Nevis visitor campaign will have a nostalgic feel

Travel Weekly

2 days ago

A new marketing approach by the island of Nevis eschews the traditional colors of the Caribbean -- the blue of the ocean and sky, the green of palm trees, tawny sand -- and (mostly) replaces them with black and white.
As Caribbean Week in New York began, the island's premier, Mark Brantley, told Travel Weekly that he and his team at Nevis Naturally will be launching a campaign to connect with the luxury market emotionally via the nostalgic feel that black and white conveys when paired with elegant imagery.
He hopes to recall a wistful, romantic era, "how the Caribbean used to be."
"We're trying to evoke a timelessness. If you want seclusion, if you want courtesy, if you want that bespoke experience, then Nevis is the place to go," Brantley said.
Part of the motivation came from observing who has discovered the island on their own.
"Guests who come to us can afford to go anywhere," he said, "so why do they come to us? It's how we make them feel, and that's what we're trying to capitalize on. We've been progressing quietly, but we want the world to take notice. It's time to make a bit more noise. It's time that Nevis becomes part of the conversation."
Specifically, the conversations that take place at dinner parties in apartments along New York's Fifth Avenue and similar neighborhoods.
Nevis may have no stoplights or fast-food chains, but plans are in the works for a private jet facility.
"We've seen an explosion in villa construction," Brantley said. "We have people building $40 million homes. Nevis is the kind of place where you escape the hurly burly of success. You're in New York, you're in London, you're plugged in in L.A., and you just want to unwind with your family and spend quality time. If Covid taught us anything, it's the importance of time with loved ones and friends."
The black-and-white campaign, he said, aims to inspire with timeless elegance. "Imagine Greta Garbo or one of the greats from that era in a beautiful gown in a beautiful bar. It's emotion. We're trying to bring that back, and I think that that's beautifully done in black and white.
"It's going to be interesting," Brantley concluded. "As I said to our team, this is going to be a huge hit. Or a huge miss."