In the back of your mind, you always know this could happen, but your conscience self just keeps working away at preventing that. I won’t get into the whys or hows, but this is what happened to me just this week. Wow!
Day 1 was a decompression day, getting to do some of the odd chores I never seemed to squeeze in to my schedule and planning to tackle some of the others.
Day 2? Time to dust off that resume.
As I look back on this last chapter of my career I realize…I’m good with where I am. I came to reshape the brand presence of Isle of Capri Casinos, and that is what happened. Of course, when I got here, I wanted it to be immediate. It wasn’t. Six years in the making. One of the deepest economic dips any of us will remember. Restricted capital markets and yet somehow, this company has come out the other end as a more relevant, contemporary experience for over a million active customers. Check out the Isle House of Brands.
It took a partnership with our agency The Media & Marketing Group, a partnership with the senior leadership of our company, a partnership in the field and a great team of clever creative people, but it happened slowly and solidly over time.
Mission completed. Time to move on.
Day 3 of “Jules Rules 2.0″ ahead. P.S. Thanks to Jan Talamo for my new mantra.
Brand Positioning Statements provide the most useful function of taking everything you know about your brand, everything that could be said about the consumer and making choices to pick one target that you'll serve and one brand promise you will stand behind. While we think this brand positioning statement sets up the creative brief, it should really set up everything the brand does--equally important for internal as everyone should follow to what the positioning statement says.
Writing a brand positioning statement is so important and yet it's often a very confusing project for those new to the process. This is a great how-to.
Today, I have the honor of sitting amongst several women who have marked achievements in business, community, family and sometimes all three. One such woman is someone I have the honor of working with every day, Elissa Plastino. She’s our brand manager, a volunteer with the heart to get all around her involved, and, most importantly, a wife and mother.
I decided to give you a little glimpse into Elissa the Brand Manager. Hopefully, you’ll see why she was an easy choice for me to have her join my team and honor today.
JC: Tell us a little about your background and what brought you to Isle?
EP: I’ve worked in public relations for 12 years in a variety of industries like sports, tourism, education and mental health. I joined Isle in 2006 when the company moved its corporate office (and my husband’s job) to St. Louis. Thankfully the company had a new job opening up in the marketing department that I was a perfect fit for. Not long after moving I was offered the position and started my new career in the casino industry!
JC: I remember when I asked you to move to brand marketing, you were visibly surprised. What was your biggest fear and did it come to fruition?
EP: My biggest fear was failure; I don’t like to fail. PR was where I was strong, but the new position also added advertising, brand marketing and various other duties that were unfamiliar to me. It was a whole new ballgame. I can confidently say that I didn’t fail and I think that’s because I’m not afraid to ask questions and/or admit when I don’t know the answer. If I didn’t understand a question/task/decision, I questioned it and gained a better understanding.
JC: What was the biggest surprise or challenge you encountered and how did you handle it?
EP: I think the biggest surprise was the increase in emails I started receiving on a daily basis! Wow! Suddenly there were lots of emails with questions, comments, different creative visions that needed to be worked through and more! I had to figure out my own system for staying on top of these things and not let something slip through the cracks.
JC: So, now that you’ve tackled brand marketing, what do you want to be when you grow up?
EP: Hmmm. Funny, this question comes up every year during annual review time! I love my job and hope to stay with Isle for a long time. I’m always up for taking on new projects and there’s never a shortage of those, so I hope my drive & work ethic will allow me to earn leadership positions within the company.
Want to know more about Elissa? Follow her on Twitter at @eplastinobut be prepared (like me) to get involved in a host of non-profit work!
There are a number of reasons why this year’s big game was important to me. First and most important, there is the economic impact of the game on my hometown of New Orleans. Second is probably the opportunity to once again review the collection of ads in this year’s game with Debbie Laskey.
My winners are a mix of ads that moved me, ads that I felt were on brand strategy, ads that made me smile, ads that reminded me how much I miss New Orleans and the ads my fellow co-workers found to be the best. Here they go, in no particular order.
Taco Bell’s interpretation of “Cocoon” made me smile and it made an entire bar full of people stand up and cheer. For that I say, “Viva Young”
Hyundai’s ad “Stuck” speaks to me every single time I’ve been behind someone on the road leaving behind mementos of their time in front of me. I usually try to drop back a little further. Now I see there is another turbocharged option.
Hyundai scores again in this homage to “Ferris Beuller’s Day Off”. Who wouldn’t want to give their family an Epic Playdate?
Bravo Jared and bravo to Subway for delivering the point that always seems to be the downfall of the diet du jour….keeping it off. No flash. No sizzle. Just the heart of the message.
Was it a good commercial, or do I just love the vibe of New Orleans? Either way, I’m in for the Mercedes CLA Soul spot…so much so that I might even forgive the billboard across from Napoleon House.
It used to be that the first break was the marquee spot. Chrysler, however, has repositioned halftime as the “it” placement. Most purists would argue that they are forgoing a spotlight on their products. Some might say they are positioning themselves as the all-American option. Ford, anyone?
In a past life, I sold radio. That station featured a segment by Paul Harvey. Chrysler’s Dodge Ram salute to American Farmers was very moving to me.
My tear-jerker:
I’m not a St. Louisan, but the Budweiser Clydesdale spots have always been among my favorites. There is just something about them that makes me feel un-American if I don’t cry. This spot seemed to be a hit among most of the marketers I work with on a daily basis.
As the officials on the field say, “failed to convert”.
That penalty goes to Go Daddy(even though they did somewhat redeem themselves with “Your Next Big Idea”
Go Daddy’s Perfect Match spot just made me feel a little dirty. Even if you’re not in the same room, the sound of that kissing is enough to just send shivers down my spine. To quote one of the marketing directors I work with, “I don’t like the way they subjugate web developers.”
Also, missing the point was Toyota. I guess Kaley Cuoco is the latest hot property and I should be blown away with her part in this Rav4 commercial. I’m not. In fact I had the name of the car make and model wrong when I wrote this sentence. Sorry Toyota. I guess your wish wasn’t granted.
Honorable mention goes to Kia’s Space Babies. Babylandia looks so much more interesting than being slung in a sheet flying through the air on the beak of a stork!
Of course, this Super Bowl will go down in the record books for also creating the biggest delay of game thanks to a pesky power outage. Although media maven and social media expert alike is always touting extending your ad buys into social, Oreo and Tide were fast to take advantage of the hiccup. Clever…timely…and absolutely on brand, they might be my winners for the night.
Thanks again for letting me share my thoughts on the ads we all seem to look forward to. I’ll be posting Debbie’s thoughts soon, but in the meantime let me know your winners and losers.
Continuing my introduction to the marketers in my world, I’m shining the spotlight on the newest member of our corporate marketing team, Erin Willmann. Today, she is our digital marketing coordinator primarily tasked with enriching the content on our website and across the various social channels we have. She’s a little superstar so heaven only knows what she’ll be tomorrow!
Tell us how you got interested in the digital space?
I really credit my interest in Digital Marketing to Social Media Club St. Louis. During my sophomore year of college, a professor told my class about a group that was having a panel discussion about social media marketing and offered extra credit for anyone who went. When I met the people who were involved with Social Media Club St. Louis and listened to the panel discussion that night, I was hooked and knew that was the direction I wanted to take my career.
…And then you ended up at a casino company. What made you realize Islewould be a good place to start your career?
When the position opened up at Isle, I began doing research to find out more about the company. I eventually stumbled upon a See.Say.Smile. video about Isle’s courtesy program, and knew that this was the place that I wanted to start out.
I’ve always believed that it doesn’t matter how great your brand’s marketing or public relations is. If employees don’t understand how to build relationships with your customers, then everything else is a waste of time. I could tell from my own research that Isle’s philosophy seemed to match up with my own.
What’s been the biggest surprise or challenge and how did you handle it?
One morning I got a phone call from a customer who was upset over a bus that had been canceled in Lula. I wasn’t sure what exactly happened or how she got my phone number, but she was very frustrated and insisted that someone told her she needed to call corporate. I thought about all of the times I had been irritated with a brand for not delivering on their promise and considered those who had passed me off to someone else.
I calmly listened and wrote down everything she said. After she finished, I assured her that I would call someone from Lula and follow up with her later that day. (This is a perfect example of why everyone in the company needs See.Say.Smile. training!)
What has inspired you the most in this short time?
We’re always throwing something new at the marketing teams at each property, but they adapt to change well. It’s nice to work with other marketing people who are so open minded and willing to experiment with new ideas.
What do you hope to do in the next year?
Next year I hope to continue focusing on optimizing our digital marketing to enhance our guest’s experience with us online and offline.
So, now you know a little about Erin. I’m really excited to see what she thinks of a does for our company and our guests. Want to know more about Erin? Follow her on twitter at @tweeeterin.
You can also watch the See.Say.Smile. video here to see what sparked this new career path.
The start of a new year is always pretty inspirational. It’s like starting with a blank slate and you have nothing but good things to put on it!
The other day, I was working on an update to our house of brands documents. I was a little lost as to what to right for this one particular brand. It was supposed to be a “one-off” until the president of the company I work for announced that the current location would be “the first”. Oh boy!
All of a sudden, this became a matter of brand instead of naming an outlet. Now I had to think about how this brand should come to life. This outlet had always struggled from a naming perspective (as most dining outlets do from my experience). It has a beautiful view and a beautiful environment, but is this enough to create a brand? Unfortunately, the man who created this small little place in a smallish town passed away as we were still in the construction process. At that point, the struggle to name this place ended, but the building of a brand to make him proud began.
This new restaurant would be called Keller’s in honor of Paul Keller. I like to think Paul was my friend, but I KNOW Paul was my inspiration.
He had this uncanny way of taking design from a beautiful picture to an actual functioning space. He could walk through it, not only in the customer’s shoes, but in the employee’s shoes as well!
I once worked for Steve Wynn, who many will attribute with the rebuilding of Las Vegas. Words such as “Visionary” are commonly used in talking about him. He’s well-known across the gaming industry and the globe. So, who is this Paul Keller person? A visionary and an inspiration. He is the man who let us realize that the beer had to be cold and the wings needed to be hot. That, along with a smile and good service would take our restaurants a long way. He could always fine inspiration in the simplest details and then shared that inspiration with the rest of us.
As we approach the new year, it's a great time to come back fresh from the break and challenge yourself to get better. In the words of T.S. Eliot: "For last year’s words belong to last year’s language and next year’s words await another voice”.
#1: Take a Walk in Your Consumers Shoes. See the brand as they do.
I couple of weeks ago I read a Graham Robertson’s blog post entitled Some of the Best Christmas Ads I’ve Seen. It made me think about the commercials that I always remember. Interestingly enough, my favorite commercials aren’t a part of the big Ad Bowl that some people call Super Bowl (well, that is except for the ONE commercial I worked on that ran during the game, but that’s a whole other story).
To me, the commercials that run during the Christmas season are some of the best because they are part magic, touching on an emotion that can leave you teary eyed.
Remember that young man coming home to awaken his house to the smell of Folgers. There’s nothing better that being reunited with loved ones for Christmas. It’s possibly the best present ever.
Coca-Cola’s Christmas Hilltop Commercial
Of course, after seeing Norelco’s stop action commercial, I had to buy a new electric shaver for my dad, even though he already had a perfectly good shaver.
I had forgotten about this classic McDonald’s commercial. How great is it to give Santa the perfect gift?
And I just loved when the M&Ms came face to face with Santa. He DOES exist. I knew it!
Merry Christmas everyone! Make some great memories.
I spend the vast majority of my days reviewing and revising advertising collateral. Get this. Win that.
I often say that casino advertising is not rocket science. People want a clear story on how to get what they want. Keep your eye on your brand and tell your story.
Today is Election Day and I couldn’t be happier. It’s not because we all get to participate in one of the most special rites of all time – electing the person that will move us into the next four years. I’m thrilled because tomorrow marks the end of the political advertising season. I generally look at commercials as a mix between work and entertainment. I like to review, dissect and revise most commercials I see. I get great ideas for my own work. Unfortunately, I find it almost impossible to enjoy the ads which seem to be filling every commercial break lately. The negativity is astounding. It’s amazing that we’re left to choose from the candidate that’s “not as bad” as the other one. In our strategy sessions, we like to refer to that approach as the “We Suck Less Strategy”. It’s never a good place to start your vision.
From a brand perspective, it’s really hard to tell what many of these candidates stand for. What’s the story behind their brands?
Here’s my wish for the next four years. Let’s start seeing candidates for what they think and can do instead of seeing them for how much dirt they can dig up on the other guy (or gal). Political ads should be clear. Show me what I’m getting if I vote for YOU, not the other person.
There have been more days than I can count in my career that have caused me to ask the question, “Why?”
Why do I work these hours?
Why do I put up with this?
Why me?
Today the company I work for opened a new casino in the great little city of Cape Girardeau, MO. As with most openings there are the typical bumps in the road. Heck, sometimes we see these as downright man-eating potholes. Luckily, these are always the things we, as the operators, notice and never the customers.
Each opening has been a unique experience unto itself, and today’s was no different. I had the opportunity to be there a few hours before opening. I had the wonderful opportunity to see 700 or so brand new employees in brand new uniforms excited to see the first customers come through the door. I had the opportunity to greet so many of them and wish them a Happy Opening Day (Hallmark, you should think about this as a card-giving occasion.) and cheer them on to success.
This is why I keep doing this. I knew there had to be a reason.
