Perhaps nowhere is the evolution and fusion of mobile and marketing more apparent than in the gaming industry. And perhaps nowhere is the help of mobile more sorely needed.
For casinos that continue to rely on traditional, non-mobile or even non-digital tactics to attract or retain patrons, the effectiveness of their efforts have diminished considerably in recent years.
With direct mail – once a mainstay of casino marketing – losing more of its luster by the day, relevant engagement through marketing with gamblers and visitors has never been more important for casinos.
For that reason, mobile now embodies the future of marketing in casino gaming. And the evidence is as ubiquitous as it is compelling.
Either out of want or necessity, mammoth casino operations are embracing mobile marketing. MGM Resorts in Las Vegas, for example, is leaning heavily on SMS. From targeting special offers and providing alerts, to announcing contests and touting loyalty programs, these mobile efforts have paid off handsomely for MGM.
As a result, other properties are being challenged to follow this lead and take their mobile sophistication to the next level.
“Casinos must adjust their marketing now to accommodate mobile and be prepared,” says Martin R. Baird, CEO of Robinson & Associates, a guest service consulting company. “Many casinos still use antiquated comment cards and call it a guest feedback platform. That’s like thinking VHS is a video format. We saw the growth in mobile and realized that casinos need a way to collect real-time, actionable customer feedback using that technology.”
Auspiciously, solutions for casinos large and small are oozing out of the woodwork today.
Just last week, Joingo LLC generated substantial buzz in response to its new solution for delivering to casinos a personalized mobile advertising platform.
The app, which lets casinos customize smartphones apps and target and interact with loyalty club members, may have quite a future in Las Vegas and across the gaming landscape.
“We have a one-stop shop solution for a fragmented eco-system of apps,” says Alex Kanwetz, Joingo’s co-founder and vice president of business development. “It’s also not about just having an app anymore; it’s about how you use it.”
According to the Las Vegas Review Journal, Joingo’s clients are using the app-creation program as a mobile marketing tool to deliver time-sensitive promotions.
“The value to the player is that they receive something that is personalized,” Kanwetz said.
A growing number of gaming and marketing industry analysts believe that, over time, mobile will become the paramount means of marketing for casinos.
“Casinos that don’t embrace the mobile reality in 2013 will be left behind,” Baird warns. “2013 is the year that mobile needs to be a focus for casino marketing and casino customer feedback.”
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