The Birth (and Death) of the Mr. BYUH Competition

From a simple digital marketing assignment to a campus-wide phenomenon!

For the Grade

Our team came together within Elder Blake’s Intro to Digital Marketing class. As per the final project, Justin Ioane, McKenzie Thomas, and Riani Pokipala assembled together to determine an event marketable to the student body of BYU-Hawaii. Thus, discussion began on what could attract the largest audience by being entertaining and attractive enough to reach the interests of students. The original idea began as a variation of “The Newlywed Game,” in which we would seek out unique couples on-campus that would be willing to put their relationship to the test. As details were considered, we branched off to the idea to focus on individuals, to avoid causing any issues among partners. With more research, we came across the stroke of genius to hold a pageant for men. With further contemplation, we settled on the plan of organizing the Mr. BYUH competition to showcase the striking single males among our fellow students in a light-hearted and exciting way.

To begin our marketing campaign, we had to develop a brand for ourselves. In order to attract BYUH students we knew we had to be relevant and humorous and so we decided on creating a brand voice that would keep the young followers we were trying to reach interested. Because this is a competition between men, we knew that a majority of our following would be females. To draw them in, we had to add a little feminine touch to our content. We decided on a specific color scheme and style to touch up our photos and organize our website. Consistency is key! We also created social media profiles to connect with our target audience and spread the word on our compelling event, starting with Facebook and Instagram.

Assembling all of these components was necessary for us to market our competition properly according to the guidelines of our class project. To maximize the points for our ideal grade, we needed to make sure the people were well aware of what we were doing and why they should be in attendance.

For the People

As word spread, however, the people came running! Figuratively, of course. Students were buzzing on who they thought should sign up to participate and thus the competition built itself. Contestants came flowing in left and right and then we knew this HAD to be good. Our efforts increased ten-fold as we reached out to sponsors and supporters to ensure that we could deliver exactly what every student was anticipating to be THE event of the semester.

Competition heated up as participants started broadcasting their involvement in the event. Their friends and family members quickly got involved to extend their encouragement.

Because the event elevated itself, our team has decided on ways we could expand the competition to further authenticate it. Our biggest sponsor comes from a student-run company, Lanakila’s. As the owner, Riani Pokipala was able to lend her personal and business support by providing prizes and gifts. The grand prize was then made possible to be an adventure tour for two at CLIMB Works Keana Farms in Kahuku. This greatly excited the students and increased the heat of competition even more. We were also able to reach out to prominent member of the faculty and community to be our judges. Our judges consist of Sifa Talakai, BYUH Campus Security Supervisor; Helena Hannonen of the Business Management Department; Nu’u Akeripa representing BYUH Student Leadership; and Delsa Moe, Vice President of Cultural Presentations at the Polynesian Cultural Center.

As anticipation for the Mr. BYUH competition grows, we are preparing every contestant to show us exactly why they have what it takes to be the Big Kahuna of BYU-Hawaii. No longer is this event simply about getting an A in a digital marketing class, this is about putting on a real show that connects students and highlights the “Genuine Gold” we have walking within our halls.

For the Public

As time has drawn closer to the event, changes had to be made to accommodate the ever-growing fanbase. Despite being held on the Brigham Young University-Hawaii campus, it must be noted again that the Mr. BYUH competition is not a school-sponsored event, but rather organized as per a digital marketing class project. Because of the large following our event has been receiving, we were thus required to make some adjustments to make our event in compliance with BYU-Hawaii standards. Our event will no longer be recognized as the Mr. BYUH Competition but rather as the Kulanui Competition and is now open for both males and females to participate. We are excited to showcase what each contestant has prepared for the audience and we know they are bringing their A-game to prove that they have what it takes to win! Join us on Friday, April 5th at the Hale Pavilion at 8pm for the premier event of the semester!