Strategic destination branding in Hawai‘i : American imperialism and myth-making using Barthes’ semiotic theory

Hawai‘i’s tourism destination brand perpetuates the myth of paradise. In Hawai‘i, this myth originates from the early 20th century and has been based on a set of tangible and intangible assets, including environmental beauty, relaxation, hospitality, and native Hawaiian traditions. In examining Hawai‘i’s brand, most postcolonial scholars focus on the hula to illustrate the politics of American imperialism, paying less attention to other Hawaiian traditions like surfing. Previous research studying a range of advertisements portraying the hula girl often used convenient sampling to collect data. To further our understanding of Hawai‘i’s brand personality, this article examines the representativeness and the meaning of ads featuring both the hula girl and the Hawaiian surfer – known as the Waikīkī beachboy. Using Rolland Barthes’ approach to semiotics and visual analysis, our research method draws on purposive and systematic sampling of printed advertisements that were sponsored by the destination marketing organization of Hawai‘i and released in National Geographic magazine from 1908 to 1965. Results confirm that the destination marketing organization perpetuates the myth of paradise, but this myth is less personified by the hula girl and more embodied by the male and female surfers. As a result, Hawai‘i’s brand personality – often perceived as female and embodied by the hula girl – is more dualistic, with gender roles being both reasserted and challenged in advertisements featuring male and female surfers.