The First Emotion
Launching consulting/ Image strategy / Art Direction / Positioning Social Media / Storytelling
A hotel founded in 1966, destined to reclaim the remarkable splendour of its golden years, when it was one of the Algarve’s most iconic and exclusive resorts.
Vilalara holds an extraordinary legacy of natural beauty and a deep commitment to wellbeing. Its iconic architecture and renowned service, dating back to 1966, once made it a gathering place for the international artistic elite and royalty.
By 2024, the property was ready to begin a new chapter.
The new owners embraced the mission of restoring the resort to its former splendour while reviving its holistic approach to wellbeing.
STORYTELLING
Narrative is how position is built, connection is formed, and relevance is sustained over time.
the art of strategic storytelling
We work from an editorial sensibility, where every word, every image and every visual decision forms part of a single language. A language that must be clear, precise and emotional, without falling into the obvious.
The stories we build unfold in multiple layers, from conceptual direction to visual production and physical experience. Everything belongs to a unified narrative ecosystem.
We believe in storytelling that is felt rather than explained.That suggests rather than states. That leaves space for the audience to make it their own.
Because in a context saturated with messages, the difference lies not in telling more, but in telling better.
The first emotion
was the smell of the river,
wet, cold, blue,
painting a landscape of colour
On the façades the tiles
painted, worn,
suddenly looked at me
like benevolent old friends,
asking for respect
and in return offering
a breathtaking stage.
I enter a new kingdom, Gai.
A group of rowers advances,
people stroll,
and everything feels different,
new, close.
And already I love you,
again and again
as if I had always loved you
rationale
The campaign revolves around a unique sensation:the one that only happens the very first time you see or feel something — The First Emotion.
Perhaps you have already visited Porto or other extraordinary cities and destinations around the world. Yet, the views that unfold before the traveller’s eyes from Forte de Gaia are unlike any other: a genuine feeling that imprints itself in memory, never to fade.
To capture this essence, we proposed a simple yet powerful video campaign within the hotel itself. The protagonist becomes the guiding thread, moving through Forte de Gaia while the camera accompanies him. His journey expands beyond the property towards iconic nearby settings — the Luís I Bridge and the banks of the Douro River, right where it meets the Atlantic.
Through this visual journey, we seek to embody that unforgettable once-in-a-lifetime moment The First Emotion.
Introducing the concept of “The First Emotion” as the new storytelling anchor for all future brand communications. Inspiring audiences to see Forte de Gaia as a place where emotional journeys begin. Encouraging conversations around personal emotions and travel memories
rationale
Blue Mirage is a visual and emotional metaphor that transforms Forte de Gaia and the city of Porto into a summer mirage: a place suspended between dream and reality, deeply sensorial, inviting the visitor to be carried away by beauty, desire and calm
This short campaign is built on a poetic and atmospheric narrative, closer to a cinematic experience than a conventional tourism promotion. The hotel is not shown explicitly. Instead, it is revealed through: sensations, textures, lights and views as if discovered for the first time in each shot.
The figure of the mermaid acts as a symbol and guide. She represents: water, intuition, femininity, freedom, the magnetism of place. Her implicit or suggested presence accompanies this journey between the Douro and the Atlantic, blending the character of the hotel with the soul of Porto.
