Reclaiming Mexico’s Original Paradise

For decades, Puerto Vallarta was Mexico’s crown jewel — the “most Mexican port” made legendary by Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and John Huston. But as man-made vacation hubs like Cancún and Cabo rose to fame, the birthplace of Mexican glamour faded into nostalgia. Our mission with the Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit Tourism Boards was clear: restore their share of North American travelers — and their rightful place as Mexico’s most authentic coastal escape.

Puerto Vallarta’s charm remained undeniable, but its digital presence had fallen behind. The destination was losing ground in the crucial “Dreaming” and “Planning” stages of travel — when people seek inspiration, not sales pitches. Cancún and Cabo were dominating search and social discovery with high-volume paid content, leaving Vallarta unseen and under-considered.

Today’s traveler isn’t just booking trips — they’re curating meaning. Over 70% of American leisure travelers explore by experience first, not by brand. To capture them, we needed to inspire before we could persuade. Data from real traveler behavior revealed four key prospect groups — each driven by nature, culture, luxury, or wellness — but united by a desire to feel something real.

Our creative strategy leaned into that emotional truth: “Rescue them from the frantic with the slow, enchanting rhythm only Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit can offer.” We positioned PVRN not as a product to sell, but as an experience to feel — cinematic, sensory, and deeply human. And since the biggest dreams begin on the smallest screens, we focused on mobile-first video built for emotional discovery.

With just seven days to shoot and seven to edit, we deployed a six-person “creative SWAT team” — four production specialists, a strategist, and an account lead. The result was an evocative, high-impact video campaign that captured the soul of PVRN — the golden light at dusk, the rhythm of the waves, the laughter of locals — and reintroduced it to the world through precision-targeted digital media. Each frame became an invitation to rediscover “the most Mexican port” — unfiltered, unhurried, unforgettable.

The campaign reignited interest among affluent U.S. travelers, lifting awareness and intent to book. Engagement soared, video completion rates exceeded benchmarks, and PVRN reclaimed its standing as the authentic heart of Mexican travel.

In a world chasing novelty, we reminded travelers that the original escape never went out of style — it just needed to be rediscovered.