Desroches is an exclusive private island resort situated in the remote outer limits of the Seychelles, boasting incredible natural beauty and prolific marine life with luxurious accommodation and facilities.
Following on from our success with Grootbos, Desroches hired DROID to boost their direct sales and increase their occupancy in the low season. Desroches' guests were booking exclusively through travel agents and most of them were coming to the island for the world class fly-fishing. The only downside of the fishing market in the Seychelles is the abrupt seasonality, leaving Desroches quiet in the offseason. We resolved to overhaul their online presence and market the island to the leisure traveler, including honeymooners, families and scuba divers, without abandoning the fisherman in the process.
Strategy:
- Contributed to the initial market research & product analysis
- Contributed significantly to the brand strategy
Creative Direction:
- Creatively directed the development of the new website
Creatively directed the production of the new online videos
With a prominent call-to-action to watch the video on the homepage, our goal was to convey the main selling points of the island while connecting with the audience on an emotional level. To achieve this, the video starts off with a narrator and then allows the viewer to be swept along on an audio-visual journey, accompanied by a song that we produced for the client.
We also produced a second video that was designed to offer more practical information regarding logistics and physical product attributes, once the audience had bought into the product emotionally and was now in a planning mindset.
Design:
- Designed a customizable sales proposal for email enquiries
Designed the online ad campaign (Google dynamic banner ads & Facebook)
Contributed graphic design elements and resources for the new website
Based on the premise that most people don't read banner ads and that they are more compelled by visuals, these dynamic (animated) banner ads each showed four images that said just four words (the 4 main USP's): private, pristine, luxurious, and remote. Each image also helped to convey a different aspect of the product. With a simple banner ad, we were thereby able to convey a large amount of information.
We created a Facebook ad campaign targeted at six different personas. Here are a few examples with copy edited for the required Facebook format:
Copywriting:
- Wrote the copy for the new website
- Scripted the online videos (as seen above)
Photography:
- Organized and edited the existing visual assets
- Shot a comprehensive photo library with a focus on the experience
Please note: Desroches Island was subsequently sold to new owners so the above content will not be available online.
