Value Pass promotion falls short

By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist

There is a story told around business circles about the supermarket manager and the consultant. The manager walked the consultant around the store, pointing out various features of customer service and inventory control. The manager pointed to red dots placed near the prices of certain items on the shelves, and explained that was how the store marked fast-moving items so the stock crew would know which ones to watch and to replenish more often.

As the two turned down another aisle, the consultant spotted a young man stocking shelves. The consultant went up to him and asked what the red dot next to the price tag meant. The stock worker replied, "That means it's a fast-moving item, and I have to make sure to watch it closely."

Annoyed, the store manager said, "I just told you what that meant!"

The consultant replied, "Yes, but I wanted to know if HE knew."

Top-down communication. Attention to detail. Crucial to any organization or project.

Largely missing in the Hawai'i Value Pass program.

You'll remember the hype when the little plastic cards were unveiled in October. The state, through the Hawai'i Visitors & Convention Bureau, touted the program as an incentive to boost tourist spending in the post-Sept. 11 crisis.

It's supposed to work like this: From Nov. 1 to Jan. 31, hotels pass out Value Pass cards to their guests upon check-in. The cards entitle the bearer to special deals at 1,200 stores, restaurants, attractions and activities.

Here's how it doesn't work:

The card comes with a brochure listing the names of all the participating businesses. Just the names, no addresses, no specific locations, no phone numbers and, most obvious in its absence, no description of the "special deal" available at each business. The brochure refers to the Web site for HVCB for more information, but how many travelers have Internet access in their hotel rooms?

The deals vary widely, from sizable discounts to a free post card with purchase. It's hard to know what you'll get until you actually present your card at a business. And then, the clincher, many of the front-line employees have never heard of the value pass and have to go through that annoying 15-minutes of fumbling, "Uh, I have to ask my manager about that."

However, the part of the Hawai'i Value Pass that does seem to be working well is the free admission to local museums. The Honolulu Academy of Arts, for example, has had an average of 50 people a day flash their cards at the ticket counter. They've deemed the program a success.

So here's our $200,000 lesson: When something is called a "Value Pass" it should have real value, and it should require a minimum amount of effort to decipher. Most of all, everyone who touches that card — from the hotel clerk who passes it out, to the tourist who tries to figure it out, to the salesclerk — needs to be on the same page.

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8172.