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Hosts of the NBC "Today" show were decked out in custom-designed aloha shirts made and given to them by Reyn Spooner when they hit the national airwaves from Waikiki Beach at 1 a.m. Monday.
Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie, Natalie Morales and Willie Geist were given four of the five shirts. The fifth was made for Al Roker, who was called away from the islands to report from Oklahoma in the aftermath of the devastating tornado there.
Show producers asked if the company could incorporate their logo in the print, and "since we have our factory here in Honolulu, we are able to do a little bit of everything and be creative," said Reyn’s CEO Kirk Hubbard III. Such customization is a small percentage of the business, he said.
An off-the-rack version of the shirt costs $94, but he didn’t disclose the retail value of the "Today" shirts.
Whatever the expenditure, "the exposure provided more than covers the cost of the shirts," Hubbard said. Case in point, Reyn’s already has begun receiving "company inquiries as well as online orders for the (televised) Classic Pareau print featured," he said.
The fabric was designed by legendary Hawaii textile designer Alfred Shaheen.
INTERN GETS NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Not every intern in the spotlight is there for scandalous reasons.
Destin Kim, a student intern at PacRim Marketing Group Inc., is to be featured June 25 in "Watch Your World" ("Se Gye Leul Bo Ra" in Korean), a morning show that airs on Korea’s Munhwa Broadcasting Co. stations.
Kim is a student in the Travel Industry Management School at University of Hawaii, and was selected to be featured on the show based on the work he has been doing for PacRim, specifically for its Korean-language Web portal and social media team for www.myhawaii.kr.
The PacRim site promotes Hawaii to Korean nationals or Korean-language speakers elsewhere.
One of PacRim’s initiatives was to create, and post on YouTube, a silly parody of "Gangnam Style," named "Hawaii Style," eight months ago.
With nearly 35,000 views, the video drew a mention on the Mnet Asian Music Awards, a show broadcast in more than 85 countries.
PacRim started its internship program in 1990, the year founder Dave Erdman started the company.
"Internships are a valuable part of the learning process in business," he told the Korean broadcast crew. Internships helped him understand and develop a love for marketing and the hospitality and travel industry, which is why he offers the opportunities.
PacRim has interns year-round, and has had three each summer for the past five years. Interns apply through their schools or online, and are matched with a business unit depending on their background, giving them international marketing experience that could advance their studies and résumés.
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On the Net:
» www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4j0yZzgLMY
HAWAII ADDYS IN NATIONAL GAME
Honolulu advertising agency Wall-to-Wall Studios Inc. is a finalist in the national American Advertising Federation ADDY awards competition.
Wall-to-Wall was among the Pele Award winners in the recent AAF District 13 (Hawaii) competition, and while all Pele Award-winning work is automatically entered in the national competition, being chosen as a national finalist guarantees at least a silver-level award, said Paul Lam, Pele Awards chairman.
Wall-to-Wall’s entries include two 30-second TV spots, one titled "Good Thing :30 TV" for Mobi PCS and the other, "Lamp Bullies" for Hawaii Energy, in the Local TV category, while its "Wall-to-Wall Occasional Cards" are entered in the category of Advertising Industry Self Promotion.
Winners will be announced June 8 during the American Advertising Awards in Arizona.
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Reach Erika Engle at 529-4303, erika@staradvertiser.com or on Twitter as @erikaengle.
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COURTESY REYN SPOONER INC.