The South County Tourism Council premiered their 2024 destination video and accompanying marketing campaign yesterday afternoon at a special screening at the United Theatre in Westerly. “This is South County, Rhode Island” showcases the quiet beauty of the region using striking imagery, ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) and a poetic voice over as well as a cameo appearance by Rhode Island Olympian, Elizabeth Beisel.
The video was shot by Tandem – a Rhode Island based company started by Dave Sarazen, a South County native. Sarazen interned for the South County Tourism Council back in 2019. “He came to us looking for an internship,” says Faye Pantazopoulos, Creative Director, “When I saw his work from his previous employment with Kyle James Patrick (KJP), I went to Louise (our president), to ask if we could offer him a paid internship and she said yes. What’s great about working with local talent is they know and understand the beauty of the region, and how to capture it exactly how we wish to portray it.” The video presentation included vignettes from the shoot and discussed how it utilized local talent enjoying the beauty of South County and then rolled into the one-minute video, followed by a slide show of accompanying marketing materials – from billboards and digital ads to print advertisements.
The event was graciously hosted by the United Theatre in downtown Westerly and catered by The Café. “We are so thankful for the wonderful partnership with the United Theatre and The Café,” says Louise Bishop, “It really was a special experience to see the video on the big screen.”
South County Tourism Council only employs seven people in total and only three of those are full time. “We don’t hire a PR agency or advertising firm,” states Pantazopoulos. “We see it as our job to be the agency for the region.” That said, everything South County Tourism Council puts out comes out of their office – from the big ideas by President Louise Bishop, to the tiny details at events such as Atlantis RIsing International Sand Sculpture Competition. All the writing and design are done in house, even for Float, the annual visitor guide. So are all the ad buys, social media, website, research, analytics and more. The one thing they hire out is photo and video. With a generous grant from RI Commerce, South County Tourism Council was able to invest the most they ever had in video last year and hire Tandem.
The entire video was shot in South County, everyone involved in the production is a Rhode Island native and every cent invested in the production of this video went back to South County and the state of Rhode Island. “We’re extremely proud of not just the final video,” says Louise Bishop, “but that 100% of our investment in it, stayed in the state.”
The first ad from the marketing campaign is already in the latest issue of Yankee Magazine, and more ads will follow in USA Today’s Go Escape, Boston Spirit, and others. Digital ads will begin appearing in targeted markets from New England to as far south as DC, and as far west as Chicago and include, New York, Philadelphia and more. Billboards are part of the plan in strategic markets and broadcast TV ads will start on May 1 in Boston, on public television via WGBH, as well as on local networks, ABC6, WPRI and WJAR. Streaming ads will air on certain streaming services in targeted markets, as well.
You can watch here: https://vimeo.com/925024275?share=copy
“This wasn’t just a tourism campaign,” says Sarazen, “it was a love letter to South County, a tribute to its spirit, its resilience, and its unwavering charm.”
About South County Tourism Council The South County Tourism Council is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the towns of Charlestown, Coventry, East Greenwich, Exeter, Hopkinton, Narragansett, North Kingstown, Richmond, South Kingstown, West Greenwich and Westerly as a single leisure travel destination known as “South County”. For more information, please visit southcountyri.com.
