DORA Rebrand

THE BASICS


Location: Tulum, Mexico 

Time of Project: 3 Months  

Client: Alexa Nahon, Founder & CEO

Retreat Center Size: 2 properties, 2.5 hectares total, 25 rooms across 6 houses, multiple shalas, pools, cenotes, conference center, up to 80 guests full room and board and 150 total including day visitors. 

Year founded: 2020 - to present (3 years)

THE CHALLENGE


After founding the retreat center three years ago, Alexa was entering a new phase of growth where she felt the brand and name did not fully represent the beautiful experiences her guests were having on the property. The existing social media presence was not prioritized and did not appeal to their ideal client, up to this point she got most of her clients through recommendations, networking and google searches to the website but felt she had reached a plateau where more visibility was necessary to grow. 


With the goal of showcasing to the world what made the center special, bringing renewed energy to the space and attracting more of her ideal clients, Alexa worked with copywriters and designers to adapt the name, create a new logo, colors and design aesthetic. 


Ready to share her new refresh brand identity, one key aspect was missing, the visual language: the photography. Always a source of stress to capture retreats and the space accurately, Alexa didn't know how she was going to create an affordable and sustainable way:

  • to define the center's photography style
  • to launch the new website and instagram with the right photography to match the new logo and design style 
  • to create a system to capture and post content regularly

Project Timeline & Deliverables


Phase 1: Styling & Getting to the Essence

Phase 2: Content Creation

Phase 3: Creating Long Term Systems

Visual style blueprint


  • Identified themes and structure for content presentation.
  • Defined editing style.
  • Created structure for ongoing content creation.
  • Delivered a 25 page document detailing all of the above for sustainable brand implementation.

CONTENT PRODUCTION


  • Produced and shot photos for website refresh, social media content for 6 months, media kit and marketing materials.
  • Created UGC (user generated content) style video reels.


in house training


  • Taught in house social media manager a sustainable framework for brand implementation.
  • Strategized plan for community engagement.

1x1 coaching with owner


  • Endless tips and tricks.
  • 7,000 laughs.
  • Created a world of possibility for the founder in terms of what can be done when you have access to behind the scenes of a retreat consultant for 3 months.

THE OUTCOME


  • Increased new client inquiries by 50% just in the first two months since launch 
  • Sales process shortened to an average of two weeks as clients feel already convinced this is the space for them 
  • Keeping existing clients engaged leading to stronger returning clients
  • More public reshares and client testimonials as clients feel the center aligns more closely to their brand
  • Stress free and seamless content system for the next 6 months
  • Alexa and her team proud of their center, no longer need to say "the website is going to be updated" ever again and are more eager to share at every chance they get


why lisa?


''As a founder working to rebrand my first project, not only did Lisa capture perfectly the true 'feeling' of our space, she held my hand along the way in moments that I didn't know how much I needed support.


Beyond her innate talent, she is also an absolute expert in the retreat space, both understanding the guest experience and retreat leader experience, which is essential in being able to capture the most relatable and authentic moments. She is compassionate, hardworking, loving and a ray of sunshine to work with. She taught me that the essence of portraying an experience is capturing in the in-between moments, the little things that make the outcome extra magical, that make the space extra us, and the transformation of the guests extra potent. 


Working with Lisa was one of the best decisions I have made, our visual language feels like us, our team has been trained and we have a guide for future photographers to capture the content in a way that stays true to who we are. It has been so rewarding to show people what really happens at DORA, I couldn't be more proud and more grateful. "