Selling Nirvana
To Spiritual Seekers
The Campaign Brief
In Costa Rica, you’ll often hear the locals reference the phrase, “pura vida.” It’s a phrase, translating to pura life, that is commonly used to encapsulate the Costa Rican culture. It’s a greeting, it’s a positive affirmation, but most importantly, it’s a relaxed attitude that encourages a relaxed attitude that prioritzes joy over worry.
That’s where the trouble for Pura Vida Resort & Spa started. The resort wanted to embody pura vida for their guests, but they didn’t want to apply that mentality to their bookings.
Pura Vida had a slew of empty rooms. In particular, their Mind, Body & Soul packages, which included 3-7 nights of stay, yoga classes, and spiritual workshops. This wasn’t just a vacation; it was a spiritual journey.
They approached M&P with a challenge: launch a marketing campaign that created urgency for the slow-moving, relaxed attitude of Pura Vida.
Let’s Assume The Mountain Pose
Pura Vida Resort & Spa had just implemented a new booking system on its website. While the booking process was more streamlined, their Google Analytics was not connected to provide stakeholders with any insights into marketing efforts.
M&P had to work with the Pura Vida team to ensure Google Analytics was properly integrated throughout the booking process to provide deeper insights into marketing campaigns and web engagement.
Costa Rica is in high demand. American travellers are flocking to the country for its amazing culture and immaculate natural beauty. However, for most visitors, a trip to tropical Costa Rica meant some time sitting on the beach with a cocktail.
That’s the challenge of Pura Vida. Instead of having access to the beaches, the resort was nestled far into the jungles of San Jose, far away from the white sands. For M&P, we had to ensure our target audience was aware that they wouldn’t get much time lying in the sun.
Pura Vida’s positioning was a step away from the typical “stay and relax” ethos that most resorts highlight in their marketing. The resort was, first and foremost, a wellness resort. While there is time to sit by the pool, Pura Vida Resort & Spa wanted guests looking to embark on a spiritual journey.
Our campaign couldn’t simply rely on keywords like “resorts in costa rica.” We had to find opportunities to target users who are ready to seek spiritual guidance and surround themselves with like-minded people who are doing the same.
Time For M&P To Chop Up The Fresh Marketing Fruit
The Spiritual Seeker
Through our research and analysis of previous guests of Pura Vida, we found that many of their best first-time visitors had recently had a major life event, like a divorce or a new job.
Our Janets are seeking deeper meaning than a typical getaway.
The Wellness Advocate
The regular you’d find at any hot yoga class across America. She is seasoned in the yoga scene and has embraced the broader ethos that yoga is a vital part of personal wellness. The problem is that she has a small network of people who think the same.
Our Wendys want to expand their wellness friends.
The Researcher & Planner
More than single rooms and bookings, M&P identified an opportunity to book packages quickly for Pura Vida by targeting the “girls group chat” leader. These friends are always sharing opportunities for their friend group to connect and experience new things.
Our Gails wanted something fun and new to share with her friends.
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Social media ads using affinities to target our ideal audience.
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Paid search campaign targeting people searching for Costa Rica travel.
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Retargeting campaign to provide unique promos for their stay.
Showcase that structure can be relaxing, especially with the amenities of Pura Vida.
Create a social video that encapsulates a “Day In The Life” of guests. Our creative inspiration came from the Calm ads that frequent their feed.
M&P sourced video clips of the resort, crafted a typical itinerary, and targeted users on Facebook and Instagram to create an ad that emphasizes the idea of pura vida while highlighting all the amazing opportunities a stay at Pura Vida Resort & Spa offers.
Avoid competing with Expedia by focusing on wellness-based, long tail keywords
M&P completed an analysis of yoga studios throughout the US. To keep the marketing budget focused, we isolated areas of the United States that had a high volume of yoga studios per capita. These areas are wellness-oriented and avoid major metro areas that will eat up search budget with pure volume.
This campaign is deeper than “hotels in costa rica” search terms. M&P crafted a campaign that targeted keywords two types of keywords. First, our analysis found high-volume, low competition keywords for users searching “yoga retreats abroad.” Secondly, we targeted information keywords like “how to reconnect with yourself” to position Pura Vida as more than a simple resort.
Messaging for Pura Vida’s paid search campaign was set up to segment users naturally via the keywords they were searching. For Yoga Retreat users, our ad copy highlighted price point and unique amenities. For Spiritual Seekers, our ad copy highlighted the unique culture of Costa Rica and the beauty of the mountains.
Get them to the website, analyze how they navigate, and send them tailored messaging.
To keep Pura Vida at the top of the mind for those who were interested in our initial messaging, M&P built a multitude of creative images that were used through a layered retargeting campaign.
Each audience had variations of Social-Proof Testimonials, Reconnection Creative, Relaxation Creative, or special promos and deals only available in the retargeting campaign.
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Sell The Feeling, Not The Stay. Amenities & Experience First.
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Collect First-Party Data. Tailor Messaging Based On User Activity.
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Never Forget Retargeting. Vacation Planning Is A Long Process.
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