Bruised branding effort eyes R.I. visibility

NEW LOOK: The state's new tourism logo has already been revised once, to drop the confusing slogan "Cooler & Warmer." / COURTESY R.I. COMMERCE CORP.
NEW LOOK: The state's new tourism logo has already been revised once, to drop the confusing slogan "Cooler & Warmer." / COURTESY R.I. COMMERCE CORP.

In a few months, when the ill-fated “Cooler & Warmer” slogan and a bungled introductory video fade from collective memory, Rhode Island will have a stronger national and regional profile if it follows through with its marketing campaign, according to hospitality and tourism specialists.

For years, the state has not spent much to draw more tourists and visitors to its hotels, restaurants and attractions. That will change this year, with or without a slogan. Most of the $5 million campaign has yet to unfold.

For better or worse, residents are now talking about their state with pride, what reflects well on Rhode Island and what we should be saying about the Ocean State.

“People are talking about tourism in this state,” said Bob Billington, executive director of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council. “It’s the best I’ve seen in 30 years. Rhode Island is not part of New York. We are not Long Island.”

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It’s time to move on with the marketing campaign, he says, and businesses should be encouraged by the state to use the new logo, an illustration of a stylized sail, which is being kept.

The R.I. Commerce Corp. website and Twitter account both feature the new logo, sans the slogan pulled by Gov. Gina M. Raimondo after widespread confusion over its meaning.

Businesses are ready to get onboard with the promotional materials, Billington said, referring to the logo. “I know there are people out there, they want to use it and they’re afraid to.”

Kristen Adamo, vice president of marketing for the Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau, said the need for the broader campaign continues.

“There is a definite need for a cohesive, statewide brand and marketing campaign,” she said. “There are regional tourism bureaus, and we all work together. But there has never been a cohesive brand and vision that we can all rally around. When we’re competing against other states, we don’t have the same resources.”

But can Rhode Islanders, given the fiasco of the initial slogan and brand rollout, rally around something at this point? Of course, she said.

“There are a lot of common denominators. There is a fabulous food scene, across the board. There is a fabulous art scene. Most of us in the tourism community think our size is a great asset,” said Adamo. “Where else can you go to dinner in Providence, then go to the beach in Westerly, see a mansion in Newport, and go apple picking? You can do that in a day or two.”

Whether the revision of the slogan will affect the timing of the broader campaign isn’t immediately clear. Originally, the 2016 brand campaign unveiled to the R.I. Commerce Corp. board on March 28 was to have begun immediately, with the March and April segments aimed at spring-break visitors.

The campaign will feature a combination of paid advertising, on in-flight television, in national and regional periodicals and newspapers, and on travel and lifestyle websites, as well as “earned media,” which are articles or broadcasts created by travel or lifestyle writers responding to pitches made for coverage.

In an email, a spokeswoman for Commerce RI said some initial components of the branding campaign have begun, including “media familiarization” tours in which journalists and bloggers travel on coordinated visits to themed attractions. In March, seven publications participated in a tour of wedding destinations, hosted by 19 businesses, according to Commerce documents. In May, at least eight journalists have confirmed for a tour of craft breweries and other culinary destinations.

“Having a coordinated statewide initiative will help grow the economy – including the hospitality industry – by attracting visitors and businesses to our state,” Commerce spokeswoman Kayla Rosen said. “To do that, we are going to use tools such as advertising, earned media and public engagement.”

According to Adamo, the campaign will provide Rhode Island with visibility, through promotional opportunities previously unavailable for lack of funds.

For example, one component of the campaign will include in-flight advertisements on 5,800 domestic and international flights featuring Raimondo touting the state’s assets. A three-minute video on American Airlines, aimed at both business and leisure travelers, was scheduled to begin airing in April. A 30-second clip about Rhode Island on CNN Air, which is shown in airport gate areas, as well as on Bloomberg TV, will air in 48 locations.

The individual tourism councils simply didn’t have the money for that kind of exposure previously, Adamo said. What the state hospitality industry needs is greater reach, she said.

“It’s going to allow our voice to be heard over a greater distance, and that’s exciting,” Adamo said. •

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