Costa Rican sloths promote tourism at Los Angeles building

A billboard ad displaying a Costa Rican sloth surprised workers this week at 3333 Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, California.

The ad also caught the attention of passing pedestrians and motorists, who soon started taking and sharing pictures, the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) reported.

The billboard displaying the popular tree-dwelling mammals is part of an official campaign, dubbed “Save the Americans,” to promote Costa Rica in the U.S. The campaign also includes a contest to win trips to Costa Rica among those who take a picture of the billboard and share it on their social media profiles using the hashtag #slothsweepstakes.

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Of all U.S. residents, Californians are considered the most likely to visit Costa Rica, Tourism Minister Mauricio Ventura said. Many are seasoned travelers, committed to sustainability, with high income and education levels, according to ICT research.

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ICT’s Marketing Director Alejandro Castro said the sloth billboard was meant to surprise workers immersed in their daily work at the prominent building, which houses banks, insurance companies, law firms, real estate offices and technology companies.

The “Save the Americans” campaign, along with a parallel “Save the Canadians” campaign, aims to attract a segment of overworked and overstressed people who “increasingly are refusing to take time off and relax,” said 22squared, the advertising agency that designed the campaign.

More pictures of sloths will be hung outside buildings in other US and Canada cities in coming weeks, aimed at an audience “trapped” in their offices. The campaign also will include videos to be projected on buildings at night in high-traffic areas.

The Save The Americans / Save The Canadians ad campaign was launched in December and will extend through January 2016 with an investment of $3.3 million: 85 percent in the US and 15 percent in Canada.

Watch an ICT video of the billboard displayed in Los Angeles.