Rhode Island tourism video looks beautiful because it features Iceland
Poor, poor Rhode Island.
The state -- second only to Florida and New Jersey in state-jokes -- recently came under fire after posting a new tourism video. Soon after publishing the video, viewers complained that the video included some misplaced stock footage. Parts of the video, they claimed, weren't Rhode Island but somewhere a little farther -- Reykjavik, Iceland.
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The state's economic development agency, the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation, then took down the video and blamed the editing agency they used.
"Imagine a place that feels like home but holds enough uniqueness that you're never bored," the voiceover to the video said.
Viewers see a skateboarder peering into a building that looks like it's Rhode Island -- but is, in fact, Reykjavik.
Greg Nemes, a designer, saw the video and immediately recognized the image was out of place. The building's colorful glass panels and steel framework reminded him of an edifice called Harpa he once saw in Iceland.
"It was pretty unmistakable to me, so I did some digging around and posted on Facebook about it," Nemes told The Associated Press.
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Viewers on Twitter agreed.
While Rhode Island Commerce Corporation's Art Director first argued that all the footage came from Rhode Island, she later retracted her statement. The agency, which made the ad for $22,000, is remaking the video at no cost to the state.
The video is still in the process of being remade. It is part of the state's $5 million tourism campaign, "Cooler & Warmer."
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Heather was the Web Trends reporter at Mashable NYC. Prior to joining Mashable, Heather wrote regularly for UPROXX and GOOD Magazine, was published in The Daily Dot and VICE, and had her work featured in Entertainment Weekly, Jezebel, Mic, and Gawker. She loves small terrible dogs and responsible driving. Follow her on Twitter @wear_a_helmet.
