“Goal Was to Create Buzz” - RI’s Chief Marketing Officer on New "Stuffie" Campaign
GoLocalProv News Team
“Goal Was to Create Buzz” - RI’s Chief Marketing Officer on New "Stuffie" Campaign
After returning this week from a one-day trip to Los Angeles, where Rhode Island International Airport now flies direct, Kimble-Huntley said that while the “stuffie” campaign has elicited significant coverage — and reaction — it is a fraction of the state’s “air service marketing” campaign.
“I want to thank the media. The goal was to create a buzz and get people interested. I’m actually happy about it," said Kimble-Huntley. “The big picture is the hundred of millions of impressions we’ve garnered so far in the entire campaign.”
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe entire campaign that Kimble-Huntley referred to is the $4.5 million the state budgeted for FY 2023 — which began in earnest last summer.
“We’re doing lots of online advertising and TV in 6 different markets, including sports media buys,” said Kimble-Huntley. “If the Pistons were playing the Celtics in Detroit, we’re taking over the networks for a week and a half — we’re getting people to fly to Rhode Island.”
Detroit is one of the 30 nonstop destinations in — and out — of Rhode Island International Airport currently. “We’re being really strategic,” said Kimble-Huntley.
Prior to joining Commerce, Kimble-Huntley served as the vice president of marketing for the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sacramento at Fire Mountain where she developed and executed all marketing strategies to open the company’s first branded hotel and casino property in California. She also previously served as vice president of national marketing for MGM Springfield, helping to open the $960 million hotel and casino resort
When Commerce unveiled the new installation plan — which Kimble-Huntley said is just a “small portion” of the overall budget, it was in a line item that includes events and influencer outreach that totals roughly $250K.
She said the RI Airport Corporation said the impact of the Commerce air service marketing campaign has been demonstrated.
“They did an analysis that showed where Commerce has been marketing, that the number of people getting on planes [to Rhode Island] is growing,” said Kimble-Huntley.
Now, Rhode Island as a destination is going to be featured on an upcoming Jennifer Hudson Show on May 23 — one of the reasons Kimble-Huntley flew to Los Angeles — and she said she hopes Rhode Islanders come to embrace the “stuffie” tourism campaign.
"We need to focus on the positive. Installations aren’t something we made up. A stuffie might be new but it’s not a new concept," she said. “I showed the stuffie concept to the folks at Warner Brothers, and they said this is amazing, I’d totally go to Rhode Island to eat that. So the audience we’re after liked it.'
“That’s the bigger picture, when you think about the stuffie and our hospitality industry,” said Kimble-Huntley. “Which is it is a huge boost if our display of a food product incentivizes someone to come and find who serves them. And maybe then there will be more demand for quahogs and boost the blue economy.”
Kimble-Huntley said she wanted to remind Rhode Islanders that next week is Quahog Week in Rhode Island.
According to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM), “Quahog Week shines a light on our state's favorite local clam, the hard-working men and women who harvest them, and the vibrant local food industry that makes them available to consumers. Quahogging has a rich history locally, supporting the livelihoods of hundreds of Rhode Island fishermen and women year-round, as well as serving as a treasured pastime for Rhode Island families who enjoy digging their own.”
“Demand for these delicious local clams swells in the summer months due, in large part, to the popularity of fresh-shucked littlenecks, clam cakes, and stuffies. But they also make the perfect fare for chowders, pasta, and other dishes year-round,” says DEM.