The campaign, which includes the development of a marketing "brand," is aimed at the local business community and was developed to raise awareness of what makes Hawai'i a good place to have a business, officials with the project said.

"Hawai'i has a strong and valuable brand as a visitor destination, but no recognizable brand as a place to conduct serious business," said Sharon Narimatsu, deputy director of the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

Narimatsu estimated the cost of the campaign so far at more than $500,000. The state agency has spent $90,000 on the campaign with the remainder coming from local businesses as in-kind contributions.

Advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather Hawaii donated its services to help develop the "Business in Hawaii" brand. The process, which involved about 200 members of the business community, included surveys, interviews and focus groups to develop a summary statement of the brand.

The Business in Hawaii campaign's summary brand statement is, "Hawaii is the one place on earth to do business where life and aloha are part of the bottom line."

The marketing campaign for the brand includes print and broadcast advertisements profiling three Hawai'i businesses that campaign officials say are representative of the Business in Hawaii brand. They are: Hale'iwa wet suit manufacturer Xcel, high-tech company Science and Technology International, and Waimanalo aquaculture firm Oceanic Institute.

Organizers expect to conduct market research locally to see how much awareness of Hawai'i's business brand changes from the beginning to the end of the advertising campaign, according to Georgette Deemer, a spokeswoman for the Business in Hawaii campaign.

"Understanding and living the Business in Hawai'i brand is important to the improvement and success of Hawai'i's business community," Narimatsu said.