RI's Biggest PR Blunders of 2011

RI's Biggest PR Blunders of 2011

Shove it.

Has it already been a year since then-gubernatorial candidate Frank Caprio uttered the two words that many think sank his campaign and went down in RI history as the worst PR move of the year?

Yes, but it's been another banner year for missteps and mis-spins. Which Rhode Island people and events spun dreadfully wrong? GoLocalProv canvassed public relations and media pros for their favorite blunders of 2011. Here are the Top 5.

5. The Art Boat That Disappeared

It was trumpeted by its organizers (and the press) as an innovative and high-end floating art gallery that was supposed to be moored in Newport (and attract visitors and their dollars) for 10 weeks. But within one week after getting city approval for its unusual mooring, SeaFair, the megayacht art venue pulled up anchor and never came back. As one PR pundit put it: "If the RI media gave half the

amount of coverage to art which oozes out of our state, just think how beneficial that would be to promote tourism and culture?" Everyone left at the dock--media and Newport officials alike--looked completely bamboozled.

4. RI Housing's About Face

For several years, the state's housing authority had promoted its "BuySmart" campaign that emphasized thoughtful, careful purchases of homes. The campaign, according to PR pros, positioned RI Housing as a community watchdog making sure that RIers didn't "get themselves back into trouble by buying over their heads." But then in the spring of this year, a new "Buy Buy" campaign pushed, as one public relations pro called it, "the complete opposite message!" An ad featuring a waving toddler featured online, in print, on billboards and on bus shelters told us that even babies knew it was a good time to buy. The campaign caught flak on talk radio for its unsound reversal in a continuingly uncertain financial environment.

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3. Gina Pumps It Up

While RI's high-profile Treasurer (and GoLocalProv's Woman of the Year for 2011) Gina Raimondo mastered the media nearly every moment of her delicate pension reform march this year, she had one major blunder. The normally controlled Raimondo pumped her fist at an EngageRI rally at the State House in early November and received a round of scolding from many quarters. Although Raimondo's own spinners insisted in the aftermath it was merely a display of passion and not any kind of touchdown dance, not everyone was convinced. The well-heeled and Ivy-League educated Raimondo was criticized for looking callous to RI's working class. 

2. The new ProJo

After weeks of billboards hinting at something new to come as well as trumpeting the Providence Journal's long history as a guarantee of quality, the long-awaited soon-to-be-paywalled redesign of the daily newspaper's digital site had a stumbling outing, at best. The site crashed on and off for days during its launch, and users became increasingly confused about what was where, and how to get it. Add to that a radio campaign that assailed consumers for being unpatriotic if they didn't pay for their news online, and the package didn't play well with our pros. "They destroyed their own Web site and have 2012 plans to actually ask you to pay for it!" said one.

1. The Tree That Roared

Yes, as John Stewart pointed out on The Daily Show, his predecessor had in fact called the State House's holiday tree… a holiday tree. But that didn't stop the PR machine from spinning completely out of control on

Governor Linc Chafee's calling this December's arboreal icon a holiday tree. From foment in the tea party and Fox News to mainstream coverage and ultimate parody at the hands of the masterful Stewart, it was a story that ran Linc Chafee in circles… and kept eyes rolling and laughter derisive… while serious issues continued to plague the state.

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