Courtesy www.brandfreak.com
Las Vegas refining its ad strategy for a post-recession consumer
By David Kiefaber on Wed Dec 1 2010
Las Vegas's bold new post-recession branding initiative is ... doing the same crap they've always done. They're trying to lure "recession survivors," defined as people 21-54 with money to burn, back to Sin City with $8 million worth of advertising in 2011. The new campaign will highlight discounted travel packages and the value of the Las Vegas experience to a "more prudent" consumer. Which, again, is pretty much what they were doing before the country went broke. Vegas has always offered travel discounts to that demographic because it's essentially Pleasure Island for adults; the only difference now is that the stakes are higher. Visitors are spending less now—about $590 per trip—but there are still 150,000 rooms to fill. If they're going to make this work, they need to shift their image from one where lucky rollers get rich (or laid) to one where people with extra cash can have fun and blow off a little steam. In other words, it's all about subtlety and moderation. How Vegas will navigate such unfamiliar territory is anyone's guess.
Las Vegas ad campaign targets recession survivors
November 28, 2010|By Suzette Parmley, Inquirer Staff Writer
* Visitors still packed Bally's Las Vegas on this weeknight in November. The news is mixed: Spending is down 15 percent from 2008, but visits are slightly up from 2009.
Visitors still packed Bally's Las Vegas on this weeknight in November. The news…
* Visitors still packed Bally's Las Vegas on this weeknight in November. The news is mixed: Spending is down 15 percent from 2008, but visits are slightly up from 2009.
* "We have less people coming in," said Inessa Moneta of the jewelry stand where she works in the Paris Las Vegas Casino. "They are spending less money."
* While tourists to Las Vegas now spend less than in 2008, the number of leisure visits to the city are up 3 percent from 2009.
LAS VEGAS - Like all major U.S. destinations, Sin City has felt the full throttle of the recession.
But Vegas' economy, built entirely on spending - whether through gambling on the Strip's 33 casinos, relaxing at the lavish spas, or shopping at the upscale malls - needs tourists more than any other.
And starting in early 2011, the city's marketing message will be heavily geared toward those who survived the recession.
Why the push?
"Survival," Rob Dondero, executive vice president of R&R Partners, the Las Vegas public relations firm that coined the famous "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" slogan, said candidly. "Las Vegas has always been a survivor and is very resilient.
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