PROVIDENCE – R.I. Commerce Corp. is in the final stages of creating a new statewide tourism campaign and still wants to get residents involved before a final decision is made, Chief Marketing Officer Anika Kimble-Huntley told Providence Business News.
She told PBN a few months after she was hired in September 2021 that a new tourism campaign would be coming and that, unlike in the past, she wanted residents to help decide what it would be.
Since then, she says, the pandemic and the attendant slump in international and stateside airline travel required R.I. Commerce to temporarily focus more on the drive and regional markets, leading to the “Open Rhode” campaign, the goal of which was “to incentivize people to take road trips in and to Rhode Island.”
Subsequent “proximity marketing” campaigns centered between Connecticut and Baltimore told prospective tourists and business travelers “we are closer than you think.”
The relaxation of pandemic restrictions allowed another targeted new campaign directed at airline travelers in markets serviced by Rhode Island T.F. Green International and Logan International airports.
Recent travelers leaving Logan Airport can still see a billboard emblazoned with a tagline imploring visits to the Ocean State “because everything is wicked close.”
And now, a new campaign is finally “working its way through the approval process,” said Kimble-Huntley, the details of which she declined to share because a final decision has not been made.
Marketing research via focus groups has already been conducted by the quasi-public corporation’s contracted advertising agencies, using surveys to determine which messages stick with consumers.
“I’m a big believer in testing campaigns that focus on the audiences we are looking to bring here,” she said.
Kimble-Huntley would not say how much of a role residents’ opinions will play in the process but said the plan to accept public feedback “is in progress.” Commerce plans to test the marketing push with an online survey similar to the survey already conducted among potential out-of-state visitors.
“We are always trying to showcase everything that is available here,” she said. “Our campaigns have had to be pretty fluid and change based on travel trends and what is happening [in the industry] in general. But I think that we are now at a point where we can go out with a tagline that everybody can rally behind.”
The last high-profile statewide branding initiative took place in 2018 with the launch of the highly successful “Fun-Sized” campaign, which included dozens of short video ads highlighting seasonal activities throughout Rhode Island.
The agency survey was conducted in 10 cities and included questions with multiple options for participants, such as whether a certain advertisement led them to consider a trip to Rhode Island; the advertisement’s impact on their perception of the state; a series of questions on ad recall; and the things that they commonly associated with Rhode Island, among others.
“It’s really the consumer driving the decisions,” Kimble-Huntley said. “And that is how it should be. It’s fascinating what comes back [from survey participants].”
R.I. Commerce has also involved the state’s regional tourism agencies in the process. They were given a preview of potential ideas before holding an unofficial tally of their favorites.
The list of initial ideas has been whittled down to two. And the winning one will be chosen by “determining which campaign will increase positive attention,” Kimble-Huntley said.
“The biggest thing is to test the intent to travel using statistically significant data,” she added. “Does [a certain message] make them want to come here? Because that is critical. You have to make sure you are not spending money on messages that don’t work.”
Christopher Allen is a PBN staff writer. You may contact him at Allen@PBN.com.
