If you’re in the business of fun then why do your promotions suck?

Sorry to be so blunt, but have you been to a casino promotion lately?

If you have and you think they’re great’; this may not be the article for you.

Look at your promotion from your guest’s perspective. A virtual ticket, in a virtual drum to win a virtual prize, exciting isn’t it?

Do you remember when a casino promotion was a show and an event? The lowly “wind machine.” Every casino has done it, there’s probably one languishing in your warehouse now. Let’s look at how it’s done…

A guest earns virtual points…
Virtual points equal virtual tickets…
A name is chosen virtually…
The person comes up, steps inside the machine for X number of seconds and tries to catch cash. The trick is the cash has to be placed into a box – what’s in the box they keep.

I have had TWO amazing meetings in the past two weeks with casino general mangers who say, “Enough is enough, bring the floor excitement back!”

Let’s look at the same “wind machine” done in a new way.

A guest who enters is given a REAL ticket…
A guest can earn more tickets through play…
Guests get the additional tickets at the Players Club…
The guests fill out those tickets…
The guests place them in the drum on the DAY OF the promotion… (You can even have different barrels based on time – barrel for 7:00PM, 8:00PM etc…)
You have an MC who is great on the Mic. (Want some additional fun? Do an open casting call on your property for the guy or gal with the Golden Voice…)
When a name is chosen give them three minutes to appear…
If possible, have the guest help you load the money in the machine… For good measure take 3 or 4 $100 bills and crumple them up and throw them into the mix at the very end…
Challenge the winner – remember they’re a gambler – give them an option to spin a BIG 6 wheel for additional time, less time, or a BONUS.
Suit the winner up in a painter’s suit including head sock… Have them wear protective goggles too – flying money can be dangerous…
COACH THEM on how to win…
Set the clock and put them in the machine…
As it begins, have the assembled crowd count down the last 15 seconds with the machine…
When the person exits make a BIG DEAL out of counting the money…
Encourage them to Facebook it…
Post a TALL board with first name and hometown and challenge others to beat it.
Offer a BONUS to the person who gets the MOST and the person who gets the LEAST at the end of the promotion…

Same “wind machine”, new found FUN!

How easy was that? Simple steps and you generated a lot of BUZZ.

Think about all of your promotions this way.

Guess what… What do you do with all of those tickets in the drum? You send them off to be input into a database then you run it against your existing customer database and WOW a new prospect list of people who ACTUALLY LIKE YOU!

Accompanying this article are some pictures of some fun promotions we created for our clients. We’ve created promotions with game boards, bubbling cauldrons, race cars that ran down a 30 foot track, and even built an aircraft carrier in a mostly military market.

This is the age of Social Media… Social Media means free exposure and publicity either good or bad… Make that exposure great.

If you’d like to learn more about creating floor excitement call me, Ben Gravolet with Touchpoints Marketing and Advertising 504/361-1804 ext. 202

www.touchpointsmarketing.net

I’ve been creating casino promotions that have worked from Coast to Coast for 20 years.