Communications briefs trustees on website redesign, multimedia buys and Mary Monarch ads

The committee heard an informational briefing from Communications Director Bill Brennan on March 18 that covered FY26 staffing changes, planned website redesign, multimedia campaign spending and upcoming advertising for Mary Monarch.

Brennan said Communications is now fully staffed after recent hires including a multimedia designer and a communications strategist. He told trustees the vendor selection for the oha.org and Kavayola redevelopment is near completion but the chosen bid ran slightly over the $55,000 allocation; his team hopes to negotiate scope to stay within budget. Brennan said the market‑research contract to shape communications strategy will be executed imminently at roughly $99,900 and was expected to take 90–120 days to complete.

On media buying, Brennan described a proposed multimedia campaign with a $260,000 allocation for television, radio and print buys; he said procurement is reworking the request for proposals to allow multiple awardees to spread appearances across stations. Mary Monarch commercials are in production and should be ready for preview in about two weeks.

Trustees asked for clearer burn‑rate numbers for the multimedia campaign, whether OLO (Oʻahu) coverage could be expanded statewide via Akaku or neighbor‑island pegs, and recommended a 15‑month strategic media plan showing monthly targets, trustee media participation and projected costs. Brennan agreed to return with a draft media plan and to provide final timing estimates for the website contract and market study.

Next steps: Communications will provide a draft 15‑month media strategy, confirm vendor timing for website redevelopment, and present finalized multimedia‑buy allocations before fiscal year end.