Come Together: Hinano and Kialoa Take the Paddle to Strategic Partnerships
Strategic partnerships, by definition, involve, well, strategy. With each capitalizing on the successes of the other, the partnership positions the brands in markets untapped or otherwise inaccessible. In June, at the Battle of the Paddle Hawaii,Hinano and Kialoa put their own spin on the concept, debuting a limited edition run of American-made paddles emblazoned with the logo of Tahiti's beloved brand. An idea rather than a strategy, the collaboration is a celebration of the coming together of two tribes.
"For some reason we both just liked each other," laughs Dave Chun, founder of Kialoa Paddles, about Teva Fourcade and their initial ASR-fueled talks. "We're both island people. Both of our business come from the beach and we have certain brand images in mind. Hinano is a very authentic brand, so associated with Tahiti, and that authenticity is who we are and who we want to be."
Each already established in their own rights in the standup community, they took the project underground, relying on a grass-roots, word-of-mouth buzz for sales. Retailing for slightly more than the same non-branded Kialoa, every paddle in the 1,000-run order (600 "Methane" standup paddles and 400 "Teva Hoe" outrigger blades) is quickly becoming a collector's edition.
"It's bringing two tribes together around a product, an image," explains Fourcade, CEO Of Hinano Tahiti. "Hinano is a lifestyle brand; we've supported outrigger races for the past 30 - 40 years. We see standup really bringing the paddlers and the surfers together and bringing our sport's athletes to the forefront, like Danny [Ching] and Aaron [Napoleon]. And it's the same story with Hinano and Kialoa: two brands coming together that share the same passion and roots."
More critical than sales in this venture, is the push to market in a way that is true and consistent to both brands. The very nature of the expanding standup market keeps companies on their toes. With so many "new" products flooding the market, the challenge now is to be creative without losing track of a company's identity.
"I don't now that we have any sort of master plan," explains Chun. "It's almost irrelevant if we make money on this project. We want to partner with companies we respect. I admire the authentic, grass-roots nature of Hinano, and we aspire to be something like that."
Surface area: 97 sq. inches
Blade width: 8"
Blade Length: 16.5"
Weight: 21 oz
Retail : $379 (non-branded $339)
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