PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island is all people, all cuisine, all outdoors, all history, say state tourism leaders.
And a new statewide tourism slogan that's been in the works since early last year sums it all up simply: R.I. is “All That.”
The new tourism marketing campaign was unveiled late Wednesday in a press release and accompanying video by R.I. Commerce Corp. The campaign, which includes multiple short videos showcasing the Ocean State’s landmarks, culinary spots and coastline, is described as “a new dawn of tourism,” intended to bring in revenue into local communities and driving occupancy throughout the state.
In the video, R.I. Commerce Corp. Chief Marketing Officer Anika Kimble-Huntley said that in early 2023, R.I. Commerce decided it was time for a more “unified marketing message” at the state level. That came after the state’s tourism industry was heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the tourism sector spent a couple years getting back on its feet.
Kimble-Huntley, who was not immediately available for comment, said in the video the “All That” campaign was chosen as the favorite among three options by local residents and potential national visitors based on survey results. She said now is the right time to launch its campaign given that spring is around the corner.
The new campaign follows
the “Fun-Sized” initiative that R.I. Commerce quietly launched in 2017. It was a fairly successful campaign, according to state tourism officials, and a stark contrast to the disastrous 2016 “Cooler & Warmer” rollout.
Kimble-Huntley said “All That” means “sophisticated, confident, great possibilities and success.” She also said R.I. Commerce and the state’s six tourism regions – South County, Providence, Northern Rhode Island, Aquidneck Island, Warwick and Block Island – agreed to incorporate the “All That” message into their campaigns to show “uniformity in messaging.”
“For local Rhode Islanders, this [All That campaign] should be a movement, and that means we have pride in the state we live in,” Kimble-Huntley said. “We have so much to offer visitors because we’re ‘All That.’ For visitors, Rhode Island is the place to be. We’re the smallest state with the biggest experiences.”
One video, titled “
All Magnificent,” highlights the coastline and historic areas around Newport. Another video, called “
All Fresh,” showcases culinary delicacies across the state.
R.I. Commerce has partnered with the nationally syndicated The Jennifer Hudson Show to help launch the campaign and bring Rhode Island into the national spotlight.
R.I. Commerce spokesperson Matthew Touchette told Providence Business News on Wednesday it cost $482,624 to produce the new “All That” campaign videos. The campaign itself, he says, is funded by state hotel tax revenue and partially funded by a federal economic development administration grant from the American Rescue Plan Act funds, Touchette said. He could not immediately say how much grant money the state received.
Gov. Daniel J. McKee in a statement said this new campaign is not only a testament to what makes Rhode Island “All That” but also a credit to the community “that refuses to be anything but extraordinary.”
R.I. Commerce Secretary Elizabeth M. Tanner in a statement said the new campaign is an “open invitation” to explore the state’s experiences, “proving that Rhode Island truly embodies 'all that' and more.”
Kimble-Huntley added, “As a state, let us continue to move forward and support each other as we show visitors why we’re ‘all that.’ ”
(SUBs 6th paragraph to add 2017 fun-sized rollout.)
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
A well thought out tourism campaign should involve something far more than jingles, slogans and video ads, It should have a focus on the longer term and have a broad perspective. This may require the state to spend real money to attract capital investment in tourism. For example, once you leave Westerly area, name one large prestigious hotel or resort in the area from there to Narraganset. Name key cultural spots of any significance other than Theater by Sea. And look at how many years years have gone by with no action to change that scenario.
Terrible slogan! “Fun sized” is so much more memorable!
But the best suggestion ever was “Rhode Island: We’re 3% bigger at low tide”.
“All that”? More like “What the F is that?”