The challenge
Selling trucks without sounding like a spec sheet
A truck sells on cargo capacity, torque and fuel consumption — numbers that don't build brand recall or get shared on social media.
Pacific Motors, Foton's official distributor in Costa Rica, needed a communication strategy that would set the brand apart in a market where most automotive advertising looks the same. The answer wasn't more product photography — it was building a brand character.
The character
A brand mascot, not a model
In marketing, a recurring character works as a recall anchor: the audience recognizes it before the product, and that recognition transfers to the brand behind it. Doña Merry was built on that logic — a consistent visual identity across every piece, designed to build affinity ahead of technical information.
The photo direction treated her as the campaign's lead, not as talent posing next to the product: every composition was built so she — not the truck — anchors the read of the image.
At the dealership
Documenting at the point of sale
Part of the shoot was framed as semi-documentary coverage inside the showroom: less studio control, more real-moment energy. That art direction call makes the content read like a point-of-sale activation rather than a closed advertising production.
Bringing the sales team in front of the camera is also a communication decision: it reinforces the connection between the brand, the character and the people who represent it every day.
Inside the truck
Seasonality as a campaign hook
Dressing the cargo box for the holiday season is a classic seasonal marketing tactic: riding a high-content-consumption date to insert the brand into the conversation, without straying from the core message about the product's versatility.
The second scene, with the character behind the wheel and the Pacific Motors team riding as copilots, works as a conceptual test drive: less focus on technical specs, more on the idea that anyone — even Doña Merry — can drive a Foton.
From the market to the farm
Real-world context as social proof
Taking the production out of the dealership and into a farmers' market and a farm reflects a segmentation strategy: those are the environments where the cargo vehicle's target audience actually operates.
Showing the product in use, rather than only on display, works as visual social proof: the audience infers the truck's usefulness before anyone explains it.
Impact
Results you can see
A brand character
Doña Merry works as a recall anchor for Foton, a resource still underused in Costa Rican automotive advertising.
A multi-channel content bank
One production yields pieces for the showroom, social media, point of sale and seasonal activations.
The team, part of the narrative
Bringing Pacific Motors staff in front of the camera reinforces brand identity from the inside out.
Content planned by channel
Each scene was planned for a distinct communication goal, not shot as variations of the same take.
Conclusion
A character sells what a spec sheet can't
In automotive marketing, almost every competitor communicates the same thing: cargo capacity, price, warranty. A well-built brand character shifts that conversation — from comparing specs to building affinity.
Foton now has a reusable communication asset over time: a character with her own identity, ready for new seasonal campaigns or point-of-sale activations.
