Posted on: Friday, January 16, 2004

Marketer outlines strategy for Japan

By Kelly Yamanouchi
Advertiser Staff Writer

The state's new marketing agency promoting Hawai'i in Japan plans to woo travelers with images ranging from black lava rock to green forests, hoping to convince travelers that there's much here to see.

Dentsu, a major Tokyo-based advertising firm, took over the $7.3 million Japan tourism marketing contract on Jan. 1, displacing the Hawai'i Visitors & Convention Bureau.

The agency formed a nonprofit organization, Hawai'i Tourism Japan, that will carry out the state contract.

Dentsu steps in as Japanese tourism, which badly slumped after the Sept. 11 attacks, SARS and the Iraq war, recovers at a slower pace than the Mainland market. It also takes over in the aftermath of critical reviews of HVCB that led to closer scrutiny of tourism marketers.

The state's Hawai'i Tourism Authority said it is taking a new approach in hiring the Japan company and wants to customize the selling of Hawai'i to different parts of the world.

The authority retained HVCB to promote the Islands in North America and to attract corporate meetings and incentives marketing contracts. But it also handed marketing contracts to other agencies to market Hawai'i in Asia, Europe and Oceania.

Hawai'i Tourism Japan opened its Tokyo office Jan. 5 with a staff of six and recently secured space in Waikiki, with plans to open an office with two employees by month's end.

"We're very optimistic about how the Japan market is going to perform this year," said Rex Johnson, executive director of the tourism authority.

Hawai'i drew 1.3 million Japanese in 2003. This year the tourism authority wants to attract 1.5 million. The state drew a record 2.2 million Japanese in 1997.

"We're quite sure that we will achieve the target for this year," said Takashi Ichikura, executive director of Hawai'i Tourism Japan.

Hawai'i Tourism Japan will launch its marketing campaign Jan. 26 with subway and train posters featuring 'ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro. Versions of the poster show the musician against blue ocean and sky, a green forest, red Waimea Canyon and a field of black lava.

The agency posts its Web site Thursday and will set up a Hawai'i information gallery in Tokyo's Shiodome district. Tourism authority officials and Shimabukuro will also travel to Japan for a presentation of the marketing plan on Jan. 29.

The theme of the marketing campaign is "6 islands, 6 surprises," emphasizing art, culture and diversity of the Islands.

"Hawai'i is a destination full of surprises unknown to the Japanese people," said Ichikura. "When people talk about Hawai'i it tends to be Hawai'i for Honolulu, Waikiki, shopping and dining. We want to change that."

Yujiro Kuwabara, general manager in customer service for Japanese travel agency JTB in Hawai'i, said he liked the idea of promoting different islands with Shimabukuro, who is becoming well-known in Japan.

Kuwabara said that while he has not yet seen the entire marketing plan, "what they have been showing us so far is just images" but "we need to go one more step further to promote each individual island," something he said JTB is doing.

Ichikura responded to criticism heard at Hawai'i travel industry meetings last year that Hawai'i Tourism Japan wasinterested in working only with certain companies like Japan Airlines. JAL has been a client of Dentsu.

"We are open to anyone," Ichikura said, "anyone who is willing to offer us an opportunity to revitalize Hawai'i."

The transition has been a rough one for Dentsu, by some accounts, particularly because many travel firms are members of HVCB and have long worked with the bureau.

HVCB was the subject of a stinging audit by state auditor Marion Higa last July that criticized the bureau's use of state money and its operations.

Dentsu's contract with the tourism authority includes a $20,000 fine for each violation of a conduct clause. The agreement states that the contractor "shall maintain the highest standard of fiduciary duty" in spending public money and that expenditures will not result in "waste, self-dealing, or provide an appearance of conflict. ..."

The contract also requires each marketing agency to acknowledge that the Hawai'i Tourism Authority has a "legitimate right and need to prohibit (the contractor) from advocating against and criticizing to others any policy decision made by HTA."

Reach Kelly Yamanouchi at 535-2470, or at kyamanouchi@honoluluadvertiser.com.