Reykjavík Grapevine - 14.08.2015, Qupperneq 42

In the winter of 1995, an unusual publicity stunt
shook the Icelandic nation. The mobile phone
store Anton Skúlason took out an ad in the paper
Helgarpósturinn on November 30 that read:
“Anton never fails!!! We have Alkatel, Nokia,
Panasonic, Motorola and Nokia phones along
with accessories. No Bónus bullshit, we have the
best prices. If you show up naked on Monday you
will get a free phone for.”
As mobile phones (called GSM phones in
Iceland) were considered luxury items at the time,
the advertisement drew considerable national
attention. Twenty naked men showed up to the
store in Austurver on that particularly cold day
in December, which was documented by nearly
every newspaper and TV station in Iceland. Yet,
only ten of the naked men received a mobile
phone. The rest were given regular landline
telephones. When the unlucky naked men
and their friends protested, the staff at Anton
Skúlason picked up the paper and showed them
the ad, which said that naked customers would
receive a free “phone.” In fact, there was no
mention of a mobile phone.
When the Consumers’ Association of
Iceland demanded that all the naked customers
be treated equally—that the ten men who
received landline phones should be given mobile
phones—the store simply repeated: “We just
said PHONE.”
Even the State Criminal Investigation Police
got involved, investigating if the store could be
punished according to Article 209 of the Icelandic
Penal Code, which states that “Anyone who by
means of lustful activity hurts people’s sense of
modesty or becomes a public scandal shall be
subject to imprisonment for up to four years.”
Although the police investigation never went
anywhere, the Icelandic Competition Authority
ultimately concluded that Anton Skúlason’s
failure to treat customers equally was unlawful
and the store was ordered to give the ten naked
men mobile phones.
And so the small phone store in Austurver
succeeded in becoming a household name.
42 The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 12 — 2015LEMÚRINN
Lemúrinn is an Icelandic web magazine (it's also the Icelandic word for the native
primate of Madagascar). A winner of the 2012 Web Awards, Lemúrinn.is covers
all things strange and interesting. Go check it out at www.lemurinn.is
ArtisAn BAkery
& Coffee House
Open everyday 6.30 - 21.00
Laugavegur 36 · 101 reykjavik
As a great number of Icelanders camped out in front of
Reykjavík's Dunkin’ Donuts hoping to be one of the first
50 ever patrons and thus receive year’s worth of donuts,
we should perhaps pay tribute to a curious event that took
place 20 years ago.
Words
Helgi Hrafn Guðmundsson
Photo
Provided by Lemúrinn
Show Up
Naked On
Monday
And You’ll
Get A Free
Phone