Mālama Hawai‘i
THE CHALLENGE
Hawai‘i is home to a unique culture and delicate natural resources. As COVID-19 restrictions on travel loosened and tourists began to flood back to Hawai‘i, our invitation had to change. Our invitation to visitors needed to change. Aloha had run out. The time to implement a regenerative tourism model had come.
OUR SOLUTION
We invited visitors to experience a new way to travel—one that gives back to Hawai‘i, and to them: mālama (care for) Hawai‘i. A suite of content across owned & paid placements asked visitors to come back, and give back, in a launch of four episodes featuring on-island ambassadors and cultural practitioners. Additionally, we created custom-shot, long-form content to educate people on the interconnections of Hawai‘i's natural resources and residents.
RESULTS
189MM Impressions
73MM Video views accross Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube.
Local ambassadors led our effort to launch what mālama means.
Our Ambassadors
In partnership with an on-island agency, we shot vertical substitutions and b-roll for social adaptations of long-form content. They feature four unique ambassadors who represent four Hawaii-based restoration organizations across the islands of Moloka‘i, Maui and O‘ahu. We interviewed and filmed these leaders who welcomed visitors to join their restorative efforts that give back to Hawai‘i to enrich their connection while visiting.
Mahalo to these incredible ambassadors for the experience. K-boys rule!
We created additional storytelling that deepened understanding of what makes Hawai‘i's ecosystem so special.
AHUPUA‘A: FROM MA KUA TO MA KAI
Traditionally, land division in Hawai‘i was guided by natural resources, meaning sections of land were organized by the three layers of an ahupua‘a: a large traditional socioeconomic, geologic, and climatic subdivision of land that extends from the mountains (ma kua) to the ocean (ma kai). Each level of an ahupua‘a is connected—and its our jobs as dependents on its natural resources that we care for the land, and in turn it nurtures us.
This video wrapped our campaign, and was created by teams of immensely talented, thoughtful and brilliant people both at Edelman and within our beloved HVCB partners. Mahalo for the experience.
Photography and video drove our storytelling, capturing aloha ‘āina in every story we found.
But what could visitors do to change the way they spend their time?
Surrounding content shifted minds to think of Hawai‘i as a place to be cared for, not trampled on.
THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE
Giving back to a unique and special place makes a visitor's experience richer. Working alongside community ambassadors, we're taking steps toward positive and regenerative tourism by inviting visitors to mālama (cherish and protect) Hawaiian land.
SUPPORTING MINDFUL TRAVEL
Hawai‘i is a remarkable place with a special history. The culture is sacred, not secret—so as we visit, we have to respect our experience as one to be cherished. We created actionable reminders and tips for Instagram Reels to keep travelers inspired and informed as they returned.
