Commentary

How Hawaii Keeps The Aloha Spirit Alive

When the chance to house-sit on the Big Island landed in my lap recently it was a no-brainer to fly Hawaiian Airlines.

A few years back, the airline took over the Island of Manhattan when it launched direct service from JFK to Honolulu. Pershing Square across the street from Grand Central Station became a live performance space. Even the pedestrian “walk now” signals on Park Avenue South were translated into Hawaiian “hang loose” shakas.

Aloha Spirit
The cross-channel campaign also included transit, print and digital advertising. It seemed you couldn’t turn the corner in Manhattan without seeing Hawaiian. This clearly lingered in my subconscious. I booked a flight and the airline did not disappoint. The “aloha spirit” touched everything.

The day before departure was my birthday and I got my Hau’oli la Hanau email greeting. It included an offer to earn 500 Hawaiian miles for every night spent in an airfare/hotel package I’d need to book within 30 days.

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The visual image of the Happy Birthday lei was reinforced by a warmer language than is typical in airline email correspondence.

Aloha Laurie,
“A beautiful expression of aloha, the Hawaiian lei is traditionally presented on special occasions. And what could be more special than your birthday? We wish you the warm spirit of aloha today — and every day.

The next day when I boarded the flight, the spirit continued. Native Hawaiian music flooded the cabin. Flight attendants wore aloha shirts. Multiple meals were served and they all featured cuisine of Hawaii. Ono grinds.

The Island Brands Itself
With its multilingual signage and remote location, a trip to Hawaii can seem like it requires a foreign currency and passport. This is reinforced by the documentation one must file when landing. There are restrictions, for example, on the agricultural products that can be taken in and out of Hawaii. So it feels like you are completing a customs form. 

The flip side of the agriculture card collects data about the traveler, including travel plans, duration of stay, islands to be visited, and some other attitudinal questions about the Big Island.

I asked Daniel Nahoopii, director of research for the Hawaii Tourism Authority, how the information is used. He said the forms are a cooperative effort between the Department of Agriculture and the Hawaii Tourism Authority.  

The data collected helps inform the stats on the Hawaii Tourism Authority website. With tourism its major source of income and employment, this unusual level of government cooperation is not a surprise.

The authority will spend $93.3 million on marketing in 2016. California is the leading source of domestic visitors, while Japan ranks first on the international front. This explains the frequent English/Japanese signage that surrounds the island.

Two in every three visitors will come back to Hawaii, which helps explain why Hawaiian Airlines has been emailing me at the rate of two times a week since my booking and I don’t mind it.

I don’t mind because the offers are all relevant to my state of mind: a free Shutterfly photo album (of course I have a gazillion photos to preserve the memory); a discounted membership in a Hawaiian wine club.

I deliberately “liked” and checked into as many places as I could during the course of my journey. This has resulted in a delightful shift in my Facebook feed — keeping the aloha spirit going long after I’ve arrived home.

I can’t wait to see what will arrive in my inbox next.

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