Hawaii Tourism
Hawaii Rooted
In travel speak, Hawaii is considered a mature destination. Avid explorers perceive the islands as too familiar and not exotic enough. They believe that Hawaii is culture-less. And with all the exposure on TV and in the movies, they believe there is nothing new to see. We needed to show these skeptical travelers there’s far more to Hawaii than the typical tourist attractions.
Real Stories
Instead of scripting a campaign, we chose 17 local storytellers to share Hawaii through their lens—one that travelers never get to see.
Cliff Kapono
A young Hawaiian leaves home to further his education and returns with the ability to use chemistry as a platform to share ancestral wisdom with the modern world.
Keoni Kaholoaa
A park ranger once disconnected from his culture embraces his identity as a descendent of Pele, the volcano goddess.
Mark Noguchi
A tough decision to leave a coveted hula halau paves the way for a chef to introduce people to cooking - and living - with intention.
Kaumakaiwa Kanakaole
Battling stereotype and cliche, a hula luminary expresses the meaning and power of hula from her Native Hawaiian perspective.
Tom Pohaku Stone
A misled youth returns in his later years to the source of familial wisdom to become a shaper of ancient alaia surfboards.
Kala Tanaka
An ocean voyager leaves the safety of land to find her connection with her ancestors, and ultimately, herself.
Leinaala Jardin
A teacher dedicates her life to take on the duty of bringing hula—the life of Hawaiian culture—from prohibited to celebrated.
Sheldon Simeon and Brandon Lee
Two Hilo natives buck industry convention to create a more holistic, sustainable farm-to-table experience that can only be created here.
Kaui Kanakaole
A kumu hula teaches how to respect the mana (power) of her Native Hawaiian stronghold.
Anela Evans
A cultural practitioner bridges both worlds so that luxury and ease can coexist with the grit and authenticity that shaped her native land.
A more mindful guest.
Passengers on all inbound Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines flights had the opportunity to watch these beautiful stories on their inflight entertainment app—which helped inspire and educate eager tourist hours before they landed.
Isaac Bancaco
A spearfisherman and chef exemplifies taking only what you need, defending the ocean’s bounty and representing local farmers and fishermen in his cuisine.
Greg Solatorio
A cultural practitioner sacrifices everything to carry on his ancestors’ way of life, even as the modern world encroaches.
Kyle Reutner
An ex-bartender works with Hawaiian researchers and local farmers to return glory to noble cane with craft and mixology, redefining the Mai Tai as a worthy cocktail.
Brandon Baptiste
A chef gives up culinary fame to come home, and reinvents a humble plantation-era dessert with world-class technique and local ingredients.
“Beautifully filmed...they manage to blend both Hawaiian tradition and modern life on the island into a complex portrait designed to pique the interest of travelers."
— Alexandra Jardine, UK Correspondent, Ad Age
Lyndsey Haraguchi-Nakayama
An epic storm tests a fifth-generation taro farmer’s legacy of sustaining the community.
Keone Nunes
A Native Hawaiian tattooist bestows ancient, hand-tapped kakau upon worthy recipients willing to endure a rite of passage.
Dustin Tester
A trailblazing big-wave surfer empowers women to overcome the gnarliest challenges through surf therapy, just like she did.
Brand Content
The integrated campaign drove all traffic to hawaiirooted.com where each island’s brand attributes were seamlessly conveyed through the words of each storyteller in editorial-style articles.
