Top Tourism Leader Makes Urgent Plea for New RI Branding Campaign

Friday, September 09, 2016

Kate Nagle, GoLocal News Editor

A top tourism leader in Rhode Island is calling for the state to put out a request-for-proposals for a new branding campaign -- and to do so before the end of the month, so that the state can pick a firm to start January 1. 

Evan Smith at Discover Newport, who is on the state's legislative Tourism Marketing Study Commission, said that a high priority needs to be developing a new branding campaign for the state after the failed "cooler and warmer" effort last spring -- and that he has concerns as to where that stands. 

"That's where I don't see a whole lot being done, and I don't see what's being done behind the scenes, that's unbeknownst to me," Smith told GoLocalProv.com on Thursday. "The regions are looking for the state to make a brand to connect to, so that we can collaborate and integrate with what we're doing."

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Following the botched tourism roll-out, Chief Marketing Officer Betsy Wall was replaced with Lara Salamano this summer. Two of the firms involved in the campaign -- Havas with PR, and Epic Decade for social engagement -- saw their contracts extended through December. 

Havas and Epic Decade, along with ad buys, will cost the state $1.5 million through the end of the calendar year; the state has roughly $4 million in total budgeted for the campaign through the fiscal year ending June 2017.

That amount is $1 million less than was spent in fiscal year 2016, with the $1 million being returned to the local tourism councils for the coming year, after national press skewered the botched roll-out with such articles as, "Rhode Island's $5 Million Tourism Went Viral, For All the Wrong Reasons." (SEE MORE SLIDES BELOW)

Urgent Call for RFP

"The 'cooler-and-warmer' line went away, and that was a good decision," said Smith. "But now, the graphic of the sail is still being used in various applications, and what falls short is branding the entire state. They haven't addressed that part of it."

"I was under the impression that an RFP would go out for new creative services before now," Smith continued. "We thought this would have happened at the end of the fiscal year.  An RFP takes time, there needs to be a bid period. If a contract starts January 1, you would need to release an RFP  as soon as possible."

Evans would not speak to whether he thought Havas or Epic Decade should be retained past January.

"You'd have to ask Lara that," said Smith.  "But there's a difference between extending contracts and an RFP. The state elected for whatever reason to extend Havas -- I thought they could have gone right to an RFP. I hope one is imminent -- the new branding element will take place there, which is what we're all looking forward to."

State Representative Lauren Carson, who chairs the Tourism Study Commission, said she unaware of the status of a branding RFP, if any. 

"There isn't one as far as I know," said Carson. "Cooler and warmer' didn't work out -- I don't know if Havas would be involved with a rebrand but because of what happened, we still need a branding campaign."

"I think Lara's been in the job for two months now, and my sense is she went with the status quo, and she couldn't interrupt things in the middle of summer, so that's what I understood. I know she needs to put her imprint moving forward," said Carson. 

Matt Sheaff, Spokesperson for the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation, told GoLocal that while an RFP is out for new website work, that is the only one currently. 

"We just came off a great summer, and Lara's currently focused on the shoulder season," said Sheaff. "I think she's still making a determination for next year."

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Related Slideshow: National Press Critique RI’s Embarrassing Tourism Campaign - 2016

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