PROVIDENCE – As part of a summer push to target potential visitors from outside Rhode Island to come visit the Ocean State, the R.I. Commerce Corp.’s “Fun-Sized” tourism and marketing campaign released four new 10-second video advertisements of local attractions Tuesday, with many more expected to be released by fall.
Two of the new videos feature Newport, one showing a couple sailing through Narragansett Bay and the other of two men sharing a conversation while eating seafood at 22 Bowen’s Wine Bar & Grille. One video features a group having a golf outing at Harbor Lights in Warwick, while another has two women drinking champagne at The Secret Garden at Ocean House in Westerly.
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R.I. Commerce Corp. Chief Marketing Officer Lara Salamano said in an interview Tuesday the four new videos were created earlier this season to strongly highlight signature aspects and views of the state, particularly within Newport and Westerly.
“The panned-out shot of the city [of Newport] at night is so beautiful,” Salamano said. “And sailing, of course, that is an iconic thing to do in Newport. And The Secret Garden, that …really highlights the beautiful scene of Ocean House.”
The campaign now has 18 videos available for viewing on the Commerce-developed website, VisitRhodeIsland.com. The clips highlight people enjoying various attractions, including the Alex and Ani City Center in Providence, Beavertail State Park in Jamestown, Lincoln Woods State Park, Wickford Village in North Kingstown, Yawgoo Valley Ski Area & Water Park in Exeter and other locations.
Salamano said 14 videos were produced this spring. The campaign, Salamano said, hopes to have between 26 to 29 advertising videos in total released by the end the summer showing a “plethora” of different activities, regions and seasons that would appeal to different people. She said crews were on Block Island Tuesday filming new ads, with plans to filming WaterFire, the upcoming annual dragon boat race in Pawtucket and other locations soon.
“We loved all the spots that we picked, and I feel that every video that comes out is better than the one that [previously] comes out.” Salamano said. She also said the campaign is still trying to target residents who live outside the Ocean State along the East Coast with the hope they will “book trips” to Rhode Island.
R.I. Commerce Corp. also said Tuesday the campaign’s advertising, 10 months after its quiet launch in October, has generated $2.6 million in hotel revenue, according to the latest data tracked by ADARA, which manages the back end of VisitRhodeIsland.com. That figure is 36.8 percent higher than what R.I. Commerce Corp. reported back in June.
The data, R.I. Commerce Corp. said, also showed the campaign generated more than 8,400 hotel bookings and more than 5,600 booked flights to Rhode Island, increases of 38.25 percent and 32.3 percent from its June numbers, respectively.
The majority of the return activity, Salamano said Tuesday, based on what R.I. Commerce Corp. sees in the flight tracker, is coming from New York, Boston, Hartford, Conn., and as far south as Baltimore.
James Bessette is a PBN staff writer. Email him at Research@PBN.com.
