¡Hola! Campaign Nominated for the Icelandic Design Awards 2026

¡Hola! is a campaign by road surfacing company Colas in Iceland, addressing the condition of the country’s roads. The campaign was created by the advertising agency Pipar\TBWA. ¡Hola! Campaign is nominated for the Icelandic Design Awards 2026 in the category Project.

The ¡Hola! campaign centres on Nicolas, a passionate enthusiast of potholes who uses humour to address the authorities. The campaign appeared across a wide range of channels, including traditional media and social media, as well as in the Ruined Road Guide. The guide describes the condition of Iceland’s road network, proposes improvements and offers a road forecast. Naturally, it also includes a comprehensive map of potholes across Iceland, which travellers can use to plan detours and seek out potholes on their journeys around the country.

Colas Iceland’s objective was to raise public and government awareness of the poor condition of the country’s road network. The campaign achieved its goal, reaching both government officials and the general public. The Ruined Road Guide was sent to all members of parliament and local government leaders, and funding for road maintenance subsequently increased. The public also became actively involved by reporting potholes across the country.

The Spanish greeting hola means “hello,” while in Icelandic, hola means “pothole.” This clever play on words, brought to life by the light-hearted and entertaining Nicolas, forms the foundation of a compelling campaign that maintains a consistent identity across a wide range of media.

The campaign is based on the insight that dry facts about the road network rarely get the attention of government officials. Instead, it uses a humorous and likeable character who, in this case, succeeded in attracting media attention and rallying the public behind the cause.

In the jury’s assessment, the campaign’s strength lies in the idea itself. Turning a pothole into the main character is a simple, well-executed concept, and Nicolas is a sufficiently well-developed and appealing character to carry the entire campaign. Everything from the social media content to the guide is presented in an accessible way, making what would otherwise be dry language about infrastructure understandable and entertaining for a broad audience.

¡Hola! is an advertising campaign that uses traditional methods with purpose and conviction. Most importantly, it proved genuinely effective, resulting in increased funding for road maintenance in its wake.

Pipar\TBWA is an award-winning Icelandic advertising agency and part of the global TBWA network, which comprises more than 300 agencies around the world. For ¡Hola!, it has received nominations and won awards at festivals such as the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

The Icelandic Design Awards 2026 ceremony will take place at Gróska on 5 November, accompanied by a related discussion. Save the date!

The Icelandic Design Awards highlight the importance and quality of design and architecture in Iceland, emphasising their impact on quality of life, value creation and sustainability for society as a whole. The awards will be presented for the thirteenth time this year, across three categories: Product // Place // Project. In addition, an award for Best Investment in Design and the Icelandic Design Awards Honorary Award will be presented.

The Iceland Design and Architecture Centre organises the awards in collaboration with the Museum of Design and Applied Art and the Iceland University of the Arts, with support from the Housing and Construction Authority, Business Iceland, Gróska, the University of Iceland Science Park and Blue Lagoon Iceland.