Near the top of Mount Esja is an iron-clad box full of Kellogg’s Special K bars, free for all hungry hikers. The box is a part of a marketing campaign by confectionery manufacturer Nói Síríus, Kellogg’s commercial agent in Iceland.
Set up a week ago, the campaign invites hikers to grab a bar and take a photo of themselves, tagging Kellogg’s in Iceland in order to be eligible for a prize. Over 3.500 Special K bars have been consumed on the mountain. Nói Síríus claims the campaign was greenlighted by all parties involved, although the city of Reykjavík says otherwise.
Bjarni Brynjólfsson, Reykjavík’s public relations officer told Fréttablaðið that Nói Síríus had let them know about the campaign, but not applied for a formal permission. “We didn’t consider it to be an illegal event if it were only a single one, but placing an unattended box, which is nothing but an advertisement, is illegal.”
The company has since been told to remove the box from Esja.
