Guest MINDSETTER™ Maciel: A Proposal to Help Improve Our Local Economy
Wednesday, August 03, 2016
Allow me to propose a plan to our state and business community to serve as a rally point help improve our local economy.
This proposed private sector / public support plan, generically called the Discover RI Campaign, is in direct response to a need expressed in a Legislative Commission Interim Tourism Status Report (4/16) calling for: "An integrated statewide marketing and sales program to support the brand".
The Discover RI Campaign is designed to improve our local economy by generating additional state and commerce revenue specifically by enhancing existing RI Tourism vacation packaging to increase shoulder season occupancy rates and motivating consumers to patronize Main Street / state based businesses creating greater demand for our products and services (at both wholesale and retail levels).
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTAccording to a 2012 Global Insight Study, each RI (overnight) visitor: ~ Generates $435 in expenditures ~ Adds $257 in RI gross state product ~ Every 204 visitors creates a new RI job.
(Each positive increment in shoulder season occupancy rate produces an economic impact that is quantifiable and track-able based on RI Department of Revenue FY 1% Room Tax Reports).
The core of the plan is to rally our business community to enhance hospitality package offerings to better position ourselves relative to the regional market. Since Rhode Island Tourism’s budget is considerably less than nearby competitive states, offering value-added packaging helps compensate for this deficit.
This enhanced vacation packaging is formed by building greater strategic partnerships, ie: between our accommodation and manufacturing / maker industries. Packaging investment can be partially borne by participating / benefiting businesses, and subsidized as a form of media within existing state and commerce marketing budgets.
One specific example of enhancing existing packaging is to promote a message that says:
“Book your best RI Vacation Package, and upon check-in, you will be presented with a
Discover Rhode Island Souvenir Gift Bag showcasing all that is great about our state.”
These enhanced packages help tell our unique story through direct consumer sampling of our distinctive RI experience. Enhanced packages can be offered immediately by bundling existing amenities and incentives and grow ever more elaborate.
The intent of the Discover RI Campaign is to simultaneously generate additional revenue, make our state more attractive as a destination, and create greater demand for our products and services. (Note: These actions also help attract business by demonstrating a focus on RI based businesses.) I’m proposing the state adopt and incorporate this plan - or a similar plan - as part of their marketing strategy infrastructure.
My colleagues and I have test marketed specific methods to implement this campaign that we are freely sharing with the state and business community. If this is something you have an interest in seeing come to fruition, contact me at [email protected].
As a follow up to the Open Letter, allow me to further suggest we capitalize on an underutilized existing brand, allowing us to allocate more budget to other resources such as media outreach.
Suggested State Brand: Retain “America’s First Resort” with its exclusive interpretive story of the first two week vacation in U.S. history (1524).
Suggested Primary Message: “America’s First Resort” - Discover why the first two week vacation was taken in Rhode Island!
Suggested Campaign: Implement a “Discover Rhode Island Campaign” as "An integrated statewide marketing and sales program to support the brand" as called for in Legislative Commission Interim Tourism Status Report (4/16). This DRIC is a pro-active plan of action to enhance current RI Tourism vacation packaging over-and-above existing offerings. These value-added hospitality packages are intended to increase shoulder season occupancy and drive consumer traffic to Main Street.
Promoting and distribute enhanced hospitality packaging as an incentive to vacation in RI not only generates revenue by increasing accommodation rates, creates demand for state-based products and services at wholesale and retail levels, it also helps tell our unique story.
Since the word “First” is contained within America's First Resort slogan/brand, the entire campaign can unfold around all the things we are “First” at in RI, ie: First resort/two week vacation, First water powered factory/Birthplace of American Industrial revolution, First to separate church and state, First in culinary/cultural rankings, and so many more.
Suggested Method of Distribution/Media: Existing Tourism packages to be enhanced, distributed and subsidized by benefiting industries within existing commerce and public sector infrastructure & budgets.
These added-value, enhanced packages can be marketed during specific promotional periods over-and-above existing our best accommodation rates / packages. One tested, proven method to present enhanced hospitality packages as a “Discover RI” Souvenir Gift Bag filled with RI products, services and value offers. They are primarily designed to incentivize booking advance vacations, though can also be used effectively as a promotional perk for existing guests.
The hospitality packages themselves serve as a powerful media promoted in conjunction with strategic media partners who use them as promotional tools for their audience and advertisers. They also serves as a ‘value delivery system’ with each showcased product and service tied to a consumer motivation offer.
Re-cap / Purpose of “Discover Rhode Island Campaign”
If this plan - or one similar to it - where to be implemented in its entirety, it would:
• Fully capitalize on an existing, exclusive brand
• Position RI with a value proposition that differentiates us from neighboring states
• Generate additional state and commerce revenue to improve our local economy by increasing shoulder season occupancy rates and creating greater demand for RI based products & services
• Note: This proposal also addresses the state’s Tourism RFP request to attract business to RI with a campaign that focuses on RI based products and services
Initial Steps:
~ Share this proposal to gauge interest from State of RI, Tourism Industry, Business Community
~ Begin building a data base of those who would like to see this plan - or a similar plan - come to fruition and what their participation may be
~ Secure Strategic Partners who commit to enhancing state Tourism packaging, ie: Media, Hospitality, Accommodation industries, Manufacturing / Maker industries
Related Slideshow: Tourism Logos For All 50 States (and D.C.)
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