Samujana is a mixed-use estate with luxury villas for both sale and rent. When we came on board Samujana had no brand or visual identity. We identified this is an opportunity to define brand values and clear vision of their proposition. The advertisement messages at the time were generic and did not stand out from the crowd; if you see Samujana you would understand that they deserve more prestige. The original websites were separate for villa sales and rentals, causing confusion. We decided to combine the two, with the aim of ultimately generating more revenue.
As part of our initial branding work we spoke to a cross section of people including owners, past guests, suppliers, consultants, media, hotel professionals, sales agents and travel trade thought leaders. The results were interesting and all seemed to point in one direction - everyone loved the product but did not understand the overall brand message.
We worked on four separate ideas for the creative direction of Samujana including an array of different logos and photography styles. After presenting all ideas to the client we all decided that the 'Dare to Discover' campaign was the best fit for Samujana. We formed our brand DNA from the research and worked on an internal brand proposition, promise and set of values. From here we went on to form the tone of voice, marketing messages and the building blocks to form our creative direction.
We had roughly designed the ads we were going to use for the ad campaign and needed to shoot the pictures. Although Samujana is an amazing looking place with stunning villas, we wanted to move away from product shots and focus on emotion and experience. We also wanted to unveil a totally different look to everything else in Thailand and indeed Southeast Asia. We cast the models, using real people to enhance the earthiness and realism of the campaign. We were aiming for a nostalgic effect on the photos, fusing modern day thirst for Instagram and vintage with a retro typeface and design.
Both brand ads were designed to be double page spreads, with occasional use as a single page ad. We dared to step away from showing empty rooms and boxes with product shots. The ads are meant to create awareness, to push the brand so people are aware of Samujana. Samujana already had several billboards up around the island of Koh Samui. The old design used blue sky and sea; therefore it blended in its environment. The new billboards were a contrast to all the other signage on the island due to the usage of vivid black and white. The coral visual of the new logo is inspired by the 'Jana' in the name, an ancient word for coral and the location of Samujana on a coral bay. It is also a symbol for all the different characters that live and work at Samujana, just like a coral ecosystem is home to abundant life - so is Samujana.
As part of the PR strategy for Samujana we attended the inaugural LE Miami to establish the villas to high end concierge and travel agents, we also applied for several awards, including 'Best Marketing', and we were thrilled to have won.