Yesterday, I was chatting with my neighbor about being past my “sell by” date at work. Until very recently, I seemed to have this time limit of 2 years for employment at any one place.
I know that this short employment window must’ve given my parents pause to think I was not settling into a career. I know that none of my friends ever understood this sense of boredom that always seemed to overcome me. I even work with someone who looked at my office once and said I needed to “nest”. She said this to someone else just recently, and it made me realize that it was her way of knowing you were still going to be around.
It used to be that you got a job and you stuck with it until you got your gold watch for your years of service. People are so much more mobile now, and just when I got into an industry that seemed THE most mobile of all, I settled down past my sell by date! More than once!
I look back and I realize that I have one of the most exciting and exhilarating jobs of all. Although the customer seems to remain unchanged from year to year and from company to company, the competition does not. That makes it even more fun to think of new approaches and strategies. It makes working on the weekend seemingly “normal”.
Because you have the opportunity to move into different specialties, working in casino marketing is a great way to keep your job fresh and work toward that gold watch.
The ding ding ding of the slot machines continues to be music to my ears.
O..O..Over and over, we try to prove our love to you.
Over and over, what more can we do.
Over and over, my friends say we’re a fool.
But over and over, we’ll be a fool for you.
’cause we’ve got Hamptonality!
As I mentioned in my last post, I spent a few days sharing great ideas relating to Internal Branding and Employe Engagement with a lot of really smart people representing some really good companies. Among them was Gina Valenti ofHilton Worldwide. She showed us how everyone, internal and external is feeling the Hamptonality.
I’ll admit. When Gina asked the audience to show by hands who had traveled to a Hampton and who the fans were. My hand stayed up. As a value-based product offering, I don’t think Hampton could do any better – always a clean room and bed, always a nice breakfast with a smile. Works for me!
From a brand perspective, I think their positioning lines up fairly identically to the one I try to strengthen every day for the brands I work on, Lady Luck Casino and Isle Casino. So, of course, I was more than just mildly interested to see how Hampton relates that positioning internally so that it can be expressed at every interaction.
What is Hamptonality? Check out this video.
Eventually this made its way through to the external audience in the form of a brand campaign.
Do me a favor. Go to YouTube and search for the term “Hamptonality”. I couldn’t believe the number of videos I found.
Thanks Gina! Thanks to you I have even bigger goals to accomplish.
According toT.G.I. Friday’s, when Alan Stillman founded the concept in 1965, he created a cool new singles bar because he figured the bar scene in a city full of skyscrapers needed a bit of a shake up. One week later, the New York police were called in to control the crowds as hordes of young people flocked to the city’s newest hot spot.
Today, it’s a lot less “singles bar” but a lot more fun. After all, isn’t Friday the best day of the week?
Last week, I spent a few days listening to some great companies talk about their efforts at leveraging internal branding and improving employee engagement. These companies “get it”. They know that no brand has a chance if the employees aren’t along for the ride. After a whirlwind two days, my traveling companion and I headed to the airport…to cool our heals for the five hours we would have to wait for our flight. He wanted to dine at Friday’s. I just wanted a drink. So, off we went in search of their outpost in the Miami International Airport.
As we walked through the dining room to find our booth in the very back of the restaurant, I happened to get a glimpse of the kitchen. There were a number of workers in there and one was snapping a picture with her camera. I didn’t know if a celebrity had dropped in or if something terrible had happened. Ensconced in our booth, I suddenly heard the cheers and celebration. OK…
Our server stopped by our table to welcome us. I have to tell you she was grinning from ear to ear as you can see by this picture she let me take. I asked her what the celebration was for and she told us that they had been “validated”.
Validated? Huh?
I did not know this, but the location was fairly new. As a team, they staff had all gone through opening and training together, and after a time of review, T.G.I. Friday’s had now deemed them worthy of “earning their stripes”. They instantly went from trainees wearing nondescript black shirts to the most excited group of people I’ve ever seen wearing their brand new red and white striped shirts.
After two days of coveting the beautiful technology being used by some major companies to connect employees to a vision, this group had been connected by the prospect of wearing a cotton poly blend shirt. Wow!
Simple things can connect your vision and your employees.
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.
Lately, I’ve been on the hunt, not for deer or duck as most of the men I know are doing right now. I’ve been on the hunt for brand champions. Not for shooting by arrow or bullet, but for finding out what makes them tick. What makes them such great brand ambassadors? There is no limited season for that. Brand champions can be found and cultivated 365 days a year.
There are moments each day for every business where employees can make or break how a customer will feel about that business. Creating brand champions is about leveraging employees to make those connections positive each and every time.
I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with most of our human resources directors to talk about the great employees we have, how we can get them excited about working for us, and how we can help them continue the conversation with potential guests and new hires within their own social networks – whether online or offline.
We have several employees we already know of as “engaged”. The volume of nominations for our recent Superstar project was incredible. It really was tough culling it down to the six or seven per property, and we’ve gotten many requests for doing it again. And the number of day 1 employees always blows me away.
We’re borrowing ideas from some companies who have such great brand champions that I am constantly in awe of them - Zappos, Southwest Airlines, American Eagle, Apple, Starbucks, Jet Blue…luckily the list is long. There are a number of things that we (and you) can do. They take time and or resources, but the only real dependency is the priority you put on your employees being an extension of your brand…scratch that…being the extension of your brand that you ultimately want.
I’d love it if you would take a look at the conversation we had in that meeting and if you shared what you are doing to create brand champions.
My apologies for being absent the last couple of weeks. I guess I didn’t expect to be so distracted. However, I have compiled my list for this week. I hope you enjoy these news clips and that they make you think of great ways to become better marketers.
Do you remember Delta’s iconic tagline “We Love To Fly, And It Shows”? I’d love for airlines to show me how much they love to fly because right now, it’s hard to see it while I try to manuever my way into some sort of comfortable sitting position, or when the person in front of me leans their seat back until it’s practically on me. It’s not that passenger’s fault. He or she is just working with what the airline gave them. I’ve been watching ABC’s Pan Am and I can’t help remembering how I used to love to fly. My mother would get me dressed up in a pretty dress, and I typically had a hat and white gloves. I remember peering into the cockpit with so much amazement. So much of the reasons people loved to fly are gone. I for one would love to see it come back. Read about how Delta is approaching the customer experience.
I’ve worked in the casino industry now for quite a number of years. Every single company I’ve worked for has created jobs, paid lots of tax dollars (LOTS!) and has become outstanding members of the communities. I know the media has to give the opposition equal time, butthese kinds of editorialsjust make me realize how little some folks know of the real casino industry.
…and then there are times when we just lose our focus. People are not huge fans of the gaming options being outside of the normal casino areas. Looks like some of the casinos are moving some games out to the public areas and folks are just not too keen on the additional availability. Read about it here…
Finally, I’ve been thinking a great deal about brand champions and employee engagement.At the heart of all these efforts is building a culture brand. Here are some good ways to start.
A few months ago, I introduced you to someone we had recently elevated to the rank of director. Today, I’d like you to meetMichael Giunti. I met Michael when I came to Isle of Capri Casinos in St. Louis. Like me, he was a transplant. Unlike me, his move to St. Louis was precipitated by the relocation of the Isle’s corporate offices. It wasn’t until I asked for this interview that I even knew he WASN’T from the South! Michael has once again relocated for a great opportunity. Today, Michael is the director of marketing at our Rhythm City Casino property in Davenport, Iowa.
JC: Tell me a little about your background and what got you here.
MG: I started in the casino industry in 1992 when casinos first opened outside of Chicago, in Joliet, Illinois. I got my first taste of working in this business while I was attending college. I briefly left for a couple of years, but once I came back, I never left again. I have worked with Harrah’s, Beau Rivage and the Isle of Capri in several areas up and down the Mississippi River from St. Louis to Tunica to Biloxi and now here in Davenport. I have worked in about as many areas of casino operations as I have jurisdictions — credit/collections, cage, players clubs, and all areas of marketing including some time with our corporate office as a regional direct marketing manager.
JC: What made you realize this was the right opportunity for you?
MG: Even though I enjoyed my time “at corporate”, I always knew I would go back to a property. I just didn’t know when or where that would be until this opportunity at Rhythm City presented itself. I was fortunate enough to have known the staff here already since I was doing their direct mail for the last couple of years. I knew it would be a great fit. The team is small but efficient and very energetic. They are all talented people. I feel I can learn a lot from them, and I hope to share my expertise with them. This is an excellent property to take the leap into a leadership role.
JC: In the few weeks you’ve been in your new role, what has been the biggest surprise or challenge and how did you handle it?
MG: The first day I started in Davenport I couldn’t find any way into the property because all entrances and exits seemed to be blocked off from the main road (River Drive). No matter where I turned there were barricades that read “Road Closed”. Finally after driving around the barricades I made it to the property. The main road was being resurfaced and that lack of easy access was severely impacting our business. Day 1 and I had a huge communication issue. My team and I had to figure out the facts, a message strategy and the tools we could use. We began to communicate to our guests via email, direct mail and print that we were still open, offering tips to help them maneuver around the barricades to get here. The word got out and the impact has since been reduced because the guests are now educated. To this day, the road still remains closed.
JC: So, you basically stepped in to a role with a support team already in place – with lots of existing ideas and habits in place. How did you communicate your vision to them to gain acceptance?
MG: The first thing I did when I got here (after we tackled the road closure) was to sit down with everyone both individually and as a team to hear their ideas. I wanted to know where they saw the future of Rhythm City going, what they wanted to try and what had worked? Once I met with everyone, I shared my vision to make sure we are all on the same page working towards the same goals. We immediately saw some opportunities with the existing advertising and media strategies and quickly made changes…together as a team. The team aggressively revised the weekday and weekend marketing lineup and implemented many changes, again very quickly. Some have worked well. Some haven’t, but so far I’m excited. We are trying new ideas and promotions. So, we’re learning and growing every day.
JC: What do you see as your biggest marketing challenge on the horizon?
MG: Here in the Quad Cities I believe my biggest marketing challenge is to find ways to continue to compete with the local casinos and without getting into promotional or direct mail wars. Rhythm City Casino has a great staff. It’s a fun..clean..and friendly place, but we don’t have a lot of the amenities other area casinos offer. We need to find more ways to drive in some retail business and continue to take care of our loyal guests to keep them coming back time and time again.
Michael was very generous with his time. He even agreed to reshoot his Get To Know video as part of a brand marketing project. Watch it. You’ll see why we had to reshoot.
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?
One of the best things about being a manager is the opportunity to grow new talent. My department recently promoted three young men to new, higher positions. One of them was promoted into a more senior role but within the same realm of work. Two of them were asked to move several miles to new roles as marketing directors at our Natchez and Vicksburg properties.
Incredibly, those two were faced with the same initial task – to tackle the rising Mississippi River. We didn’t intend for their initial challenge to include sandbagging, but thus have been the whims of Mother Nature lately!
Today, I’d like to introduce you to Aaron Harn. Aaron is formerly the database marketing manager for the Isle Casino Hotel in Waterloo, Iowa and is now the director of marketing at Rainbow Hotel Casino, located in Vicksburg, MS.
JC: Tell me a little about your background and what got you here. AH: I was born and raised in Iowa. I had been working for Hobby Lobby stores for a number of years and decided it was time to shift gears. I started in the casino industry as an auditor, but I was always looking for ways to incorporate my interests in art, education and creativity into my career. Not long into my audit days, marketing had an opening for an analyst, so I took the leap. It didn’t take long to realize how much I enjoyed it. So I tossed my name into the hat for any advancement opportunities. I knew that advancement could possibly mean a move. One day I got a call from one of the corporate VPs about an opening in Vicksburg, followed it through and luckily I ended up in Mississippi – not where I thought I would be but it is a great step and a perfect property to begin my executive career with Isle of Capri Casinos.
JC: What made you realize this was the right opportunity for you? AH: Almost immediately, I saw how much potential this casino has. There are so many opportunities in this market and at this property. I was going to be able to take all I had been learning as part of the Waterloo marketing team to create a whole new marketing approach that I knew could make a positive impact.
JC: In the few months you’ve been in your new role, what has been the biggest surprise or challenge – other than the flood closure – and how did you handle it? AH: My biggest challenge has been change. This property operated in a tried and true method for a really long time, and there was pretty much no deviation in the marketing plan. Getting the team and the property, as a whole, on board with new ideas and ways of doing things has been very challenging.
JC: So, you basically stepped in to a role with a support team already in place – with lots of existing ideas and habits in place. How did you communicate your vision to them to gain acceptance? AH: Communication is key for a successful project. There are many ways to do this, but at the end of the day, you need to ensure you’ve communicated the reasoning behind the changes you’re making. Think of it as painting a picture for a complete stranger. You have to get your vision out of your head and into everyone else’s. THAT is a large challenge, but a great opportunity as well!
JC: What do you see as the biggest marketing challenge on the horizon? AH: Changing the habits of our customers. Our guests are very well trained to expect incentives for every visit. It will be a challenge to break that habit, but we’re creating a great experience we hope people will be drawn to with or without added incentives
You can follow Aaron @aaronharn if you want to track his new work!
Because you have the opportunity to move into different specialties, working in casino marketing is a great way to keep your job fresh and work toward that gold watch.
