State promoted for commerce

By Susan Hooper
Advertiser Staff Writer

State officials and business leaders launched a marketing campaign yesterday to promote doing business in Hawai'i.

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 run a business, project officials 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, 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.

The brand's summary statement: "Hawai'i is the one place on earth to do business where life and aloha are part of the bottom line."

The marketing campaign includes print and broadcast advertisements profiling three Hawai'i businesses that campaign officials say are representative of the brand: 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 awareness of Hawai'i's business brand changes because of the advertising campaign, said 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.