This story was orignially posted on April 29 on UH News. 

Gaining real-world experience running a digital marketing campaign was the goal of a spring 2024 project by University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Shidler College of Business digital marketing students, under the guidance of Instructor Constancio Paranal III.

Inspired by the opening of Island Brew Coffeehouse in the Walter Dods, Jr. RISE Center, Haley Marie Torres, Wendy Sakuma, Kaycee Nakashima, Ocean Vuong and Sophia Lopez set their sights on increasing brand awareness across campus, increasing foot traffic, and boosting sales among students through their digital marketing campaign, “Student Sips.”

As the only store within the coffeehouse chain located on a university campus, the team found it fitting to cater their marketing efforts toward UH students. Being students themselves, they were at a unique advantage in understanding their target market.

Over the course of four weeks, the students worked with the shop’s owner, Rafael Baez, to manage its social media account, create and introduce a new and exclusive-to-UH beverage (Warrior Matcha) to the menu, as well as craft and distribute e-newsletters to nearly 14,000 recipients.

Prior to the team’s involvement, the shop did not have an online ordering system. However, through these students’ initiatives, the shop successfully integrated online ordering, resulting in increased traffic on the coffeehouse’s website and boosted online sales by 22.2%. Overall, the team managed to increase sales by 32.7%, which surpassed their initial goals.

“Being inside of a large building, we currently don’t have any signage outside and so the discovery phase is the biggest key,” Baez said. “The team’s marketing efforts not only brought in regulars from the coffeehouse’s other locations, but it has done a pretty good job of creating additional awareness within the campus community.”

Sakuma stated, “I learned how to grow a social media page from the early stages with new content and through different mediums. Being able to achieve real results in a short amount of time was so powerful.”

Drive to create

Nakashima attributes the team’s success to their motivation and “drive to create.”

“We were constantly drawing inspiration from one another and played to each of our unique and individual strengths. It was so rewarding for us to see our diligence and hard work come to fruition,” Nakashima said.

By immersing themselves in real-world scenarios, students not only acquire practical skills but also cultivate the mindset of creative thinkers and doers, according to Paranal III.

“The emphasis at Shidler is not just on theoretical knowledge but on the ability to apply that knowledge in innovative ways to solve real-world challenges,” Paranal III said.