, authentic winter lifestyle, including fjord saunas and urban skiing, to showcase a distinct, year-round city identity.
Category
Tourism boards typically produce polished, aspirational, and overly positive content that often feels generic and disconnected from the actual traveler experience.
Strategy:
Use irony and self-deprecation to transform perceived destination flaws into compelling, authentic brand assets.
Customer
Modern travelers crave authenticity and humor, feeling skeptical of traditional, glossy destination marketing that hides the reality of a location.
Culture
The rise of anti-destination marketing and a preference for self-deprecating, honest storytelling allowed this cynical, musical approach to resonate globally.
Strategy:
Use irony and self-deprecation to transform perceived destination flaws into compelling, authentic brand assets.
Strategy Technique
Turn Weakness Into Strength
By framing the city's intense winter coziness as a 'creepy' or 'absurd' experience, the campaign embraces its quirks. This makes the destination feel authentic and intriguing rather than just another generic cold-weather spot.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Sing a song
The campaign transforms a cynical monologue into an over-the-top musical number. This shift from deadpan speech to a campy choir performance creates a comedic contrast that highlights the city's vibrant winter culture.
Explore Technique
Craft Breakdown
The campaign excels through brilliant copywriting and deadpan acting that flips traditional tourism advertising on its head by using reverse psychology.
The understated, sarcastic script cleverly highlights Oslo's best winter features by pretending to complain about them.
Halfdan delivers a flawlessly flat, unbothered performance that drives the ad's deadpan comedic style.
Crisp winter visuals capture the atmospheric beauty and cozy textures of Oslo in the snow.
The stark visual contrast between freezing, shadowy outdoors and glowing, warm interiors enhances the narrative line.
“The ironic copywriting and understated lead performance work seamlessly with the gorgeous visual capture of Oslo to create a hilarious and memorable destination ad.”
