Well, sort of.

Make Pura Vida. Not War, created by Federer for GWA • Green World Adventures, turns Costa Rica’s wildlife and landscapes into an unexpected military force. The seven-piece print campaign borrows the language of conflict and gives it a completely different meaning, using animals, volcanoes and marine life to promote the experience of Costa Rica.

The campaign responds to a period when conflict in the Middle East was disrupting international travel plans. Aimed at UK travellers reconsidering their holiday destinations, the work gives them a very different reason to look toward Costa Rica.

Costa Rica’s Army Is Made of Wildlife

The visual joke lands quickly.

A deer stands beneath the headline “Our Special Forces in Position.” A sea turtle becomes “Our Troops Are Ready to March.” A relaxed sloth takes on the role of “Our Stealth Unit.”

Then the campaign gets even more playful.

A crocodile becomes “Heavy Artillery.” A volcanic landscape represents Costa Rica’s “tanks.” A whale becomes a “submarine,” while a scarlet macaw takes the role of the “Air Force.”

The images are calm and inviting. The headlines sound serious and military. Putting them together creates the tension that makes each execution work.

The campaign does not need a long explanation. The photograph sets up the joke, and the headline changes how the viewer sees it.

Turning Military Language Into Travel Advertising

The idea goes beyond simply giving animals funny military titles.

Make Pura Vida. Not War takes words associated with conflict and places them against some of Costa Rica’s most recognisable natural experiences.

That contrast gives the campaign its character.

There are no scenes of destruction or dramatic depictions of conflict. Instead, the campaign fills its imaginary military with wildlife, landscapes and marine life. The language stays connected to war, but everything the viewer sees points in the opposite direction.

The recurring line, Make Pura Vida. Not War, brings the idea back to Costa Rica.

Pura vida is closely associated with Costa Rican culture and is used as an expression connected with a positive approach to life. Costa Rica also abolished its army in 1948, giving the campaign’s military wordplay a particularly relevant cultural reference.

Seven Executions, One Simple Idea

The seven prints work as one visual system.

Each execution uses a similar structure, combining GWA branding, a military-style headline, destination imagery and the campaign line.

Once the viewer understands the first execution, the rest become a small guessing game. If the deer are the special forces and the turtles are the troops, what is going to be the next part of Costa Rica’s imaginary military?

That consistency gives the campaign room to build.

It also keeps the destination at the centre. The wildlife and landscapes are not just props for a joke. They are the actual reasons the audience might want to visit Costa Rica.

Why Make Pura Vida. Not War Works in Print

Print is a good fit for an idea built around visual contrast.

Each execution can be understood almost instantly, while the unusual pairing of headline and image gives the viewer a reason to look again.

The campaign also avoids filling the layouts with information. There is no long list of attractions or complicated travel offer competing for attention. The creative idea does most of the work.

For GWA, that creates a distinctive way to enter a difficult travel conversation. Instead of trying to match the seriousness of the news surrounding international conflict, the campaign changes the vocabulary.

War has its troops, artillery, tanks, air forces and submarines.

Costa Rica has turtles, crocodiles, volcanoes, macaws and whales.

That is the joke. And it is also the destination message.

Make Pura Vida. Not War turns a simple set of wildlife photographs into a memorable print campaign by changing the meaning of familiar words. Seven executions later, Costa Rica has an army of its own.

Credits
Advertising Agency: Federer, Guatemala City, Guatemala
Chief Creative Officer: Paul Rodríguez
Creative Director: Natalia Mora
Art Directors: Hansel Céspedes, Katherine Tánchez
Content Lead / Copywriter: Leo Echeverría
Stock Photography and Footage: Shutterstock
Additional Photography and Footage: GWA Production assets, Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (ICT), Costa Rica