CAPTURING THE CARIBBEAN MAGIC OF SANDALS’ LUXURY ALL-INCLUSIVE RESORTS FOR SOCIAL
In 2023, we visited two Caribbean countries and five resorts across 13 shoot days, delivering 52 videos and 170 stills in social-ready formats in a bid to give luxury travel a whole new meaning for Sandals.
THE CHALLENGE
Our creative challenge was to create content that would engage with our audiences across social and give a new and unexpected perspective on preconceived ideas of what an all-inclusive vacation could mean.
From a production perspective, our main challenge was finding a balance between planning and flexibility. With ever-changing Caribbean weather, guests to work around and young children to wrangle, we needed to think on our feet. The shoots were planned from London, via walkthroughs filmed by staff and zoom interviews with the teams on the ground, discovering what was most loved in their resorts, what was uniquely Caribbean. We sourced devised our dream shot list, sourced props to take along with us, storyboarded videos and secured our models and crews via video call.
INSIGHT
Our insight was based on an in-depth analysis of the travel market, revealing that customers are increasing not just seeking ‘a vacation’, but want something more. Novel and meaningful experiences, discovering new sights, sounds, tastes – new sides of themselves. They are not only looking for a place to relax, they want an authentic cultural experience and a sense of adventure. Therefore, we needed to challenge perceptions about all-inclusive resorts, and show all that Sandals has to offer as a truly Caribbean-born resort.
THE CREATIVE SOLUTION
From underwater to mountaintop, we sought to capture the sense of adventure and exploration; a feeling of freedom and exhilaration.
Our videos employed dynamic shots and quick cuts, blending drone-captured footage with up-close handheld shots and evocative b-roll. Primarily, we wanted each video to tell a story, a snapshot into a perfect day or moment at the resort.. or out exploring.
The art direction for our stills sought to capture a candid, yet elevated, look at the Sandals and Beaches experience. Models were light and playful, rather than posed and staged, and shots were composed with a minimal, curated aesthetic.
These were supported by a nimble approach to production. The team arrived with a meticulously planned shot list, which quickly got reworked as we recced the locations on the ground, flexing where we spotted an alluring spot, or heard from the staff about a treasured experience. A limited crew was essential, as we were aiming to blend in at the resort and not disrupt the guests’ experience. This was highly effective at allowing the team to be reactive as well as pre-planned, as new rooms became available and sunny skies turned to rain.
THE IMPACT
-
SANDALS RESORTS
221K/post – Av. number of impressions
8K/post – Av. Number of interactions
10.5%/post – Av. Engagement rate
100/post – AV. Number of saves
-
BEACHES RESORTS
59K/post – Av. number of impressions
7K/post – Av. Number of interactions
7.5%/post – Av. Engagement rate
55/post – AV. Number of saves