DTL is a Hawaiian
Strategy Studio
As a native Hawaiian owned and operated firm, it’s in our DNA to celebrate and elevate our host culture....
This year as we celebrate our 5th anniversary we reflect back on all the things we've done.
We’ve never heard of a Hawaiian Strategy Studio either…
…but we felt Hawai‘i needed one. DTL (detail) is a multidisciplinary studio that helps businesses, governments, organizations, and communities navigate change. Our unique approach, moves clients from where they are to where they need to be.
We’ve built a respected reputation within our community as a creative interpreter of culture through planning and design. Our deep understanding and knowledge of Hawai‘i’s sensibilities and sensitivities has resulted in successfully facilitating dialogs, bridging perspectives and developing appropriate collaborative solutions to both challenging issues and exciting opportunities within our community.
OUR CLIENTS
KŌKUA
DTL is committed to our community and culture and giving back through in-kind kōkua. 20 percent of our time is spent providing in-kind kōkua to support projects, non-profits and causes that champion the community and culture.
Our process + services
We frame our practice within a Hawaiian sense of place, because to know a place is to know its environment, its people, and its culture across time. Place sits at the intersection of Hawai‘i’s past and future, the physical and the cultural. Understanding it gives way to opportunities, obstacles, and points of convergence. We know that with each client, the best way forward is a matter of orientation — where you come from, where you are, and where you’re going. If strategy is a process of repositioning, we believe that success requires the alignment of a client’s genealogy, journey, stories and values.
OUR PROCESS IS CENTERED IN OUR CULTURAL METHODOLOGY
GENEALOGY
We begin every project as close as we can get to its source, and through cultural and historical research, we trace its lineage, origin to outcome.
STORIES
Navigation is both science and art, and we bring a diverse network of expertise to ensure the utilization of both. Listening to the stories of a place and its people shows you the way forward.
JOURNEYS
From visuals and messaging to presentation and promotion, we deliver the story of a future that you and your stakeholders tell together.
VALUES
We help you know your values so you can better share them through what you create. Hawai‘i is a complex place to do business, and in order to embrace change, you must know why you excel.
OUR SERVICES
STRATEGY
Positioning
Training
Coaching
Executive Placement
Entitlements
PLANNING
Community Engagement
Cultural Integration
Placemaking
Events
Cultural Programming
DESIGN
Branding
Graphic Design
Content Development
Web/Mobile Development
Environmental Graphics
COMMUNICATIONS
Public Relations
Crisis Management
Media Relations & Training
Social Media
Translations
STRATEGIC PARTNERS
Featured Work
Let’s Talk Story
725 Kapi‘olani Blvd, 4th Floor
Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96813
(808) 593-3048
@dtlhawaii
Lā Kūʻokoʻa, or Hawaiian Independence Day, is a celebration of our lāhui Hawaiʻi. It serves as a day of national pride for the enduring spirit of our people and living culture.
On days especially like Lā Kūʻokoʻa, we look to our kūpuna for guidance and support. If you haven`t done so already, we encourage you to incorporate oli into your daily protocol.
E Hō Mai, composed by Edith Kanakaʻole, is commonly used at the start of an event or gathering to focus energy and carry out the kuleana at hand. Feel free to recite this oli when you are seeking assistance from kūpuna or recentering your naʻau. By doing so, we stay connected to our ancestors and perpetuate our culture.
E Hō Mai is traditionally chanted three times in a row, moving up one pitch each time. Follow along with Puʻuhonua Puʻuhuluhulu at https://bit.ly/3t3fg6J
#dtl #dtlhawaii #strategy #planning #branding #communications #design #culture #community #hawaii #lakuokoa #hawaiianindependenceday #ehomai
We have much to be grateful for this season. Mahalo to our kūpuna and meʻe for guiding us, to ʻāina for sustaining us, to kaiāulu for supporting us, and to our ʻohana for loving us. Here’s to a beautiful Lā Kūʻokoʻa weekend. E ola!
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#dtl #dtlhawaii #strategy #planning #branding #communications #design #culture #lakuokoa #ikekupuna #kaiaulu
This Giving Tuesday lands on Lā Kūʻokoʻa (Hawaiian Independence Day) on November 28th. What a great alignment to show our kākoʻo for local community organizations that mālama people and places across the pae ʻāina.
#dtl #dtlhawaii #strategy #planning #branding #communications #design #culture #community #hawaii #thanksgiving #givingtuesday
Mahalo nui to the @hawaiiancouncil 22nd annual Native Hawaiian Convection for an incredible gathering to uplift each other, to uplift lāhui, and to uplift the ʻike and moʻolelo of Maui. Mahalo, also, to our Maui community for hosting us on your beloved mokupuni.
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#dtl #dtlhawaii #strategy #planning #branding #communications #design #marketing #culture #events #nativehawaiianconvention #alohamaui #kakoomaui #mauinokaoi
Hauʻoli lā hānau e King Kalākaua! Born on November 16, 1836, Kalākaua served as the last king of Hawaiʻi, ruling from 1874 to 1891, a time during which Hawaiian cultural practices were in decline.
Kalākaua dedicated his time as mōʻī to revitalizing Hawaiian culture and reigniting pride within in his people. His patronage of Hawaiian music, culture, and hula gave him his nickname, the “Merrie Monarch.” Hawaiian culture thrives today because of King Kalākaua, and each year we celebrate and honor his memory at the Merrie Monarch Festival.
#dtl #dtlhawaii #strategy #planning #branding #communications #design #culture #community #hawaii #kingkalakaua #kalakaua #merriemonarch #themerriemonarch
Hawaiʻi’s history is steeped in the valor of our ancient Hawaiian warriors. They protected aliʻi, people, land and its resources, and they took it upon themselves to fight, serve, and provide. They developed various martial arts like lua (hand to hand combat), and utilized weapons like lei-o-manō (shark-toothed club) and ihe (spear).
During the 1850s, Hawaiʻi stood as a vital commercial hub where ships brought the latest news and developments from the world. Although the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi remained neutral when the American Civil War erupted in 1861, more than 100 Native Hawaiians fought in the battle.
Native Hawaiians continued to embrace the war efforts, and many of our kūpuna served in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and more, establishing a legacy of military service within families.
Today, there exists a paradox of sorts with Native Hawaiians who have served in the U.S. military as they acknowledge the military`s troubled history and ongoing impact in Hawaiʻi. Even so, our kūpuna did what their kūpuna did best - fight for their land and people.
As we celebrate Veterans Day, let us acknowledge and mahalo our kūpuna that served, the kānaka that serve now, and reflect upon their embodiment of Hawaiʻi’s long history of warriors.
#dtl #dtlhawaii #strategy #planning #branding #communications #design #culture #community #hawaii #veteransday #hawaiianwarriors #warriors
Arguably your most important digital footprint is social media. These platforms can be the difference between simple awareness and exponential growth.
Social media is a powerful tool for businesses during the holidays because it enables you to connect with your audience, promote your products or services, and create a memorable and engaging experience for your customers. Here’s a few ways that you can effectively prepare for and use social media during this time.
#dtl #dtlhawaii #strategy #planning #branding #communications #design #culture #community #hawaii #marketingstrategy #content #contentmarketing #contentcreation #contentstrategy #socialmedia
#WahiPanaWednesday ~ Lapakahi is an ancient Hawaiian fishing village that was built over 700 years ago and prospered for centuries. The history of Lapakahi is a mystery, but what was left behind provides us with a glimpse of how our kūpuna lived.
The area has remnants of homes, burial sites, storage areas for canoes, and ancient Hawaiian games. Most of the lava rock walls in the area are original from the settlement. Today the area is preserved as Lapakahi State Historical Park.
#dtl #dtlhawaii #strategy #planning #branding #communications #design #marketing #culture #events #publicrelations #socialmedia #community #hawaii #wahipana #sacredsites #legendaryplaces #lapakahi
Liholiho was born in November of 1797 and became king in 1819 after Kamehameha`s death, sharing power with Kaʻahumanu, who served as Kuhina Nui.
The new king was generally well-liked and admired. Six months after assuming the throne, Liholiho abolished the kapu system, the religious and political code of old Hawaiʻi, by eating a meal with his mother Keopuolani. It was taboo at the time for men and women to eat together. Soon after, the Protestant Missionaries arrived in Hawaiʻi, ushering in dramatic changes that would alter daily life and worship in Hawaiʻi.
During Kamehameha I`s rule, he allied with British Captain George Vancouver to protect the Hawaiian Islands from foreigners. This was never acknowledged, so in 1823 Liholiho traveled to London with his favorite wife, Kamāmalu, to finalize the agreement.
Although they tried to ensure the lasting independence of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Liholiho and Kamāmalu contracted measles and passed away before they could meet with Captain George. Liholiho`s rule was brief, lasting 5 years, but his changes forever altered Hawaiian society.
#dtl #dtlhawaii #strategy #planning #branding #communications #design #culture #community #hawaii #hauolilahanau #kamehamehaII #kamehameha #liholiho
Night marchers are Hawaiian warriors who are said to roam our islands at night. In ancient Hawaiʻi, night marchers protected the most sacred, high-ranking chiefs. Oftentimes these chiefs were so sacred that makaʻāinana weren’t allowed to look at them, and breaking this rule meant death. Night marchers showed mercy by traveling at night to spare people from harm.
Many people have claimed to see and hear signs that night marchers were near, including a line of torch lights traveling along a path, the sound of the pū (conch shell), the pounding of distant drums getting closer, or the sound of stomping feet. Sources say that if you are in their way you should run, and if it’s too late to run, you should cover your head, shut your eyes, and chant your lineage.
They are said to frequent sacred Hawaiian grounds and other areas like Yokohama Bay, Kamehameha III’s summer mansion, Mākaha Valley Plantation, Ka‘ena Point and Kalama Valley.
#dtl #dtlhawaii #strategy #planning #branding #communications #design #culture #community #hawaii #halloween #spookystories
Sightings of a faceless ghost circulated at the Waiʻanae Drive-In Theatre in 1959 and in 1982, appearing as a young woman with no limbs or feet combing her long, black hair. What’s interesting about this sighting is that faceless ghosts are rare in Western and Polynesian cultures, but are close to the Mujina (faceless ghost) in Japanese myths, showing that many of Hawaiʻi’s haunted sightings come from the mixture of cultures here in our islands. Waʻialae Drive-In Theater no longer exists, but the faceless ghost has been seen around Kahala Mall and the Kahala Hilton Hotel as a blonde or a redhead.
#dtl #dtlhawaii #strategy #planning #branding #communications #design #culture #community #hawaii #halloween #spookystories
Security guards at ʻIolani Palace have reported seeing Queen Lili‘uokalani around 5:30 a.m. standing at the second floor bedroom window where she was imprisoned. Although it’s unknown how constant the sighting is, it has been consistent enough for many security guards to confirm it. They have also reported hearing piano playing from the Blue Room when no one is in it.
#dtl #dtlhawaii #strategy #planning #branding #communications #design #culture #community #hawaii #halloween #spookystories