VISIT RHODE ISLAND - BRAND POSITION
Research showed that most of Rhode Island’s consistent visitors were retirement-aged couples. And a majority were coming for day trips from one state away. With access to free beaches and no motivation to spend money on food (they could pack a lunch), RI’s tourists weren’t bringing in enough money to make a real difference in the state’s economy.
We also learned that younger people, men and women 30-45, were taking 3-4 trips per year, were looking for activities and adventures, and were planning these trips only a couple of weeks out.
So we set out to attract this younger group, specifically from the mid-Atlantic region, which would require them to stay a couple nights, by showing them that RI is the perfect place to visit for their fun and spontaneous trip because they can easily hop from surfing at the beach, to an elegant dinner in the city, to stargazing in the woods. It only takes about an hour to get from one end of the state to the next, after all. Until now, the title of “smallest state in the nation” was never more than a quirky cocktail party fact. But we saw it as our greatest product benefit.
Rhode Island isn’t small. It’s fun-sized.
The campaign came to life through broadcast, digital, social, outdoor, and print. And generated results the state had never seen before :
o Hotel tax increased by 21.2% YOY
o Airport traffic increased by 12.3% YOY
o Meal & beverage tax increased by 38.8% YOY
o The $680,000 media budget resulted in a projected $11 million in visitor spending
“Fun-sized” reel