Costa Rica connects with potential tourists from the United States through an alliance with Amazon

With the purpose of reinforcing in an innovative and close way the positioning of Costa Rica in the United States, the Costa Rican Tourism Institute launched the “More Essential Than Ever” campaign from October to December, highlighting the strategic alliance with the company Amazon and its Whole Foods healthy food supermarkets.

Costa Rica is the first destination in the world to achieve an alliance of this magnitude with Amazon using messages that focus on how our country becomes more essential than ever, thanks to the sustainable approach, the connection with nature, the possibility of enjoying experiences authentic and a place to improve the general well-being of visitors.

“We seek to be different in our communication strategies in the United States and we try to ensure that Costa Rica is always present in the daily lives of our potential tourists. It is for this reason that we made this innovative alliance with the company Amazon and its supermarket subsidiary Whole Foods, allowing us to impact three different channels or points of experience in the daily life of this potential traveler," said Carolina Trejos, Marketing Director of the ICT. .

The Essential Costa Rica brand is present when customers use the Amazon Prime platform to make their supermarket purchases and their items are delivered in a paper bag with hand-drawn images of the tourist attractions of our country, of which They made more than a million bags.

Inspiring videos were also produced that are seen on the Amazon Prime streaming platform, complemented with audios that are transmitted on the Alexa platform and in the physical establishments of Whole Foods supermarkets, customers encounter messages and promotional videos from our country, thanks to the brand presence of Essential Costa Rica on the charging totems for electric vehicles in the parking lots of said locations, thanks to a complementary collaboration with the company Volta Media.

Costa Rica in homes and the minds of potential tourists

According to Becky Whole, spokesperson for MMGY, an American advertising agency, responsible for the creativity and development of the campaign, one of the most outstanding elements is being able to enter a personal space such as people's homes with messages about Costa Rica. .

“We are very conscious that we wanted to create a positive experience with potential tourists. We wanted to give them a valuable experience and a message of sustainability, reuse and a moment of happiness to connect them with the beauty of a country like Costa Rica,” Whole commented.

The creative made reference to the reusable, compostable and recyclable paper bags in which Amazon Prime users receive their purchases. These bags were illustrated by hand and without color with characteristic elements of Tico biodiversity such as a volcano, morpho butterflies, hummingbirds, a sloth resting on a branch, a waterfall, a green turtle, starfish, palm trees, flowers and trees. papaya, cocoa, among other elements of our country.

The interactive objective of the bag is that it can be painted to taste, regardless of age or use of colors, and then transformed into a unique wrapping paper with, literally, the essence of Costa Rica.

According to ICT data, this campaign has an impact on approximately 500 Whole Foods supermarket stores in key cities such as Houston, Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Dallas, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, where the largest number is concentrated. tourists with high interest in visiting Costa Rica on their next vacation.

Costa Rica's presence on Amazon is supported by truly notable figures. 77% of Costa Rica's audience has an Amazon Prime membership, while Amazon Streaming TV reaches more than 135 million unique viewers per month in the United States.

Additionally, it should be noted that Amazon smart speakers lead as the primary source of streaming audio, and surprisingly, 76% of advertising airtime takes place on Alexa-enabled devices. These numbers underline the breadth and effectiveness of the campaign in collaboration with the brand.

Finally, it is estimated that the campaign will have more than 72 million impressions, understood as the number of times that the messages will be shown on the aforementioned multichannels.

According to the most recent data from the ICT, from January to October, the United States (the main source of tourists) recorded the arrival of 1,162,000 tourists to our country by air, remaining our main source market.

Other complementary activations

Digital displays in stores. Customers visiting Whole Foods supermarkets in the United States can enjoy digital displays that offer rich information about Costa Rica. These exhibits allow you to discover everything from how five volcanoes heat hundreds of hot springs for natural relaxation, to the country's natural wonders.

"Pura Vida" digital experiences: Amazon consumers in the United States can also enjoy "Pura Vida" through digital ads and CTV (internet-connected television) that will transport them to the serenity of Costa Rica, inspiring them to share these special moments with their loved ones. The main audiovisual shows tourists enjoying various outdoor activities such as surfing, a kayak ride with friends, visiting rivers and waterfalls, bird watching, enjoying the hot springs with the Arenal volcano in the background, together with walks in the middle of the forest and the approach to typical dances, without leaving aside an approach to gastronomy.