Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING | Dec 2007 48 ICE Feature cy of visits and monetary spend. This would therefore suggest that a strong players club (with high perceived value from loyal customers), casino host function, effective direct mail marketing and some amount of traffic driving casino promotions should be at the core of the best casino marketing route.” Ad buyer beware Whether casinos opt for attracting new players or old, they’d do well to consider the media minefield that is television advertis- ing. Costs incurred from sound, light, studios, actors, buying airtime, a media consultant, scriptwriter, creatives, etc., make the initiative available to only the very wealthy or very reckless. With so many outlets open to location-based casino advertisers including main- stream press, radio, internet, direct marketing and the growing spe- cialist casino magazines, particularly in the Poker field, there’s a sug- gestion that TV advertising is as much a display of corporate muscle as an attempt to grow player base. And that more creative forms of advertising, such as the Casinò di Venezia luggage carousel at Venice Airport, is a more cost-effective route. Whatever casinos decide, let’s hope they don’t go to the same extremes as Utah woman Karolyne Smith and Golden Palace. The online gaming site paid Smith a seemingly paltry US$15,000 to permanently tattoo the name of its site across her forehead. The casino industry may do well to use their heads before chasing new players at the expense of ignoring their loyal, exist- ing base. This feature was devel- oped in partnership with ICE. For more information, log on to www.ice-exhibition.com. Dennis Conrad thinks casino marketers must look after existing customers Case study: Casinò di Venezia’s revolutionary idea Tread Carefully Before UK operators—online and land-based—jump aboard a gravy train which may lack destination, they would do well to look to the US for experience and advice. Raving Consulting is a casino marketing company that works, in the main, across North America but with a growing presence in other developing casino territories. President and Chief Strategist Dennis Conrad warns that the UK casino industry should tread care- fully before blowing big budgets on attracting new players. Conrad noted: “There is some advertising value in creating awareness of a new property, building a brand identity or highlight- ing a new casino amenity, offering or promotion. However, like most other businesses, the Pareto Principle applies to casinos and more than 20% of customers will generally account for 80% of revenues, so that group’s satisfaction and met desires are very important.” Conrad suggests that casino operators would do well not to lose focus on their existing client-base when attempting to con- vince newcomers. He added: “It is our view that the most valu- able marketing for a casino should be based on gaining informa- tion from, and communicating directly with, known gamers of known worth. This group should be segmented by their frequen- Head start? Golden Palace shun media buying for media events