What to do after the honeymoon phased has waned
Mark Astone
After two weeks open and being treated to record numbers, many properties are starting to see some normalization as pent up demand has passed its peak and competition is kicking back in. Beyond demand, a number of contributing factors even boosted openings beyond expectations for some. The first to market had the advantage being the only game in town. But, as the honeymoon phase has waned, now is a good time to take a breath and begin to look towards what’s next.
The initial wave of reopening success has seen an abnormal mix of business with a younger demographic weighing in heavily over the first weeks. With 65+ gamers making up a good portion of the typical player base, there could be a second wave of good fortune waiting in the wings. For the older players that just aren’t comfortable visiting a casino yet, there is another level of demand that can spring loose once they feel comfortable reengaging with casinos.
From a straight marketing perspective, many properties have laid off full blown advertising campaigns during the opening stretch. Reasons for this vary from budgeting, to concern over public backlash on messaging, to some even predicting that they would be busy and it wouldn’t be necessary. Now that we have a few weeks under our belts and we can see where the trend is headed, we thought we’d share a couple of tactics to focus on over the next few months to help you capture your share of the revenues.
