Friday Five – 10/28/11 Friday, Oct 28 2011

This was a great find to start the week. A 100-yr old runner became the oldest person to complete a full-distance marathon. Wow! I was impressed when I ran two laps around the track without quitting. It just goes to show there’s always one more step you can take to be better. Don’t let age slow you down. Read more here…

Anybody Listening? We’re constantly being told that social is the new media and that the traditional media is going the way of the dinosaur. From the looks of these numbers, that’s not happening just yet. Plus, if you dig into the numbers, you’ll see that the population growing the most is the one that is dominating the social space. Could it be that as humans we’re just absorbing more and more media as we evolve? Read more…

Steve Olenski lives his workday in the digital marketing world reminds us why direct mail continues to play such an important role. I work (obviously) in casino marketing. Not a day goes by that I don’t realize how important direct mail is to our business. You’ve got mail! Read more…

We love great ads. It’s why the Super Bowl continues to drive such high ratings even if the game is a snore. The world of beer advertising truly amazes me. I love the work. As a consumer, I am entertained and engaged, and yet…I don’t buy the beer. This past Thursday was National American Beer Day. Seems like there’s a whole world out there that I haven’t tried yet. Read how Bud Light is going back to selling beer in its ads here.

Fertitta Interactive, a Las Vegas-based Internet gaming startup company part-owned by the Station Casinos’ Fertitta brothers, acquired California-based online software provider CyberArts Licensing. Fertitta Interactive is also owned by former Golden Nugget owners Tom Breitling and Tim Poster. This brings together a good talent pool of developers, people who know the internet space very well and some pretty good funding. In my mind I have thoughts as to who could be the number one and two players once online gaming is legalized. This could change those positions. Read more…

This one’s just funny, and I had to throw it in. Think of it as lagniappe. Read it here.

I type this anxiously anticipating that the St. Louis Cardinals might win an 11th World Series title tonight. Go Cards!

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Friday Five Friday, Oct 21 2011

Today, I’m introducing a new feature, Friday Five. It’s just a simple list of five links or articles that came across my Twitter stream, email or alerts. They’re the stories that have made me wonder, question, worry or smile. In an effort to not be a marketing platform for the company I work for, I’ll refrain from including Isle of Capri Casinos stories, but as you can probably imagine, some of the gaming industry articles may relate to our business. I’m also going to keep the option to throw in an article about our company that I may be particularly excited about. Fair warning.

So without further ado, here are my first Friday Five.

Last week, the NJ Division of Gaming Enforcement granted Tropicana Casino and Resort approval to put slot machines and electronic table games in The Quarter, its shopping and dining area across the street from the casino. Now Harrah’s is petitioning to set up gaming in yet another non-gaming area. My two cents: AC doesn’t need MORE slots and tables. They need more customers and a cease-fire on some pretty aggressive marketing wars. Read more…

Bwin.Party (formerly PartyPoker) once held over 40% of the worldwide online poker revenue, but all that changed in 2006 with the introduction of the UIGEA and the company’s subsequent withdrawal from the US market. However, an agreement between PartyPoker and the Department of Justice could open the doors to the US again. Bwin could easily be one of the biggest players once online gaming is legalized. The question is who will follow the leader. Read more….

All of the major players seem to be vying for the possibility of operating mega-resorts in the state of Florida. This clip, however, was the first I saw regarding regulation and how it could change to accomodate this level of operation. You have to wonder how these possible changes will impact the existing operators. Yeah…and then there are those pesky issues with the Seminole agreement with the state and the tax structure already in place. I’m sure I’ll share a story on that at some point. But you can read more here about the possible changes.

The strategic partnership announced this week between MGM Resorts and Creative Casinos is sure to be a game changer for MGM, Creative and the existing operators in Southwest Louisiana all competing for that lucrative Houston business. Even with a reduction in travel to Las Vegas, there were still 27 weekly nonstops from Houston to Las Vegas. I wonder how many of those passengers are already in the M-Life program. I wonder how many more passengers they can drive from the area to Las Vegas now. Read more…

Great slogans are like great memories in a handful of words. Thanks to Nora Richardson for this great clip from her blog, The Branding Spot. Enjoy this trip down memory lane.

See you next Friday!

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