Pele Awards Adds ‘People’s Choice’ Category

Love advertisements and have a local favorite? For the first time, residents of Hawai’i can vote for their favorite television commercials.

On April 25, the results of the voting will be announced on the Pele Awards, an annual recognition of Hawai’i’s best-of-the-best in advertising and design, presented by the American Advertising Federation’s Hawai’i Chapter.

For the 2015 awards, a new category, “People’s Choice,” has been introduced. The new award gives the public an opportunity to select their favorite Hawai’i television ad that was produced in 2014.

“The Pele Awards shows just how great and diverse the range of advertising and promotional work is being done here in the islands. This year we had nearly 600 entries in 17 major categories,” said Paul Lam, Chair of The Pele Awards. “The People’s Choice Award brings all of Hawai’i into this event. We encourage people to vote for the TV ad they like the best.”

There are 11 television advertisements produced for the following organizations that are nominees for the People’s Choice Award: First Hawaiian Bank, First Insurance, Hawai’i Department of Transportation, Hawai’i Gas, Hawai’i National Bank, Hawaiian Telcom, Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies, HEMIC, Island Insurance, Oceanic Time Warner Cable, and Ward Center.

“Hawai’i’s advertising professionals continue to do superb work for clients in industries statewide and beyond,” said Pat Monick, President of AAF-Hawai’i. “For this year’s People’s Choice Awards we would like people to tell us which television ads are their favorite and spread the world to their friends and colleagues to do the same. The public’s feedback will be much appreciated and very useful.”

Those interested in voting can do so at the People’s Choice Hawai’i website, where they can watch the advertisements, select their finalists, and choose their favorite television ad of 2014. Votes are being accepted until Thursday, April 23 at 11:59 p.m.