INTERVIEW
Greta Macionytė, Head of Marketing, Happy Campers
For Greta, the head of marketing at Happy Campers, a camper van rental based in Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, branding is about building a little story world that people can step into and feel part of. Every interaction, whether it's a website click, an Instagram post, or a "hello" at the office, should reflect the same spirit.
Her job is to help shape that experience and keep it true, she says.
Her job is to help shape that experience and keep it true, she says.
Greta Macionytė, Head of Marketing, Happy Campers
Tell me about your first days at Happy Campers.
I joined the Happy Campers team in the spring of 2021, just as Iceland was reopening to international travelers. There was still some uncertainty, but also a real sense of excitement, both within the company and among travelers. I was hired as a digital marketing specialist, and in those early days, I focused a lot on content and social media. It helped that before COVID, I had spent a summer working at the Reykjavík campsite (HI Hostel), so I already had a good sense of how travelers who camp think, what they’re looking for, and what kind of information they need. That experience turned out to be incredibly useful.
After COVID, there was a big shift. People were hesitant about crowds and hotels, and our vans gave them their own little house. You come for the nature, the waterfalls. It felt safe, open, and ideal.
Demand picked up quickly once borders reopened, and it was evident that people were eager to travel again.
Is it harder to find new clients now compared to before? How are you tackling that?
Yes, definitely.
Those first two seasons it almost felt like the vans were renting themselves. People were just coming to us. I remember one year, we were fully booked for most summer dates by March and had to turn people away. At the time, I joked that I had landed the easiest marketing job in Iceland. Of course, that level of demand was a unique moment.
But as more companies entered the space, it became clear that even with a strong product and a well-loved brand, you have to think long-term, not just about how you reach people planning a trip to Iceland, but how you stay on their radar even before they’ve picked a destination.
There’s a greater need for a strong strategy: how to communicate value, how to stand out, and what your brand really stands for. We have to be more intentional and creative with campaigns. It’s not just about being visible; it’s about being meaningful and memorable.
I joined the Happy Campers team in the spring of 2021, just as Iceland was reopening to international travelers. There was still some uncertainty, but also a real sense of excitement, both within the company and among travelers. I was hired as a digital marketing specialist, and in those early days, I focused a lot on content and social media. It helped that before COVID, I had spent a summer working at the Reykjavík campsite (HI Hostel), so I already had a good sense of how travelers who camp think, what they’re looking for, and what kind of information they need. That experience turned out to be incredibly useful.
After COVID, there was a big shift. People were hesitant about crowds and hotels, and our vans gave them their own little house. You come for the nature, the waterfalls. It felt safe, open, and ideal.
Demand picked up quickly once borders reopened, and it was evident that people were eager to travel again.
Is it harder to find new clients now compared to before? How are you tackling that?
Yes, definitely.
Those first two seasons it almost felt like the vans were renting themselves. People were just coming to us. I remember one year, we were fully booked for most summer dates by March and had to turn people away. At the time, I joked that I had landed the easiest marketing job in Iceland. Of course, that level of demand was a unique moment.
But as more companies entered the space, it became clear that even with a strong product and a well-loved brand, you have to think long-term, not just about how you reach people planning a trip to Iceland, but how you stay on their radar even before they’ve picked a destination.
There’s a greater need for a strong strategy: how to communicate value, how to stand out, and what your brand really stands for. We have to be more intentional and creative with campaigns. It’s not just about being visible; it’s about being meaningful and memorable.
Quote
We have to be more creative with campaigns. Before, people were just coming. Now, it’s more about showing value, building the brand, and standing out.
And how do you ensure that brand consistency?
For me, it’s simple: every decision either strengthens the brand or dilutes it. In our case, we always come back to the same core idea: how can we make traveling in Iceland simpler, easier, and more fun?
There are no shortcuts, you simply need to invest time and energy and teach about what the company is and what we are trying to do.
We teach people to be proactive and make genuine connections with customers. For example, in our check-in process, we don’t just hand over the keys and review all the paperwork, and so on. We also talk about Iceland, ask about their plans, share tips, and recommendations. Then they go to our information corner and receive a quick lesson on Iceland from one of our team members dressed in a happy green uniform, where we cover how to drive, what to expect while on the road, common dangers, and answer their questions.
After that, we give a full tour of the van and its features. The goal is that by the time they drive off, they know how to use the car, the key resources like road.is, vedur.is, maps, and what to do if something happens. It's important to us that they feel safe and taken care of.
As marketing manager, I’m also responsible for our website and its content. Since campervan travelers are usually resourceful and prefer figuring things out on their own, it’s important for us to provide everything they might need in one place - from travel guides and itineraries to campsite maps and emergency contacts.
We talked about how getting customers used to be easier. But with everything that’s happened - COVID, rising costs, more competition - do you think Icelandic tourism businesses are starting to move away from paid ads and focus more on building their brand?
Icelandic tourism as we know it is still in its early days. And I genuinely believe that only companies with a strong brand identity will succeed long term.
What’s your view on branding, and how do you see it in relation to marketing?
For me, branding starts with why.
Beyond making a profit, what are you actually trying to do? More and more, companies are expected to stand for something: social impact, environmental responsibility, or simply doing things with care. You need a mission and a vision that aim to make things better, even in small ways.
I’ve spoken with a number of marketers and brand specialists both in and outside of Iceland. There’s still this idea that branding is just a self-contained thing, part of marketing, and its job is to get people through the door. But for me, branding also signals company culture to the outside world. It’s not just about marketing tactics, color palettes, or nice graphics. It touches everything: how the company operates, how decisions are made, and what kind of culture is shaped by leadership.
That’s why brand identity isn’t something a marketer can define alone. If you want consistency, the entire team needs to be involved. Everyone has to understand it, believe in it, and carry it forward.
It makes a difference. I see a lot of peers and younger people who want to contribute to something meaningful in their work. Just like our customers, they care about what companies stand for. A clear, values-driven brand attracts the right people on both sides.
In the long run, strong brands are the ones that feel real, and that’s what people connect with.
For me, it’s simple: every decision either strengthens the brand or dilutes it. In our case, we always come back to the same core idea: how can we make traveling in Iceland simpler, easier, and more fun?
There are no shortcuts, you simply need to invest time and energy and teach about what the company is and what we are trying to do.
We teach people to be proactive and make genuine connections with customers. For example, in our check-in process, we don’t just hand over the keys and review all the paperwork, and so on. We also talk about Iceland, ask about their plans, share tips, and recommendations. Then they go to our information corner and receive a quick lesson on Iceland from one of our team members dressed in a happy green uniform, where we cover how to drive, what to expect while on the road, common dangers, and answer their questions.
After that, we give a full tour of the van and its features. The goal is that by the time they drive off, they know how to use the car, the key resources like road.is, vedur.is, maps, and what to do if something happens. It's important to us that they feel safe and taken care of.
As marketing manager, I’m also responsible for our website and its content. Since campervan travelers are usually resourceful and prefer figuring things out on their own, it’s important for us to provide everything they might need in one place - from travel guides and itineraries to campsite maps and emergency contacts.
We talked about how getting customers used to be easier. But with everything that’s happened - COVID, rising costs, more competition - do you think Icelandic tourism businesses are starting to move away from paid ads and focus more on building their brand?
Icelandic tourism as we know it is still in its early days. And I genuinely believe that only companies with a strong brand identity will succeed long term.
What’s your view on branding, and how do you see it in relation to marketing?
For me, branding starts with why.
Beyond making a profit, what are you actually trying to do? More and more, companies are expected to stand for something: social impact, environmental responsibility, or simply doing things with care. You need a mission and a vision that aim to make things better, even in small ways.
I’ve spoken with a number of marketers and brand specialists both in and outside of Iceland. There’s still this idea that branding is just a self-contained thing, part of marketing, and its job is to get people through the door. But for me, branding also signals company culture to the outside world. It’s not just about marketing tactics, color palettes, or nice graphics. It touches everything: how the company operates, how decisions are made, and what kind of culture is shaped by leadership.
That’s why brand identity isn’t something a marketer can define alone. If you want consistency, the entire team needs to be involved. Everyone has to understand it, believe in it, and carry it forward.
It makes a difference. I see a lot of peers and younger people who want to contribute to something meaningful in their work. Just like our customers, they care about what companies stand for. A clear, values-driven brand attracts the right people on both sides.
In the long run, strong brands are the ones that feel real, and that’s what people connect with.
Quote
We always come back to the same core idea: how can we make traveling in Iceland simpler, easier, and more fun?
Your work has a real impact on the bottom line. How do you typically measure the success of your marketing efforts?
Of course, we look at the classic KPIs, but beyond that, we rely heavily on customer feedback, because at the end of the day, we work for them.
We use digital analytics tools like Microsoft Clarity to understand how users navigate the site. You can see heat maps, scroll behavior, session recordings. I’ve spent hours obsessing over one button that wasn’t working the way it should.
I’m also a big fan of surveys. Sometimes, if you want to test a hypothesis or gather quick insights, the best thing you can do is ask. For example, we wanted to know how easy it was for users to navigate our website. I created a short survey, let it run long enough to get a decent response size, and the results confirmed that the design was intuitive, but it also revealed a few areas where the information wasn’t as clear as it could be. Sometimes the simplest tools are the most effective.
Data is important, but is it all there is?
We’re a small operation. People often get too deep into data and forget to zoom out. They lose sight of the fact that they’re dealing with real people.
I also go on Facebook groups and Reddit to see what people are talking about. When the eruptions started, the number one question was, “Are flights affected?” That insight helped us adjust our messaging right away: we made it clear that flights were operating and travel was still possible. Every time an eruption started, we reached out to travelers arriving in the next few days to let them know everything was fine and there was no need to cancel their trip.
Same goes for the office. It’s open-plan, so I naturally pick up on what people are saying: the questions that come up, how they’re feeling, what they’re excited to see, or how their trip went. I don’t always need another spreadsheet or dashboard. Sometimes, you just have to listen and pay attention to the atmosphere. You get a feel for what matters.
Of course, we look at the classic KPIs, but beyond that, we rely heavily on customer feedback, because at the end of the day, we work for them.
We use digital analytics tools like Microsoft Clarity to understand how users navigate the site. You can see heat maps, scroll behavior, session recordings. I’ve spent hours obsessing over one button that wasn’t working the way it should.
I’m also a big fan of surveys. Sometimes, if you want to test a hypothesis or gather quick insights, the best thing you can do is ask. For example, we wanted to know how easy it was for users to navigate our website. I created a short survey, let it run long enough to get a decent response size, and the results confirmed that the design was intuitive, but it also revealed a few areas where the information wasn’t as clear as it could be. Sometimes the simplest tools are the most effective.
Data is important, but is it all there is?
We’re a small operation. People often get too deep into data and forget to zoom out. They lose sight of the fact that they’re dealing with real people.
I also go on Facebook groups and Reddit to see what people are talking about. When the eruptions started, the number one question was, “Are flights affected?” That insight helped us adjust our messaging right away: we made it clear that flights were operating and travel was still possible. Every time an eruption started, we reached out to travelers arriving in the next few days to let them know everything was fine and there was no need to cancel their trip.
Same goes for the office. It’s open-plan, so I naturally pick up on what people are saying: the questions that come up, how they’re feeling, what they’re excited to see, or how their trip went. I don’t always need another spreadsheet or dashboard. Sometimes, you just have to listen and pay attention to the atmosphere. You get a feel for what matters.
Quote
For me, branding starts with why.
Beyond making a profit, what are you really trying to do? More and more, companies need to stand for something, socially or environmentally. You need a mission and a vision that makes things better, even in small ways.
Beyond making a profit, what are you really trying to do? More and more, companies need to stand for something, socially or environmentally. You need a mission and a vision that makes things better, even in small ways.
Greta Macionytė: "We always think about how to offer more value to our customer"
You didn’t come from a tourism background originally, is that right?
Not exactly. Before moving into tourism, I had worked in a mix of environments — from NGOs and retail to the service industry and consulting for small businesses and personal brands. I helped people build strategies, shape their messaging, and connect with their audience, which gave me a broad and practical foundation in communication.
Soon after I moved to Iceland, I knew I wanted to get into tourism. I spent a summer working as a receptionist at a campsite, and I had a great time. That experience really stuck with me, especially helping people, giving tips, and answering all kinds of questions from travelers.
I’ve always had the mindset that if I don’t know something, I’ll go figure it out and come back with an answer. That summer just gave me a chance to apply it daily. I spent many evenings and days off reading, researching, and talking with local guides and coworkers to learn as much as I could about Iceland.
Has anything changed in how you approach your work now?
I’m very resourceful. I do a lot of research, dig into case studies, and constantly look for new ways to learn. Marketing evolves so quickly, and you have to keep up if you want to stay relevant, test out new ideas and new tools.
I’m also more of a generalist. For a while, I felt bad about not specialising in a niche marketing area, but I’ve come to realize that I thrive on variety.
I get restless doing the same thing every day. And in branding, that broad perspective is actually an advantage. It helps me to have a holistic point of view, see how everything connects, from strategy and content to operations to customer experience.
Not exactly. Before moving into tourism, I had worked in a mix of environments — from NGOs and retail to the service industry and consulting for small businesses and personal brands. I helped people build strategies, shape their messaging, and connect with their audience, which gave me a broad and practical foundation in communication.
Soon after I moved to Iceland, I knew I wanted to get into tourism. I spent a summer working as a receptionist at a campsite, and I had a great time. That experience really stuck with me, especially helping people, giving tips, and answering all kinds of questions from travelers.
I’ve always had the mindset that if I don’t know something, I’ll go figure it out and come back with an answer. That summer just gave me a chance to apply it daily. I spent many evenings and days off reading, researching, and talking with local guides and coworkers to learn as much as I could about Iceland.
Has anything changed in how you approach your work now?
I’m very resourceful. I do a lot of research, dig into case studies, and constantly look for new ways to learn. Marketing evolves so quickly, and you have to keep up if you want to stay relevant, test out new ideas and new tools.
I’m also more of a generalist. For a while, I felt bad about not specialising in a niche marketing area, but I’ve come to realize that I thrive on variety.
I get restless doing the same thing every day. And in branding, that broad perspective is actually an advantage. It helps me to have a holistic point of view, see how everything connects, from strategy and content to operations to customer experience.
Quote
In branding, that broad perspective is actually an advantage. It helps me to have a holistic point of view, see how everything connects, from strategy and content to operations to customer experience.
Ebook, written by Greta for customers, encourages meaningful connections with the places they visit and the people who live there
Is there something you’ve done at Happy Campers that you’re especially proud of?
Our ebook. It took four years to finish! I started it as a content marketing project when I first joined. Then I became marketing manager, had to wear many hats and priorities shifted. But finally, last fall I said, "This is it, we need to finish it."
We always think about how to offer more value to our customer, an ebook has a lot of knowledge. When customers come into the office, we spend a lot of time with them, throw a lot of information at them, so the idea was to put one source that you can have when you’re planning your trip.
One of the reasons I wrote the book is because tourism involves many different stakeholders, and one of the most important is local communities. How they feel about tourism matters. Right now, that relationship is a bit tense.
A tourist could also be a traveler, and that’s why we included chapters on history, culture, how to respect nature, and local customs. We encourage people to connect with the place and its people, not just take selfies for Instagram and leave.
When customers say why they chose Happy Campers, it’s often because we feel like a family brand. We’re customer-focused, and we genuinely care about making tourism in Iceland more sustainable and more meaningful.
Our ebook. It took four years to finish! I started it as a content marketing project when I first joined. Then I became marketing manager, had to wear many hats and priorities shifted. But finally, last fall I said, "This is it, we need to finish it."
We always think about how to offer more value to our customer, an ebook has a lot of knowledge. When customers come into the office, we spend a lot of time with them, throw a lot of information at them, so the idea was to put one source that you can have when you’re planning your trip.
One of the reasons I wrote the book is because tourism involves many different stakeholders, and one of the most important is local communities. How they feel about tourism matters. Right now, that relationship is a bit tense.
A tourist could also be a traveler, and that’s why we included chapters on history, culture, how to respect nature, and local customs. We encourage people to connect with the place and its people, not just take selfies for Instagram and leave.
When customers say why they chose Happy Campers, it’s often because we feel like a family brand. We’re customer-focused, and we genuinely care about making tourism in Iceland more sustainable and more meaningful.
How Does She Do It? Greta's Top Tips
1. Branding is more than marketing. It’s not just colors and taglines — branding reflects how your company operates, what it values, and the kind of culture leadership builds. If you want consistency, the whole team needs to live the brand, not just the marketing department.
2. Resourcefulness beats perfection. You don’t always need fancy tools to know what people care about. Join the conversations, ask questions, read the comments. The simplest feedback often leads to the best ideas.
3. Every decision in the company either strengthens or weakens your brand. Those are the only two options. From website design to how you greet someone at the reception desk — everything communicates who you are. Be intentional.
4. Don’t just sell Iceland. Help people experience it. Travelers are curious and want more than photos. Give them tools, context, and meaning. Make it easier for people to do the right thing. Helping them connect with place and people is more impactful than any slogan.
5. Strong brands attract the right people. Customers and employees alike want to align with brands that feel real and stand for something. Be clear about your mission and let it guide your decisions. It attracts the right people.
Greta shares excellent branding insights on her LinkedIn page. Make sure to giver her a follow.
Want to be interviewed about your brand process? Want to hire me?
Email: s.graudt@gmail.com
Want to be interviewed about your brand process? Want to hire me?
Email: s.graudt@gmail.com
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