Good Ideas That Never Really Made It
by Dennis Conrad
February 2, 2009
A look back at concepts that may deserve another try
In
my opinion, a good marketer is always trying new things. Certainly those “new
tries” need to be woven into a solid strategic marketing plan and hopefully are
based on feedback from customers. But the best marketers and best marketed
casinos just seem to continuously pump out new and innovative concepts that
help their business. Just look at Barona Valley Resort and Casino in Southern California.
But it also means that
these “gurus” are constantly coming up with good ideas that never really make
it.
I guess it is the nature
of innovation – many failures go into the few real successes. But that’s OK, if
the successes are big enough and you learn from (and don’t repeat) the
failures.
That got me to thinking
about some of those failures, the good tries, the good ideas that never really
made it in our industry. I will share those with you now, in the belief that
these notions have value and may just be a tweak or two away from being a “home
run.”
Environmental Entertainers – These are the entertainers that “work” the casino floor or pop up in
various areas of the casino resort. Their aim is to surprise, delight and
entertain. You may see a few of their genre now and then (strolling mariachi
bands on Cinco de Mayo, magicians in casino restaurants, etc.), but efforts to
integrate “entertainment” into casino entertainment have pretty much been
reduced to “official” lounges and showrooms. Too bad.
Bobble Heads –
The Trump Casinos have done effective promotions with Donald Trump
(limited-edition) bobble heads, and I seem to remember Hooters Casino in Las Vegas doing a grand
opening bobble head giveaway. But other than that, nary a bobbler in sight. I
still think bobble heads of customers, employees or local celebrities would
have strong marketing appeal.
Chair Massages –
Some innovative marketers have dabbled in “kneading tired gamblers’ muscles”
(there is even a company that provides this service in Florida poker rooms), but for the most part
the concept remains a casino curiosity. But wouldn’t refreshed muscles lead to
more casino play?
Service “Teams” for Slot Areas – A few casinos have experimented with providing
slot, maintenance, housekeeping and beverage (even food) service to customers
in slot sections through integrated service teams having a team supervisor,
rather than through multiple casino departments with multiple supervisors. This
concept sounds so good and so common sensical (“we all serve the guest
together”) that I wonder where it falls apart. Because it has never caught
on.
“What Can I Do For You?” – One enterprising casino executive team had its senior executives spend
dedicated time on the casino floor, introducing themselves to gamblers in
action and asking if there was anything they could do RIGHT THEN to improve the
guest’s experience. Sounds pretty powerful, but most players said, “No thanks,”
“Let me win,” or “Get me a drink.”
Booster Playing Cards – One enterprising promotion company patented the concept of having
coupon offers on the face of casino playing cards. I guess the idea was to sell
the cards to customers and give them 52 reasons to come back to visit the
casino with offers that hit their hot buttons. Or 52 reasons to visit local
participating merchant partners. Or…
The Manager on Duty – This is
the notion where each member
of the senior executive team spends a dedicated period (typically a weekend a
month or two) on the casino floor with customers and employees as sort of a
“senior facilities manager on duty.” This is a brilliant idea (executives on
the floor) and I see the concept at a few casinos, but it seems to degenerate
into a “chore” where the honchos eventually end up spending their shift behind
closed office doors. Again, too bad.
Retail Kiosks in Gaming Areas – I’m not referring to “regular retail” here, but
the notion that in a table game pit, for example, customers could buy cards,
dice, chips, even dealer shirts and aprons. Sounds like a revenue stream to me,
but it’s never really caught on.
“Premium Wine By the Glass” Dispensers – These automated dispensers exist, and a few
casinos have stuck them in their resort areas, thinking customers might go for
a glass of really good wine, that is usually only available by the bottle. So
far, no luck with this good idea.
GM Hotlines – In
this notion, phones are spread throughout the property, inviting guests to call
the GM (or some other senior manager) if they have any issues that need fixing.
For some reason, the phones go unutilized and end up ringing to a switchboard
operator instead of the GM’s office.
Yes, there are countless
good ideas that have never really made it in our industry. That doesn’t mean
you should stop searching for them or revisiting those that had a “faint whiff
of success.” And I still like the “Manager on Duty” concept.
Dennis Conrad
Dennis Conrad is the president and chief Relationship Officer of Raving Consulting Company, a full service marketing company specializing in assisting gaming organizations. He can be reached at (775) 329-7864. Visit Raving’s Web site at www.ravingconsulting.com.
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