Rhode Islanders will be debating the quality and effectiveness of the state's new tourism and economic-development initiative, "Rhode Island: Cooler and Warmer," for quite a while.
What should not take long to evaluate, however, is the execution of the campaign's public unveiling. In short, it was a mess.
For starters, the campaign was made public at 5 o'clock on a Monday afternoon. To the general public, that might not seem like a big deal. But if the idea is to get as much play for the state's first marketing campaign in years, one which is going to be supported by $5 million in spending by the state, late afternoon is not the best time to make such an announcement.
News organizations do not have time to get reaction, collect images (still and video), and compose thoughtful and interesting stories. A cynic might conclude that such timing is used only to avoid any scrutiny of whatever is being announced. But in the case of this project, which is after all designed to expose more people to the advantages of living, working and vacationing in Rhode Island, less scrutiny should not be the goal.
In addition, the video that was created to help promote the state was pulled within a day when it was revealed that some of the footage was filmed in Iceland. The website included references to closed restaurants and timing elements for special events already past.
Again, how effective the campaign itself is will be revealed over time. But for an administration working to highlight Rhode Island's many advantages, the rollout could have been done much better. •
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