Inside push for marketing gig

Hiring a Rhode Island-based consultant to brand the Ocean State could give the effort stronger momentum than hiring an outsider, say some tourism professionals and observers here.

But is that more important than hiring the firm with the best track record and credentials?

More than 50 applicants answered the request for proposals from the R.I. Commerce Corporation by Aug. 7, to use $5 million to brand and market the state for tourism and economic development. Applications are being reviewed and a decision is expected “soon,” Commerce Corp. spokeswoman Melissa Czerwein said last week. She could not say how many of the applications are from local firms, though Atom Media Group of West Warwick has let it be known they are among them.

Atom has issued press releases highlighting its proposed slogan, “Whatever you do … Rhode Island,” and crowdfunding it has solicited. Atom would waive creative advertising and production fees and dedicate state and crowd-sourced funds to media buys, said Michael Mota, company founder and CEO.

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“If you’re going to tell people out of the state to come to Rhode Island to live and work, and then you’re going to reach outside of the state in order to brand it, that’s showing we don’t have the ability to do it on our own,” Mota claimed.

Giovanni Feroce, chairman and CEO of Benrus of Providence, has committed $100,000 to Atom’s candidacy.

The state should hire someone “Rhode Island centric, whoever that may be,” he argued. “There’s no scientific element that resides only with someone brought in. It’s how you put the collateral together.”

Wendy Schiller, professor of political science at Brown University, says a firm with local roots could present benefits, if the firm meets the criteria outlined by the state.

“All things being equal, it would be advantageous having a local firm market Rhode Island, because who knows Rhode Island better than people who live and work here?” she said. “If you’re trying to improve the state’s economy, start at home.”

Robert Billington, president and CEO of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, agreed a local marketing firm could be a “definite advantage” – to a point.

“There’s an advantage to being in-state, because the learning time is much less,” he said. But, “Rhode Island has to really go for the most creative team they can get.”

Getting a fresh perspective on the state’s idiosyncrasies, as well as its assets, might require an out-of-state consultant, suggested Myrna George, president and CEO of the South County Tourism Council. The firm hired should be the best candidate for the job, regardless of where they are based, she said.

“We have a serious need to get this right,” she said. “Just because you’re local might not be the overwhelming criteria. We are in competition with the entire world.” •

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