Criticism over ‘Cooler & Warmer’ continues: Rep. Costa wants details about spending

STATE REP. Doreen Costa said she filed a public records request with Gov. Gina M. Raimondo's office for a detailed explanation about spending on the new tourism campaign.  / COURTESY RHODE ISLAND
STATE REP. Doreen Costa said she filed a public records request with Gov. Gina M. Raimondo's office for a detailed explanation about spending on the new tourism campaign. / COURTESY RHODE ISLAND

PROVIDENCE – Three days after the state’s new slogan and logo “Rhode Island: Cooler & Warmer” were unveiled, people are still up in arms, and a state representative wants a detailed explanation regarding what was spent on the tourism campaign.
R.I. Rep. Doreen Costa, R-North Kingstown, said she was “underwhelmed” when she first saw the logo and tourism video.
“I also found the amount of money spent on this already-failed project incredulous,” Costa said in a statement. “I’ve asked the governor for an itemized budget for this tourism project as well as an itemized list of expenses that have been incurred to date.”
Costa said she filed a public records request with Gov. Gina M. Raimondo’s office for information dealing with the tourism campaign video and marketing budget.
Earlier this year, Costa said she called for an end to hiring out-of-state firms for Rhode Island public relations projects.
“The inclusion of locations outside of our state in the video and other issues could have been avoided if we hired people who know Rhode Island. We have many talented people here who could have done a better job than what we received,” she said.
After soliciting a request for proposals, the R.I. Commerce Corp. selected Milton Glaser Inc. of New York City – known for the iconic “I Love NY” slogan – to spearhead Rhode Island’s new tourism campaign. The result – “Rhode Island: Cooler & Warmer” – has been widely derided on social media, sparking numerous alternative slogans, both serious and humorous.
Information from Commerce RI shows $2 million of the $5 million budgeted for the tourism campaign already has been spent.
Of that amount, Milton Glaser received $400,000 for marketing research, branding and design. Two other firms working on the campaign, Epic Decade, of Jamestown, and New York-based Havas PR, which has a Providence office, will receive $600,000 and $3.5 million, respectively. The remaining $500,000 is earmarked for Commerce RI staff.
Meanwhile, a video released Monday in support of the new tourism campaign that contained footage showing a skateboarder in Iceland in front of the Harpa concert hall earned the Ocean State yet another new nickname – “Rhode Iceland.”
T-shirt maker Teespring, of San Francisco, which had a Providence office until earlier this year, has created a T-shirt saying: “Paris, Tokyo, Boston, London, Rhode Iceland.” Proceeds from sales of the $24.99 shirt will go to charity, Teespring said.
“Who knew that a 3-second clip of Iceland would make national news?” Teespring wrote. “Let’s make the best of it.”
Jennifer A. Howard, a communications and marketing associate for Commerce RI, said officials questioned the Iceland footage but were told it was from Rhode Island. The video was briefly on the new tourism website – visitrhodeisland.com before being taken down after the error was discovered.
The Providence firm that did the video, IndieWhip, released a statement on its website about the issue, and said it has submitted a corrected version to Commerce RI at no extra cost.
“On behalf of the Great State of Rhode Island, we sincerely apologize for the editing mistake brought to our attention in connection to the Commerce RI #WeAreRI campaign,” IndieWhip said.
It said it made the decision to insert the Iceland content during the editing process.
“The bulk of the images we used in this video were provided by Rhode Island’s regional tourism offices. The video is being updated, with a new version to go live soon ensuring all shots are located in the state. The footage in question is of a Rhode Island skateboarder, filmed by a Rhode Islander,” IndieWhip said.
Besides the Iceland gaffe, the website featured errors including links to Massachusetts restaurants and information about a chef who is deceased. Howard said the website has been the same for about 10 years and was updated for the new campaign. Data comes from a variety of sources, she said, including Rhode Island Monthly.
She said officials are combing through the data on the website to ensure it is accurate.

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