w - Bennet Group | Strategic Communications | PR

Polynesian Voyaging Society

The Polynesian Voyaging Society’s Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage (WWV) was a journey of traditional voyaging canoes across Earth’s oceans to join and grow the global movement toward a more sustainable world. The voyage was a complex endeavor that required a sophisticated suite of communication strategies and tactical approaches during the legendary Hawaiian voyaging canoe Hōkūleʻa’s various ports of call both at home in Hawai‘i, nationally, and internationally.

Hawai‘i Pacific University

Hawai‘i Pacific University (HPU) is the largest private university in the state of Hawai‘i. In recent years, the university has struggled with financial difficulties that necessitated the need to lay off a number of faculty and staff, which significantly impacted employee morale. Following the efforts to rightsize the organization, HPU hired a new president, marking the beginning of a new era of leadership at the university and an opportunity to rebuild morale and trust. Bennet Group worked throughout the year on an integrated communications plan to boost morale among faculty and staff and earn trust and ownership in the new vision for the future of the university. The internal communications plan complemented the overarching strategic communications for the university and prioritized two-way communications via electronic channels and, most importantly, in-person events and interactions.

Turtle Bay Resort

Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu’s historic North Shore is one of the world’s last wild places. This fabled stretch of coastline has been the subject of heated debate and passionate protests due to a master plan that many in the community perceived as unsustainable for responsible growth and the protection of cultural and environmental resources. A conservation easement in 2016 ended the legal battle over the land, and the developer hit pause on moving forward with any plans for expansion. When new owners, The Blackstone Group, purchased the property in late 2017, it called Bennet Group to assist with the sophisticated and thoughtful strategic communications Turtle Bay Resort would require to be successful as development resumes at the resort later this year.

Waikoloa Foundation

In October 2020, The Waikoloa Foundation, the philanthropic sister organization to the Waikoloa Land Company, relaunched with renewed purpose and fresh programmatic priorities. Although the Waikoloa Land Company had a longstanding history of stewardship in the area, The Waikoloa Foundation needed to be reintroduced to the community, having been dormant for several years. Hoping to ramp up its support for the Kohala Coast, The Foundation also needed a platform to communicate with and engage kama‘āina, other nonprofit organizations, partners and visitors. Bennet Group helped The Waikoloa Foundation build a social media presence and set a thoughtful content strategy.