In 2005, I had an ad running in the third quarter of the Super Bowl. We gathered our friends around the television to wait and watch. That is ancient history. Even up until 3 or 4 years ago, you still had to wait until the big game to see these ads, but today, advertisers are teasing and just downright revealing their Super Bowl creations before the game. Good idea? I think so.
Getting a commercial on the air for the Super Bowl could easily reach $5 Million. As an advertiser, you have to ask yourself, “Are you going to get a return on that investment?” While many say it’s not worth it, technology and social media gives marketers a way to stretch that budget like never before.
Some tracking sources are already pushing out data. Digimind is a social media monitoring platform, and based on their monitoring last week, they are already reporting a general positive sentiment of 87% for this year’s crop of ads.
As of Monday the 27th, 17 companies had already posted teaser spots on YouTube in addition to paying for promotions on the site. By the end of the week, almost every advertiser had released their actual ads. In fact Budweiser’s “Puppy Love” spot had over 32 Million views this morning. Compare that to last year’s Super Bowl viewership of about 108 Million. I’d take that before airtime, and don’t forget that these ads continue to be seen after the game.
“The Super Bowl ad contest, it turns out, is increasingly similar to a presidential campaign—it’s all about the crucial weeks of expensive and calculated preparation leading up to the big day. Last year viewers watched 265 million Super Bowl commercials on YouTube, about 2.6 times more than in 2012, according to Google. What’s more, almost one-third of those video clicks came before kickoff. ‘The scoreboard of the Super Bowl has become YouTube views,’ Lucas Watson, Google’s vice president of global brand solutions, said at a breakfast in Manhattan last week.” —Bloomberg Businessweek, “How Google Gets Its Piece of the Super Bowl”
Stretching your creative over a variety of social channels is the only way to go if you want to build a story around your brand. This tactic is not just good for a big-budget ad. It can be useful for any campaign, especially if you’re working on a smaller budget. Take the content. Re-cut it to engage your employees first. Then start giving your customers bits and pieces to get excited about. By the time you roll out your new product or service you could have the next “Rocky” – a labor of love shot on less than a million dollars, this hit movie brought in over $225 Million and one three Oscars including “best picture”.
The best part of having an agency is the opportunity to sit with the creatives and talk about brands and what fascinates them and me. I love seeing the nuances through someone else’s eyes. As we approach “Ad Bowl” (you know that long string of commercials with a little football played in between), I can’t help but look forward with anticipation and look back on the past year to see what surprised me. Interestingly, two of these brands piqued my curiosity at the beginning of the year and held on. All of the others developed as the year did.
I’ll start with the obvious. Miley Cyrus– no one can say she wasn’t disruptive. She broke through the clutter and controlled her conversation. Although I tend to lean more to the evolution approach, she had to tear her Hannah Montana image apart to emerge as the person she wants to be seen as. She has to be absolutely the best brand marketer I’ve seen in recent years.
Netflix – I wrote about this a few months ago. A few years ago, pundits were saying this company had really stepped in it and had no way of coming out clean, but today, Netflix has transformed itself into something relevant and important in people’s lives by reinventing itself into THE entertainment content provider.
Nike+ – The long-held position of personal achievement shifted to include a connection between users giving you the motivation go stay on track. So, even if you’re that runner on the lonely road a dawn, you’re never alone.
Major League Baseball – Not content to rest on the fact that baseball is American’s past time, MLB embraced technology to make your experience richer from the moment you step through the gates. Let’s face it, the games are a bit of a commodity. The schedule is long and you can see the game at little to no cost in a number of ways. It’s the experience that keeps fans going to the stadiums. Seems like the National Football League is going to follow suit.
Ron Burgundy – Yes, I’m talking about the fictitious character from the popular 2004 movie “Anchorman”. As funny as it was at the time, it was a gamble to release a sequel so many years later, but someone had the foresight to put Actor Will Ferrell’s Burgundy into today’s world. Did you see him host the news?
Square – Meeting the needs of the small business, they are a very agile company that is positioned for massive growth
Oreo – As a New Orleanian, I sat in horror as the power went out in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Even in the dark, the brilliance of one little tweet showed through, and Oreo did not stop going. The sheer amount of creativity that came out of that group must be a result of a sugar high. Take a look at an Oreo holiday tradition. I’ll never look at holiday cookie exchange the same again.
Chobani – We all know location is everything, particularly in grocery stores where competition among SKUs is intense and where competition among me products can be downright deadly. By insisting on proper shelf placement and pricing itself a little higher than most, Chobani can be credited with popularizing Greek yogurt in the US. Independent thinking and commitment to a vision has made this independent company a big player among better recognized brands. After a PR disaster in early 2013, Chobani will be making its Super Bowl debut in 2014.
Chipotle – really showed marketers what it means to be brand storytellers in 2011 with its poignant telling of a farmer going back to the start. This year, they did it again with “The Scarecrow”, not only telling a great story but also developing a game which gave their message a longer shelf life.
Santa, yep, the fat guy in the red suit. Maybe it was watching a video of my nephew make a call to him one night leading up to Christmas. Maybe it’s the thought that we could all use a little magic sometimes. He continues to be relevant and has been a quick adopter of technology to spread his cheer. Quietroom realizes Santa is not going away. Check out the great brand book they created.
OK. This last one may be a little controversial, but as a lifelong Catholic, I have to pick the Catholic Church. The election of Pope Francis has breathed a new life and focus into the church. As a Catholic I am excited to see him open minds. As a marketer, I am excited to see what people will think of the church as he brings about a change in the mindset of many.
I hope you see some of these brands in a new light. What brands fascinate you?
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.
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.
Recently I had the honor to sit on a panel discussion about the current state of casino advertising. I was amazed how well everyone’s messages linked together to a bigger topic even though we worked independently on our own advertising specialties.
As casino operators, we want gamblers who have the discretionary dollars available and who have a pre-set budget for themselves that is within their ability to spend. Repeatedly, customers tell us a source of satisfaction is how long they can play with their budget. They want to say “in play” for the allotted amount of time they have and within the allotted budget.
If you’ve been a longtime reader, you’ll recall my casino glossary for Agency Post. I defined “hold” as the amount the casino keeps as net gaming revenue. It is calculated by “Total in – amount paid out = hold.” Typically, this is referred to in percentages.
“Hold”. This is a notion we casino marketers have historically loved. Loosest Slots … More Winners … The Most Winners .. Best Slots … Best Payouts. But often these were merely advertising headlines without any relationship to the overall experience. I’m not calling anyone less than truthful. The fact is any of us have used one or more of these lines because there was some bank of slots somewhere on our casino floors that made these headlines true.
Over the years, I’ve been part of way too many heated arguments about slot hold. In general, there are two camps. Camp A feels that customers can’t possibly tell when we raise hold because mathematically, it takes millions of spins to hit the target hold. Camp B (the one I’m in) agrees that a customer can’t calculate the hold (because of those million spins), but they can FEEL how fast their gambling budget takes them today versus how far it went yesterday.
To me, this (hold) experience is part of what the brand delivers which in turn should drive the message you communicate. This is why customers don’t believe the loose slots messages no matter how great your ad is. Nothing kills a bad experience like a great ad.
I’m sure the hold controversy will never be resolved if you think purely in terms of math. However, I think you can find a resolution if you think in terms of the guest experience you want to deliver. Put yourself in your guest’s shoes. Do you really want to take her $20, $50 or $100 in a matter of minutes or do you want her to have a great time and return with another $20, $50 or $100.
At the end of the day, if we’re in the business of entertainment, shouldn’t we entertain?
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 Thomasand 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.
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 Instituteon 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 SouthwestandHyatt. 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.
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 Casinosin 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.
Years ago, casino marketing was pretty easy. Give away a car or two. Have an occasional concert. Send out great offers in the mail. Have an exclusive VIP event, and my month was sure to be in the black. My media plan included every newspaper and magazine in the market as well as a rich variety of television and radio, and a fabulous (if I do say so myself) distribution of billboards. At Harrah’s New Orleans, I even got to work on something really cool called a “website”. The first couple of casino companies I worked for didn’t even have websites!
Then we started adding online (banner) advertising into the mix.
Eventually, we realized that there was money to be made selling unused hotel inventory, and we started down the path of search engine marketing and search engine optimization.
Fast forward to 2004 and some geek sitting in his dorm room comes up with a cool way for Harvard students to share information. Facebook was born. This wasn’t new. It was just a new avenue to join Blogger, Friendster, LinkedIn, MySpace, Delicious. digg, and Flickr, quickly followed by YouTube and Twitter…oh and something called Second Life. Two years later, Facebook became available to everyone…in the world.
The fiber of communications has changed. Once, it took millions to reach a few. Now a few reach millions. We’ve gone from traditional publishing to broadcast publishing to personal publishing to interactive publishing to network publishing. What used to take months and elicited a few comments here and there, now takes seconds and can generate hundreds of thousands of comments.
Casino marketing, however, has not evolved quite so quickly, probably because casino customers are more represented in the boomer segment than any other market segment. For these folks, the places they look for news and information hadn’t changed quite as quickly…
…until now
Last year Scott Hepburn asked me to give my thoughts on casino marketing and the use of social media. You can read that post here.
I said “Everyone is “dying to be on Facebook,” but with so much on our plates, I wondered if that was the place we needed to put our focus on.” I no longer wonder. It is. When we initially asked customers if they were on social networks, 80% said hardly or never. Today, 77.6% say they regularly visit their Facebook accounts to see what’s happening, and social networking sites have become a prime place to look for information. That change happened in less than two years.
Q. On a scale of 1-5, with 1 being NOT AT ALL and 5 being VERY INFLUENTIAL, please rate how influential these forms of media are in choosing which casino to visit.
Print is fading faster than anyone wants it to. Casino customers are looking for their information in much more dynamic areas.
Now firmly planted as a piece in our marketing puzzle, social media presents new challenges for us. No longer are customers willing to sit back and watch and respond to our ads. Now they want to interact with them. We have to create content that they can comment on or share with their networks. We have to create ads that are shareable via YouTube,
…ads that continue to tell the story on Facebook,
…ads that have a life of more than 30 seconds.
We have to create exclusive content that can only be found on these networks so that customers feel they have a unique access to information. And that new thing I got to work on long ago, the website has changed as well. It can no longer be a brochure. It has to be a living, breathing font of information that visitors can interact with and share.
How has social media changed your approach to marketing?
My latest Agency Post column takes a look from the other side of the table.
I usually write something from my point of view that I hope will help agencies vying for casino business. Today, I want to address my comments to clients hoping to get good work out of their agencies.
Take the time to teach your agency partner the ins and outs of your business. Don’t assume they know your business the way you know it. Share research. Share trends. Share the business. Share it with everyone at the agency, not just the account services team. It’s important that everyone that touches your account understands your business.
When you ask for creative, always remember that you’re asking for a creative solution to a business problem, not for something that just looks good. There is a delicate balance between art directing, bashing and giving constructive feedback. When you need to make changes, tell them what works and what doesn’t work. It doesn’t do any good to say things like “boring” or “we don’t like this”. That just tells them what they’ve given you isn’t working for you, but why?
I know this is hard to do. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve asked for more options without telling an account services person why I need to see something else. Guilty! I do know that when we’ve taken time to talk about the business goals, we’ve gotten stellar creative – not because it’s pretty, but because it accomplishes the business and communications goals.
Here are some things you should ask yourself (and communicate to your agency).
– What is the current condition and what is it that you are trying to achieve?
– Are there any facts consumers MUST know in order to accomplish these goals? Dates, times, cost of entry, etc.
– Is there something in particular you personally like about the program? Something you think is just incredible? Chances are it’s probably not as important to your customer. Toss that out.
– If this particular job is just a piece in a bigger puzzle, tell your agency about all of the other pieces and how they’ll work together.
Keep your brand as a solid foundation and follow these tips. You’ll find yourself getting better creative with fewer revisions. What do you need or do in order to produce great creative?
Casinos, Brands, and More 