Every casino marketing executive understands the reasons that creating unique casino special events is important. However, creating “fun” events is even more important.
Unique casino special events have appeal, and also attract players. But “fun” casino special events create lasting memories. Fun is a descriptive word, but it is also difficult to define. Many psychiatrists will tell you that fun evokes emotion. They will also tell you that gambling evokes emotion.
Therefore, it only makes sense. If we create multiple experiences that create emotion, we have a much greater chance of creating lasting memories. The additional term is “lasting.”
As casino marketers, we want to strive to create lasting memories. This is critically important when we wish to also use our customers as our advocates. After all, what is more powerful than positive word-of-mouth recommendation from one friend to another? It is also one of the best ways for a casino to develop new VIP players.
Therefore, lasting memories based upon fun as well as unique experiences stand out more in one’s mind than non-fun experiences. Consequently, casino marketing is really part psychiatry and part marketing. The psychological aspects are what will enable one casino to differentiate itself from its competitors. It does not matter how large or how small your casino is. Basic human nature and human emotions are the same for all players or customers, whether they play at a large casino or a small casino.
The bottom line for success with casino marketing is often based upon how creative the casino marketing manager is, or dares to be. This is not easy, since many casinos are run by financial types who are very good at what they do but not necessarily the most creative individuals. Therefore, a good casino marketing manager must always think like a customer first and a marketing executive second.
There is an old expression that says, “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.” In other words, different individuals view beauty differently. Fun is similar, due to the fact that different players or customers will also have different views of what they perceive fun to be. There is also another old expression often used in the casino industry, “Perception is reality and reality is perception.” That is true.
Creative Commons
As casino marketing managers, it is up to us to create the perception of fun in the minds of our customers. Surprisingly, this is a relatively easy task to accomplish, and simply involves thinking outside of the box and adding a dash of creativity. The easiest way to explain this is with examples. One of the oldest and most prestigious resorts in the world also has a beautiful casino as one of its numerous amenities.
Casino management wants to increase market share and also increase its database of VIP customers. Using the information above, our advice to them was to look within first and see what unique amenities or assets they could use to leverage their desire to increase business and to attract new VIP players. This particular property is a full-service resort with numerous amenities. However, most of its players or customers view the amenities as that—standard first-class resort amenities.
Our goal was to transform one of these standard resort amenities into a fun, unique casino special event. This was not easy when one considers that the resort’s customer base is affluent, well-traveled and has already experienced just about everything that money can buy. The challenge was to create the perception of fun in the invitation, to appeal to these players and to attract many of them who obviously had many additional options available to them for a weekend trip.
We decided to select a different resort amenity to market for that weekend. We selected fly-fishing. What does fly-fishing have in common with casino gaming? Actually, nothing at all, other than the fact that the customers will be able to enjoy both while at this particular resort for the weekend. Remembering that “perception is reality and reality is perception,” we now needed to create the perception of “Fun with Fly-fishing.” Not an easy task.
Thinking outside of the box, we decided to photograph the casino manager dressed in his business suit but wearing rubber waders and standing in the middle of the stream fly-fishing. Needless to say, this was a very unusual photograph, and a very unusual invitation.
Thinking Outside the Box
What do fly-fishing and casino gaming have in common?
The answer is absolutely nothing. Both are fun and you can enjoy both at The XYZ Resort. Artie, our casino manager, is a city boy and still has a little bit to learn about fly-fishing. The XYZ Resort is very fortunate to have some of the best fly-fishing in the country, along with some of the very best instructors who can teach you the secrets to help catch “the big one.” At the same time, maybe you can get Artie to help teach you some of the secrets of winning in the casino. Nevertheless, this is guaranteed to be another very unique, enjoyable and fun time at The XYZ Resort.
