Hot Topic: R.I.’s top marketing job in limbo

HOT TOPIC

R.I.’s top marketing job in limbo

BY ALEXA GAGOSZ | Gagosz@PBN.com

ALMOST FIVE MONTHS AFTER the state’s top tourism official resigned, R.I. Commerce Corp.’s promotional efforts “haven’t skipped a beat,” according to the agency’s interim chief marketing officer.

Commerce spokesman Matt Sheaff was appointed to fill the role temporarily after Heather Evans stepped down in May. She now serves as the chief marketing officer at United Way of Rhode Island.

Evans had been hired by Commerce in May 2019 to lead the statewide effort to attract tourists and businesses to Rhode Island, and to coordinate with organizations such as the state’s six tourism councils.

In addition to taking over the “FunSized” ad campaign created by her predecessor, Evans said she led the marketing team in the first-ever “Hotel Week RI” in January and “Rhody Resilient,” a mostly social media campaign launched after the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

“I left Commerce because I had successfully transformed the marketing team to become a mini-agency, making it more data-driven and producing much of the creative [material] in-house,” Evans said recently.

Evans’ departure marked the third time in four years that the R.I. Commerce chief marketing officer has left the post. There’s no immediate timetable to hire a replacement or install Sheaff permanently.

Robert Billington, president of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, and Kristen Adamo, CEO and president of the Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau, said the lack of a permanent chief marketing officer hasn’t been a problem. The problem for tourism, they said, is the dampening effect the pandemic has had on travel and public events.

“Where it will become important [to have a permanent CMO] is when a recovery strategy is necessary,” Adamo said. “Right now, Commerce seems to be doing fine.”

Since taking over, Sheaff said, he has concentrated on booking digital ads in markets within driving distance from Rhode Island, from Maine to New Jersey. The advantage of digital ads is the messaging can be quickly adjusted and optimized. The most recent campaign theme: “Hit the Open Rhode.” Those who clicked the ads are brought to a page on the VisitRhodeIsland.com site highlighting outdoor activities for visitors, with discounts from hotels and attractions. Sheaff and his team assembled itineraries for weekend getaways in 11 neighborhoods throughout the state and made suggestions on where people could stay, eat and play, all in an effort to support local businesses.

These campaigns have proved to be successful, he said.

According to tracking software, Sheaff said, there was a 4.5-times return on direct ad spend from the end of June through mid-September, compared with 2.6-times return in the same period last year.

“We almost doubled the amount of return we’re getting for every dollar we’re spending in advertising,” said Sheaff.

Evan Smith, CEO of Discover Newport, isn’t concerned about R.I. Commerce’s marketing campaigns right now. He said the Rhode Island tourism industry’s biggest challenge is being listed on other states’ travel advisories because of the rise in COVID-19 cases.

“When Rhode Island goes on the blacklist in the Northeast states, our lodging properties lose thousands of reservations and millions of dollars in revenue,” said Smith. “The trickledown effect is felt by all sectors of the industry.” n

‘Right now, Commerce seems to be doing fine.’

KRISTEN ADAMO, Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau CEO and president

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