TheBuzz
TheBuzz
After 17 years as signature sponsor of the Hawaiian Moving Co. TV show, Hawaiian Host Inc. is changing course to focus on both the mainland and Asia. Sponsorship era ending as
Hawaiian Host moving on"I believe it's the longest-running continuous sponsorship in the state," said show Executive Producer and host Michael W. Perry.
The new signature sponsor starting with the Dec. 2 show is Bank of Hawaii.
"We started as one of three sponsors (of the show) last year, and really liked the Moving Co. and the audience it attracts; it is a true Hawaii- focused program that has a good following," said Bankoh Executive Vice President Lori McCarney.
"They presented the opportunity for us to step up as the primary sponsor," she said, "and we had to think how we would use it as part of our marketing plan.
"We really see it as a great media vehicle to promote our investment services," McCarney said, because of what she called the upscale audience the show delivers. "It will be a signature vehicle for us to raise awareness of those (financial services) capabilities," she said.
The new sponsorship deal doesn't siphon Bankoh ad dollars away from other media, McCarney said. "Our advertising budget remains unchanged."
"Our advertising is really based on objectives," she said, "and I don't see anybody losing anything at all."
Hawaiian Host will keep some of those former signature-sponsorship marketing dollars in Hawaii, according to Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing Keith Sakamoto.
"This holiday season because of the downturn in tourism, we set our sights to remind local people to 'buy Hawaiian Host' again," he said. The company is running some 400 television and 100 radio spots featuring Perry as pitchman.
Hawaiian Host is also "going to continue to develop new markets outside of Hawaii," Sakamoto said. The company has been exporting its chocolate covered macadamia nuts since the early '80s, he said.
Just a matter of time
Lucarelli's Pronto! has opened up shop for the considerable lunch-hour take-out crowd at Restaurant Row. It serves what appear to be lower-cost versions of its sit-down dining sister-restaurant, with which it shares a kitchen.The former Danny's Plate Lunch at the same location drew folks from the office buildings of Waterfront Plaza and nearby state and federal offices, and with prices ranging from about $3 for a salad to under $7 for a lasagna combination plate, it may stay open longer than Danny's did.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin.
Call 529-4302, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached
at: eengle@starbulletin.com