Casino Branding 101

This originally appeared in the May 2014 issue of Global Gaming Business. I’m reposting it here with a couple of new elements.

For years, I’ve been polishing old brands and creating some new brands. I have found that, no matter what the project, market or budget, the steps are the same. They are what one of my former agencies likes to call “The Jules Rules.” I like to refer to them as the five pillars of brand marketing.

Know Your Target/Market

Formal research unearths a great deal of insight. I always recommend it, but I also highly recommend spending time on the floor. When was the last time you worked your player’s club—answering questions about the latest promotion, redeeming offers, issuing comps based on the actual play in your CMS?

If you can’t recall, it’s time to hit the floor. Not only do you get to meet and learn more about your guests, you get to understand what your front-line employees have to face when trying to deliver on your brand promise. I’d also invite my advertising agency folks to meet some guests face to face. It’s amazing what everyone will learn and how that will affect the next steps.

Brands are Built from the Bottom Up

Great brands are built from the bottom up. Source: StarGroup

I have used the old iceberg image as a longstanding example of what makes a good brand because it’s the best way to show your operations team how what they do is the most important part of the brand. All the things that happen below the surface are what makes your brand true (or not) to your guests and to your employees. The next time you embark on a brand project, look at all of those elements first before giving your agency or graphic artist directions on a name or logo. Download the PDF and put it up in your marketing department.

Operationalize Your Brand

When you can’t see a difference between what you say you do (marketing) and what you actually do (operations), that’s when you know you have a truly great brand.

First, you have to build the internal culture. Then, you have to make sure the tools you provide your employees to deliver on the brand are consistent with your vision. If you’re going to be the value leader in slots, you have to be the value leader throughout your property.

That doesn’t mean cheap. Value isn’t a price point (but that’s a discussion for another column). You can still offer a fine-dining experience. Just make sure that experience is better than anything your guests could have imagined. If you’re going to be the leader in service, guests can’t be waiting for what seems a lifetime for their cars to return from valet or to get to a guest services rep or cage cashier.

True Brand Programs Share DNA

Employees and customers reward brands that are true and consistent. It’s easy to be tempted by the trend, but if it doesn’t fit your brand, the guest experience will feel disjointed and your employees will not have the ability to deliver on the brand promise. The offerings you feature have to feel like they are coming from the same source. You’re not a shopping center offering every option. You have to be selective and only offer the things that make sense to your brand. To paraphrase Steve Jobs, sometimes what you say “no” to is as important as what you say “yes” to.

Make Your Brand Iconic

You would think that after working at one of the premier destinations in Las Vegas, my work for a smaller regional gaming company would have been less than thrilling. I’m here to tell you that is not true. The day the Isle of Capri Casinos management took the Lady Luck trademark out of the legal file cabinet and into the light was one of the most exciting days in my career. The Isle management team realized we couldn’t just ignore one of the most iconic brands in casino history. “The Lady” excited us and, more importantly, our customers.

Those are my five pillars, but to be truly successful, you also need to get help. Brand development is not a DIY project. It takes resources—brainstorming, creative, execution, and sometimes legal. This can be as cost-effective or expensive as you let it become. Don’t skimp because of costs, but do find the collaborators that absolutely love your business to help you. Nothing else should do.

Netflix – From the Top to the Bottom and Back to the Top

I just came across an article about Netflix saving The Killing. As a brand marketer who has had the opportunity to work on a few brand reinventions, I’m very impressed with how Netflix has re-energized the brand (after the short- lived Qwikster disaster – killing the project before it even had time to launch) and how it has set its path to the future.

In the 1990s we raced to get the newest releases at our nearest Blockbuster only to leave with our second choices (sometimes third) because THE movie we wanted to see was already taken. On top of that, we had to rush to finish watching the movie before we started accruing late fees. (Just for fun, what was your highest late fee?) It was a rite that will live in our memories.

They say that video killed the radio star. Now that DISH has announced it will be closing the last 300 Blockbuster stores, we can say Netflix and the Internet have joined forces to kill the corner video rental store.

Netflix stock history through November 21, 2012

Netflix, established in 1997 quickly grew its library and its subscriber base and changed the playing field. Like Tower Records, Blockbuster was slow to respond to a model that seemed too “different” to last. Netflix started with a simple idea (no late fees) and a radical delivery system (no stores) and evolved by listening to its customers, nay “fans”. They were right to think streaming content was the next step. The problem was they didn’t execute well when they thought Qwikster to be their next step. So, they cut their losses and regrouped. Took the kernel of the good strategy and looked at it from a different perspective – the customer. Now they’re reviving loved content and creating new content. Content has solidly placed them in a new arena and created fans for the brand rather than just customers, as well as creating shareholder value. What more could you ask for?

My takeaway (as always): Listen to your customers. They will let you know what they want…and don’t want.

Friday Five –6/21/13

Unplug? This seems to be the latest advice coming from all of those smart people. I have every opportunity to do this right now because I’m not working. This might be my personal goal for the Summer. Could you make this your morning routine?

Humor and your brand. I’ve said this before. Humor is an approach you should take with caution. You just never know what people think is funny or how it’s going to be received. The last thing you want to do is try something out of left field that falls flat. I wasn’t put off by the Lululemon want ad. In fact, I might just become a first-time customer. What did you think? Winnie Kao didn’t think it was the best move and explains it in this Fast Company article.

Can you build loyalty? The notion of a loyalty program continues to be a puzzle unsolved. In the casino industry, you wouldn’t imaging not having a players card program. Sometimes we drink our own Kool-Aid and refer to these as loyalty programs, but are they? This BrandUniq post makes me wonder.

Do you hire a contractor or DIY. I LOVE the analogy of how building a brand is like building a house. I think Jason Cohen of the O Group has given every agency a really good way to answer the question the next time. I also think this definitely applies to any brands, not just those in the luxury category. Read his thoughts here.

5 Tips for Better Branding. This article by Nora Richardson made me smile because it’s all the things I’m constantly working toward. The pity is some folks are afraid to break through the norms and try something different. Think about how you can apply her advice.

Lagniappe. This  week’s lagniappe comes in the form of an article and a podcast.

You can’t just decide to call yourself something and change your brand overnight, but Dunkin Donuts is sure taking the right steps to make the changes they need for growth. Read how they’re aiming for Starbucks.

I listened again to the May 16th Vegas Gang Podcast. As part of their conversations, talked about brands and I found it really interesting that I was involved with two of these brands they mentioned, Roger Thomas and Steve Wynn. I think about how they developed their brands and realize they did it by doing what they do really well and consistently. Derek Stevens is a new kid on the block where Vegas in concerned, but he seems to be establishing a great brand for downtown. On a personal side note, I was really pleased to hear the great reviews Rob Oseland received at the recent RD&E Experience.

Friday Five — 6/14-13

It’s the end of another great week of great thinking from so many people. It’s always hard to narrow it down to five. Thank goodness, I’m a New Orleans girl and can throw in some lagniappe!

Location, location, location…I’m always amazed at the decline of Atlantic City. I really am, but I can see how easily customers opt for convenience than the trek to AC and how that’s become a “getaway” versus the place to get your gambling fill. Read more about the good news for regional operators!

Know your audience…Although I think I could fit into something at Abercrombie & Fitch, I was just never attracted to the brand. Obviously, I’m not their target…and I’m ok with that. While I do think Mike Jeffries could have rephrased his comment, I couldn’t help thinking, “So what? It’s obviously not their target. And that’s ok with me.” Companies have to understand who they are marketing to in order to design and deliver the right experiences. You can’t be everything to everyone. Brands are not required to market to everyone. Read more here.

Mmmmm…There are days when there is nothing better than biting into a fresh hot donut. Just to hear the name Krispy Kreme brings back memories. I guess it’s a good thing they realized they needed to build memories rather than a brand…and yet, somehow, they did both. Here’s how they did it.

Magic…Customer service always seems like it’s part magic, but Erika Anderson makes you realize just how simple it is. Then, why do so many companies seem to ignore these three simple keys?

…or empowerment…I guess I taken with Barbara Apple Sullivan’s tale because I’m always afraid I’ll lose my id in some way or another with each trip I take. I check and double-check and then check again that I have it in my possession. It’s probably bordering a little on OCD, but I think that’s the only evidence of such. My big takeaway from her article is that employees should be given permission to use their judgment. It’s the most important thing you can do if you’re trying to deliver excellent service. Of course, there are other things such as hiring and training, but allowing employees to use their good judgment implies to me that you’ve hired and trained properly. You can read her amazing story here. Given all the bad PR airlines are getting lately, this may come as a surprise.

This week’s lagniappe is about a lawsuit that has been filed to have the oh-so-popular commonly sung birthday song declared to be in the public domain. As a brand marketer, I’m often looking for usable names for new brands. Have you tried naming a restaurant lately? It’s quite a challenge to develop something usable, ownable and desirable. I’ll be watching this one closely as I can see both sides of this intellectual property argument. Read about it here and let me know what you think.

Friday Five — 6/7/13

It’s been far too long since I’ve taken care of my blog and it’s time to fix that. I’m starting slowly with the return of my Friday Five. Here are the articles that inspired me the most this week. I hope they spark something in you as well.

The human brand. I often read about what brands should be doing online and in social, but this is the first I’ve seen about being just human. Making connections is a human-to-human exchange. If your brand isn’t human, how will you touch customers? Make sure you read this whole post from Pam Moore. There are some great links at the end.

To followup. I was cleaning out my email and (as I’m sure you do as well), I had a plethora of emails I marked “unread” so that I could go back and read them “when I have time”. Well, I have time now and I’m glad I saved this one. It’s from Joe Pulizzi, founder of the Content Marketing Institute on Coca-Cola’s Content 2020. It’s over 18 months old. I can’t believe how long I let this sit in my inbox.  Wow! I loved this one. It made me think of CPG in a whole new light. You really can’t think in terms of a :30 television spot anymore. Read and watch.

It’s like connective tissue. The notion of integrated marketing isn’t new, but it just seems you can’t say it enough. Marketing has to be a combination of all the channels and touch points in the customer’s experience. Brian Bennet of STIR Advertising does a great job of illustrating this in his MarketingProfs post.

Is it really a loyalty program? Here’s a pet peeve I have…the notion that frequent visitor/buyer and player card programs are called “loyalty” programs as a matter of course when very few of them drive loyalty. It’s no wonder the programs have grown but participation has dropped. As the article states: “… it’s crucial for companies to strengthen loyalty programs through innovation and relevancy.” See if you agree with this post.

That being said, I love what MGM Resorts International  is doing with MLife. Experiences are the key for their most frequent guests and they’re making sure they are having them by collaborating with Southwest and Hyatt. I was recently at a luncheon where Scott Voeller, SVP of brand strategy and advertising for MGM Resorts International, spoke about the changes and developments for the program. I think they may be poised to become THE casino player card program because of the way they understand their guests and try to give them the experiences they’re looking for. You can read about the partnerships with Southwest at this Vegas Inc. post and the Hyatt partnership in this Howard Stutz post.

Yes, I realize there are six articles. Where I’m from, we call that “lagniappe”!

I’d love to know what articles inspired your marketing this week.

Brands and Inspiration

dictionary.com

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.

Keller’s….an inspiration to us all.

Be Careful What You Wish For

My latest Agency Post column after a long travel-filled Summer is about getting what you wish for.

This old proverb keeps going through my mind. Although I can’t seem to find attribution, I feel like it is wise and true.

Agencies often wish for their clients to bring them into the fold and share everything with them. They want to be partners in success. They want to play a significant role in the growth of the companies they support.

As the client, I often wonder why an agency doesn’t “get it”. Why do I have to be looking at round after round of creative to get to where I need to be? Why aren’t they reading my mind after all this time?

But what happens when these partnerships have grown over the years to a level of mind-reading confidence? One would think that is exactly what we wish for. I say, “Be careful what you wish for.” Mind-reading can also equate to assumptions, and assumptions can put you right back at square one…or even worse.

When an agency gets to the point where they know what a brand needs to be without the input of the client, the brand is no longer one to be grown by the client. The brand is now the agency’s brand, and that’s not what you were hired for. It can have the ability to morph into a creative show more than a brand voice. That’s not what either the client or the agency want. Yes, we all want the kind of creative that makes people sit up and pay attention. We both want the creative that makes the industry publications applaud. We both want the type of creative that makes people tweet and share on Facebook.

That comes with continual shared work and insight. As a client, I must continually expand your knowledge of my brand and customers. As an agency, you must continually ask questions, not make assumptions.

Together we can create and sustain brands that make everyone say “wow” because they produce results for all stakeholders.

Have you ever found yourself in a situation like this? How did you work through it?

Say What You Want, But Do As You Say

We were developing new commercials for our properties to promote their giveaways and also a freshened approach to our slot pricing strategy. Practically at the same time as we were talking about our value-based proposition, everyone got word of JC Penney’s CMO “change”. As marketers, we all have opinions of what went wrong.

My opinion is the usual: If your marketing campaign doesn’t translate to the brand experience you’ll never make a change in your success.

So, now I have to turn that view inward and ask, “Are we operationalizing the brand experience we’re promoting?” For our property marketers, their responsibilities have evolved and changed in the most interesting ways. Yesterday, they had to make sure as many people as possible signed up for a players card. They had to make sure offers went to all of those people on a very regular basis. Finally, they had to make sure ads were running in all of the local newspapers.

My, how times have changed.

Today, they have to think of the brand and about ROI….and about the guest experience…and about what promoters and detractors might be sharing in their networks. I think all of this becomes really easy as long as you are delivering on your brand promise. Set on a firm foundation, the rest will come.

I’m sure you see examples of brands saying one thing and doing another. How would you have done things differently?

Building a House…of Brands

I said it again yesterday. “This company is so different from when I arrived.”

The Past and Present of Isle of Capri’s Corporate Identity

I came to Isle of Capri Casinos in the Fall of 2006, and although I still laughingly say that I’m passed my sell-by date, I am pretty proud of the brands we’ve built. Before this transition, I would’ve easily told you that my finest work had been in developing the brands at Wynn Las Vegas. Today, I can proudly say that I am equally as proud of the work done on behalf of the family of Isle of Capri Casinos.

Through a lot of vision and hard work, this house of brands has gone from a collection of variations on a Caribbean theme to a collection of experiences our guests can enjoy for a long time. I’m not sure if these are destined to go down in branding history, but they are surely a part of my brand history. Check out all of our brands.

It Takes A Village

For a year now, I’ve been lucky enough to work on a new buffet concept. You might be thinking, “A buffet? What’s so new about that?” I think the concept we’re working on is pretty special, and given that a casino buffet has the potential to touch at least 25% of our guests, it’s a pretty big deal in my circles.

We’ve researched trends. We’ve looked at our competitive set and those outside of our competitive set. We had a corporate meeting, where we had some self-discovery that lead to an all-out-everyone-come-to-the-corporate-office meeting. We fiddled with this. We changed that. And don’t get me started on the creative! The positioning was easy, but the creative…oh boy! I think we went through at least 20-30 different attempts with the great creative teams at The Media & Marketing Group before we arrived at the perfect creative that would differentiate us.

And now, the time is here. Not the opening. Yes, that’s coming, but the time I’m referring to is when I turn “my baby” (notice the overly dramatic MY) over into the hands of our field team to…(insert the dramatic holding of my breath here) execute on this beautiful vision we have.

It’s always the scariest moment a brand marketer can face. Taking this vision and handing it to someone with all the instructions we think the brand needs to grow and mature…how to feed it…water it…teach it.

I’ve had the pleasure…no the honor…to turn this brand over to a wonderful team in Boonville, Missouri. I’m almost speechless with how they’ve taken this idea and turned it into near reality. We’ve worked hand-in-hand through so much of this development, and I know we wouldn’t be where we are today if it wasn’t for all of us working together.

Brand marketers, hear this. We can dream and create a plethora of idealistic brands but the truth is it will be the people on the ground that give that vision life. Find a way to transfer the passion you have to them. It takes a village (or in this case an entire casino property) to make that vision grow.

I’m very excited about this new concept, so I beg forgiveness now because I’ll be sharing a ton of stuff on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+ and any other way I can find to crow about this.