I wrote this post about three weeks ago. since that time, my personal life has been a bit of a mess, but life goes on. I still feel this was an experience with insight to share. So here go my 3 week old thoughts.
You may know that the company I work for is in the midst of building a brand new casino. In addition, we are updating – and in some cases rebranding – existing properties. As a team, we’ve looked at hundreds of paint samples, carpet samples, and finishes from faux brick to granite and marble. We play mix and match until we feel we’ve created the perfect physical experience and that any guest will innately feel our brand promise upon arrival.
Any architect or designer will tell you that the “sense of arrival” is of utmost importance – a first impression that you only get to make once. We always assume folks arrive at our doors ready to have fun and in the happiest of moods, but do they?
A recent trip home to New Orleans gave me much to think about. Everyone assumes that people come to New Orleans ready to drink hurricanes and show their you-know-whats to get rewarded with whatever beads other tourists are offering. Earlier this year, I returned home to say farewell to the mother of a dear friend. This week I returned home in a somewhat unfocused state. Waiting at baggage claim, sorting through unread emails on my phone, I heard the familiar strains of brass instruments warming up and soon they started the joyous music of so many happy memories.
Bienvenue à la Nouvelle-Orléans!
The airport is still under seemingly endless construction and the baggage claim area is a compilation of posters on construction walls, low ceilings and dim lights. Even in this old, dated spot, my mood instantly changed to one of fun and joy.
My company is often faced with how to liven up equally old, dated surroundings. It’s easy to turn to capital improvements to do this, but as you see in this video, you don’t always need that. Sometimes you just need to create some fun!
Here’s some more of that great New Orleans-style music.
I hope you enjoyed this little musical interlude and that it inspired you to think about how you’re greeting guests when they arrive at your doors.
Believe it or not, there was a time when casinos did not have players club programs. Players Clubs — I can’t bear to refer to them as loyalty clubs — actually did not come about until the 1980s in Atlantic City as a way to reward slot players so they would play in “their” casino. If you’re not familiar with the ins and outs of these programs, this article in Casino Player Magazineis a little 101 information.
Casino executives had to come up with a method to identify and reward their slot players so they would stay and play only in their casino. It was a great idea.
Years later, we fell into the trap of believing that we had to sign everyone up for a card and send everyone mail. Times have changed and we’ve come to realize a few things.
Everyone doesn’t have to get an offer. If you provide a great experience some customers will visit you simply to have a nice night out.
You can pretty much count on your customers splitting their gaming budget over two, three or more casinos.
Those low-end customers you think are burdensome can actually save your marketing budget, because your investment in their visit is lower as a percentage of that revenue.
The key is to have a well-balanced spit between those who come in due to the offer you sent them and those who come in just to have some fun. Is that 50/50? 60/40? 70/30? That’s for your marketing team to decide, but never forget how important it is to market to that low-end and unrated play.
Last night I stopped at a casino cashier window to get some change. I asked for my usual when I find myself low on tip money, “Could I have three fives and five ones, please?”
The cashier responded’ “Well, since you said please…” To which I replied, “Of course I said please.”
It was a very friendly and joking exchange, but it made me wonder. This casino employee was actually the first I had gotten a smile from in this entire very expensive, much marketed resort. It made me wonder if smiling and saying “please” wasn’t the norm anymore.
Earlier in the day, I had the honor of sitting on a panel to discuss the merits of social media in the world of casino marketing. Somehow, the conversation veered into making marketing promises match the experience and delivering satisfying experiences. There were quite a few comments made that I disagreed on. It made me think of the experience my company tries to deliver and how smiling and courtesy have become the hallmark of those experiences. This part of our business strategy continuously makes me smile with pride.
Fast forward to today. I checked out of the hotel I was staying at. I remember when this property opened. I remember the glimmering invitations. I remember the news releases. It has since changed hands, and for whatever reason, the luster has worn off. As I departed, the front desk attendant smiled and wished me well. She had been the very first person to do that since I had arrived nearly 48 hours earlier, waiting in a registration line for nearly an hour only to have the clerk waive me to her window like I was some jumbo jet coming in for a landing.
As I waited to get through the security checkpoint at the airport today, an airport employee literally brushed passed me, flashed her employee ID and kept going…without so much as a “pardon me”. I later observed her brushing past others once again in silence. Perhaps she was late for work. Then a fellow passenger deemed me unprepared to move through screening because I was allowing the couple in front of me to pull practically all of their belongings out on the tables. Again without saying anything nearing manners, he actually said I would take too long! This justified his getting in front of me.
He unfortunately forgot to empty his pockets and had to get a more “personal” screening. I was escorted around him. I slipped my shoes on grabbed my bag of liquids and gels, dropped them into my handbag and smilingly wished him a lovely flight as I passed him again still making friends with a TSA agent.
Manners do count.
(On a personal note: I do come prepared to move through security quickly. Don’t let the purse and high heels fool you.)
Happy New Year! I’ve been very remiss during the holidays, but here is the first of my Friday Five posts for 2012.
Creating magic moments. I’ve been sitting in a room for two days talking about how the company I work for can create a branded customer experience that leaves such an indelible impression that it turns our customers into brand ambassadors. I love this quote from a recent article in Jay Ehret‘s article in The Washington Post: “Customer service is what people expect, but the customer’s experience is what gets talked about.” Read his article here.
A fork in the road. We’ve gotten to the point where social media is no longer another billboard along the drive. We have to consider WHAT we’re posting as much as WHERE we’re posting. If you’re going to draw someone’s attention, you need to make it worthwhile. Chris Brogan lays it out really easily in this post.
It’s very exciting to think of advertisers creating more “theater” in their Super Bowl spots, which they invest so much into, but I don’t necessarily think it has to be at the cost of a 60-second spot. When I think about last year’s Volkswagen ad, I realize it was truly memorable. I still love to look at today. Read more about the ideas behind these new more dramatic spots for 2012′s match-up here. And if you’re like me, I’m sure you’d love another look at that spot. May the force be with you!
Question: How can I market my fill-in-the-blank? Answer: Know who you are.
The concept of “brand” still escapes some, and yes I still cringe when people refer to the brand and they really mean logo. It is always a struggle for me as I try to get marketers to understand the right path to take. Jay Ehret lays this out pretty simply in this blog post.
To me, television is still the strongest tool I have to drive brand image. I am a social media aficionado, but there is just no arguing with the power of television. Read why television is still going to be a force to be reckoned with in 2012 in this post.
A little lagniappe for the New Year is about how the House of Windsor is reinventing itself. Maybe it’s because I’m older and wiser now and can see things differently, but I don’t remember thinking Charles and Di as being so hip and modern in their day as the new royal stars. It goes to show that it’s not a new logo that invigorates your brand. It’s the attitude that comes with it. Read more….
I don’t know if it’s my years working in the hospitality business or just my nature, but I love when I do business with an organization and something they do makes me say “Wow!”. When that happens, I can’t help but tell people about it.
Shortly after I moved to St. Louis, I found myself in need of a dry cleaner. So, I did what any newbie does. I looked for the place close to work. Found it! It’s a small little place in a small little strip mall. Bal Couer Cleaners. They did a good enough job on my cleaning, and it’s convenient. Some time later, I went returned with another bundle of clothes. The very nice person there took inventory of my clothes and dutifully filled out my slip. When she went to write my name up, she didn’t ask. She filled it out herself. Wow! Now she might just be one of those people who has a memory like a steel trap, but even so, I love that she remembered me.
Last year, I had a problem booking rooms at Red Rock Casino, but their social media person jumped on it faster than I could type out my quandary. One of their execs personally took care of my problem in less than an hour. Then when I made my visit, they treated my parents like VIPs. I tell that story to everyone.
Just the start of her balloon bouquet
Just last week we took a co-worker, Elissa, out for her birthday lunch….to Hooters. I know. I know. Why would we go to Hooters for a celebration much less a female co-worker’s celebration? Well, you see, it’s Wing Wednesday or some such promotion and the guys in the group never miss it. We don’t mind it. So, why not? As most co-workers do, we look for any opportunity to make spectacles of each other, and birthdays are the perfect occasion. We let it slip that it was her birthday. OK. Maybe, it was me who let it “slip”. She looked at me with that wait-until-it’s-your-birthday look. At some point during our meal, the server brought over a single balloon with the words “Happy Birthday” written on it. Wow! It was actually a very sweet thing. Not too embarrassing, except for the fact that my co-worker now had this balloon tied to her wrist. Shortly after, another server brought another balloon to the table. Tied it to Elissa’s wrist. Now there were two balloons. Then another and another. It was at this point that Elissa asked just how many servers were working. All told she ended up with five balloons tied to her wrist. Wow! That literally cost them pennies and they created a unique and memorable experience.
It made me wonder what we could do for pennies to create Wow moments with our guests.
Wow! December already. Where has this year gone? Here is my Friday Five – five articles I came across this week that inspired me, made me think or just made me do a double-take.
There’s a Busch brewing again. I’m not a beer drinker, but I currently reside in St. Louis and know it’s a part of the fabric of this city. When InBev successfully attempted to takeover Anheuser-Busch, it was quite a blow to the city and its residents. I once took the tour of the brewery and learned so much about the history of this storied business. Recently, I read that a Busch has started brewing again. I wonder what he’ll build this into? Read about it here.
I’ve been working on the new iteration of our online presence and how mobile plays a role. One of our directors recently sent me news of a competitor releasing a new shiny app. I’ve got more than one person coming to me on a weekly basis with a great idea for an app. No one has come to me with an idea as to what the goal of an app would be. Jason Gurwin hit it right on target when he said “Building a Mobile App Is Not a Mobile Strategy” in this Harvard Business Review blog post.
If you’re not a New Orleanian, you may not know of Arthur Davis, but if you’ve see a New Orleans Saints home game or watched the Hornets play at home, chances are you’ve seen his work. Davis left an indelible mark in the skyline of New Orleans. Along with his partner Nathaniel Curtis, he designed the (now Mercedes-Benz) Superdome, New Orleans Arena, New Orleans Public Library, Rivergate and countless other schools, churches and buildings in the city. He passed away at the age of 91. Take a moment to read about him here.
As countless businesses continue to advertise their friendly employees, customers can easily jump to a conclusion of a great product. This isn’t always the case. How many times have you sat down to a meal in a restaurant, greeted by the most intoxicatingly friendly server only to have one of the worst meals in recent history?
Today we expect “service with a smile”— and many times, that expectation is satisfied. But when customers are forced to wait in long lines, can fast and friendly overcome the burden?
Casino marketers seem to particularly ignore this paradox. Tuesdays are slow. Let’s do a 2-for1 buffet for lunch! Sure we’ll get the crowds, but what happens when the person with an hour for lunch finds herself still standing in line 45 minutes later. How is that smiling cashier going to solve this problem?
How about Thursdays? Let’s send out a bonus offer, but we want to make sure we’re tracking it. So, we make a customer stop by the players club booth first, and if we really want to be cruel, we’ll make them stop at the cage next before they finally get to sit at a slot machine. Lines. Lines. Everywhere a line.
Let’s face it. Friendly employees are the price of entry. I realize I say this as a marketer of what is becoming a paragon courtesy program, See.Say.Smile. But, as a consumer myself, I think that a great experience is the source of satisfaction. Customers who are having a good time, smile back at those smiling employees in a way that makes your casino a great place to work. So rather than throwing up a billboard with your smiling employees, think about what you can do to create some smiling customers…and thereby keep your employees smiling.
Our annual marketing meeting took place this last week. It’s been a meeting that has taken places in some interesting locations – Philadelphia…Voorhees, NJ…Tunica, MS. Like I said, “interesting”. Interesting or not, it always gave folks a chance to get away from the business and mix a little fun with the meeting. Imagine everyone’s surprise when we chose to host this year’s meeting at our corporate office!
Our offices are located in a little area just west of downtown St. Louis, a little municipality called Creve Coeur. There is a Drury Inn & Suites located just a short walk from our office, making it the most convenient place to stay. I’m the first to admit that I’m a bit of a hotel snob. That part of my personality didn’t get any better when I worked for Wynn Resorts. In fact, it probably made me hyper-sensitive to the little things that can make or break my stay at any hotel.
I had the pleasure of staying at this Drury on my first night in St. Louis. There was some “confusion” with my corporate housing and although no one was available to fix the issue over the weekend, the smiling face behind the check in counter at the Drury was. Not only did she welcome me to St. Louis and to the hotel, she welcomed my mother…my dog…and my cat, AND she kindly informed me that my company had direct billing and offered to apply the charges to the account. Unnecessary, but the offer made my stumbling into her hotel that much sweeter.
I always remember that simple “yes” that turned a really bad day into a good one. So, I wasn’t surprised when one of the attendees to our marketing meeting mentioned to me that the front desk clerk at that very same hotel remembered a conversation she had over a year ago during her last stay. Little did that front desk clerk know that attendee was a last-minute substitute to a meeting that she wasn’t at all sure about. She made her feel welcome and comfortable.
Employees hold the brand promise in their hands every moment of the day. These too ladies did just that for Drury. I always wonder what employees are doing with our brand promise. What are your employees doing today to keep your promise?
“My customers are not spending like they used to.”
What’s wrong with this sentence? We see it, say it and read it every day. We look to the reasons: unemployment, the “recession”, consumer confidence, competition… Do we ever notice what’s really wrong? How about the fact that we’re in the hospitality business and somehow we’ve forgotten that our customers were once our “guests.”
Do guests still visit your home for special occasions or for the holidays? Do you greet them at the door with a smile? Do you offer them a seat? Something to drink? When they get ready to leave do you wish them well or invite them to return?
Is this how you treat guests when they come thought the doors of our establishments?
Think about those moments where you’ve received good, friendly, just genuine service. Didn’t you just love it? Did you walk just a little lighter? Did you tell someone about it?
Now think about the last time you got terrible service? How did you feel? How many people did you tell?
Which feeling do you want your guest to go away with?
Other than the gold standard Ritz Carlton and Four Seasons service models? Who do you think is doing a great job?
(Disclaimer: I work for Isle of Capri Casinos and we have a courtesy program which I think is really good. You can check it out at http://islecorp.com/profile-seesaysmile.aspx.)
I just finished reading yet another must-read business book and boy was it a surprise. Not only is it a very quick read, Delivering Happiness by Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh is at once educational, inspirational, and yes, quite personal.
As readers, we see the beginnings of a burgeoning entrepreneur with a unique view on the world and how to make it a little better, if only in his corner of the world. The passion that runs through the book and the organization seem extraordinary even though we’re reading it in the business press all of the time.
As a result of this reading, my list of to-do’s has expanded.
1. Buy shoes. OK. For those of you who know me, you know that’s not really a new to-do! But I’ve never bought them from Zappos before. So this will be a first, and since there’s so much to choose from, I think I’ll call them and experience that passion.
2. I’m taking a tour of the company on my next trip to Las Vegas. In fact, I think I’ll bring all of our marketing directors with me.
Don’t think of this as just another business must-read. It’s quick and you’ll enjoy it.
