The Context
Imagine Punta Cana is a renowned nightclub nestled within a natural cave in the Dominican Republic. Despite its unique setting, the club faced challenges common to nightlife venues: fluctuating popularity, reliance on intermediaries for ticket sales, and the need to continually refresh its appeal to both tourists and locals. The post-pandemic landscape further complicated matters, with tourists often encouraged to remain within resort complexes, making external venues like Imagine less accessible.
The Challenge
The ownership aimed to revamp Imagine's business model by reducing dependence on traditional sales channels and intermediaries, which often involved high commission fees and inconsistent promotional ethics.
The goal was to pivot towards a direct-to-consumer approach, leveraging digital marketing to attract a more targeted audience. This transition required a comprehensive understanding of the club's diverse clientele, including local party-goers and international tourists, particularly from the Afro-American community, who have distinct preferences and cultural nuances.
The Strategy
1. Audience Research & Segmentation
- Local Engagement: Post-pandemic, there was a resurgence of local interest in nightlife, termed "teteo." Capitalizing on this, Imagine organized a Halloween event on October 30, 2021, targeting local patrons eager to return to social festivities.
- Tourist Targeting: Recognizing the potential of the tourist market, especially Afro-American travelers, the team conducted in-depth research to understand their entertainment preferences, ensuring that marketing messages resonated culturally and emotionally.
2. Digital-First Marketing Approach
- Online Sales: Transitioned to exclusive online ticket sales, eliminating intermediaries and allowing for better control over pricing and promotions.
- Social Media Campaigns: Utilized platforms like Instagram and Facebook to showcase the unique cave setting, themed events, and guest experiences, creating a compelling narrative that differentiated Imagine from other venues.
- Content Localization: Developed tailored content to appeal to various segments, ensuring cultural relevance and engagement.
3. Operational Adjustments
- Experience Over Clubbing: Rebranded events as unique experiences rather than typical club nights, emphasizing the cave venue, thematic parties, and exclusive performances.
- Feedback Loops: Established mechanisms to gather attendee feedback post-events, allowing for continuous improvement and adaptation to audience preferences.
Impact
1. Redefining the Business, Driving Sustainable Growth
In the wake of shifting global travel patterns, Imagine Punta Cana embraced a fully digital strategy—achieving a 20% annual revenue uplift while elevating the entire guest experience. A bold repositioning move that proved both resilient and future-ready.
2. Higher Value per Guest, Not Just More Guests
By moving away from commission-driven intermediaries and building direct relationships with the right audience, the brand raised its average ticket value and started tailoring premium nightlife experiences specifically for international travelers.
3. Behavioral Insight as Competitive Advantage
Through iterative research and targeted messaging, Imagine gained a deep understanding of its audience—especially the cultural codes of Afro-Caribbean and Afro-American party travelers. This allowed for content, pricing, and UX strategies that now speak directly to their preferences and expectations.
Key Learnings
1. Context is not background—it’s the brief.
Designing for leisure tourism in Punta Cana required understanding far more than user flows or conversion goals. It meant decoding a complex territory where infrastructure, climate, transport, and even social norms shaped how (and whether) people could party. From humidity control inside the venue to secure transportation outside of it, every detail was part of the UX.
2. Culture shapes intent—and emotional triggers.
We learned that not all “partygoers” think or feel the same. Afro-American and North American guests, for example, relate to music, dance, and celebration as ritual—highly emotional, identity-driven, and specific. From the need for VIP spaces, bottle rituals with sparklers, and personalized drink offerings to expectations around safety, language, or even Wi-Fi: these were not extras. They were deal-breakers.
3. Local audiences demand a different conversation.
We discovered that for local Dominican audiences—especially younger users connected to religious beliefs or socio-political dynamics—certain promotional narratives required nuance. What resonated with one group could alienate another. Empathy, segmentation, and iteration were essential.
4. Real insight takes time, trust, and iteration.
This wasn’t a one-shot campaign. It was a long-term process of test, learn, adapt. Tools like Checkfront, Hotjar, Google Analytics, and Search Console helped. But what truly powered the work was deep collaboration with the Imagine team: passionate, involved, and always ready to experiment. They didn’t just want traffic—they wanted transformation. And that made all the difference.
"The team has enabled Imagine Punta Cana to reach its goals in the challenging post-COVID recovery of nightlife, while also supporting us in the digital transformation of the club."
Eulogio Gómez – Founding Partner and Managing Director of Imagine Punta Cana
They are still working closely with my former company, kingseo, in a partnership that continues to grow stronger. One of those clients that truly leaves a mark.
An Outstanding Team
I approached this project as part of a team I shared nearly four years of my life with.
