Sponsored Content by Red Circle
The world is a-changing. And fast. All of it, but especially the entertainment stuff we look at on our phones. TikTok is such a perfect example of how fast things are changing. We don’t “watch TV” anymore. No, we watch TikTok on our phones. Short videos, looped, clicking from one clip to the next automatically. Video after video after video.
Of course we can’t help ourselves. About 80% of the information about the world around us comes into our brain through our eyes. We are visual animals. A huge portion of our brains are dedicated to managing the world WE SEE. TikTok has that science baked into its product, and we are hooked. Human brains are wired for visuals, which means we are pre-programmed for being addicted to visual content. Many of us can’t really help ourselves.
Have you ever lost track of time scrolling Instagram or TikTok or Facebook? Of course you have. We all have. It’s a thing now.
Check out this video – a great example of making fresh, engaging content in 2023:
So, if humans are visual animals, and our brains are literally wired for visuals, how do casino marketers take advantage of this? What could a casino marketer do differently in 2023 to get their audience to notice their advertising? Because that’s the whole reason we spend money on advertising, right? To be noticed, to connect our casino’s offerings with our audience wants, right? How, then?
First, stop being the baby deer in the woods.
Baby deer blend in so well with their surroundings they don’t even have a scent. Did you know that? Baby deer don’t smell at all. Like nothing. Invisible to a wolf’s all-powerful nose. Crazy, right? They BLEND IN. Which is good for baby deer, but bad for advertising. Blending in is just, plain and simple, bad for marketing. Rather than blend in, you want to be a peacock. Or even better — be the weirdo drama kid from high school that always had the witty and unusual and fun and crazy Halloween costume. Every year, that kid would do something weird and fun and different. Every year. And everyone always talked about it for weeks.
That’s what you want when making advertising:
A.) Be noticed
B.) Be talked about
C.) Never blend in and …
D.) Always be the subject of discussion
This idea works when applying for a new job, when asking a woman out on a date (I’m currently single, so I think about this often), and when pushing your casino with your advertising messaging.
Here’s an easy trick to make your casino advertising look interesting and different. Shoot original photography. With a look. Not just more of the same. Don’t TRY to make it look like the stuff from an online stock catalogue. Aim for different. Colorize it in post/editing. Add effects in post/editing. Shoot with a unique lens. JUST BE DIFFERENT.
Here’s some work we did for that same casino:
Shot this in a studio, projected slot reels onto the models, added some neon casino-looking light swirls in post. Bam! Unique look! All of their casino advertising materials just LOOKED DIFFERENT. Not like the usual casino look.
Online stock catalogues are easy. Which is why most casinos, when they are in a rush (and when is your art department NOT in a rush?), grab a stock image. And that’s why most casino advertising looks WAY WAY WAY too much like every other casino advertising campaign.
And hey, that’s bad. That’s the baby deer in the woods effect. No one knows the deer is there. Because he blends in. Good for the deer hiding from wolves, bad for your casino trying to be found by gamblers.
Remember, humans are visual animals. We think with our eyes. Blending in is the worst for your casino, so don’t blend in. Be different, like that drama kid who always killed it on Halloween. Start with your photography. It’s easy, it’s ownable (if you hire someone talented and shoot your own stuff, which is what you should do), and it’s fun.
If you need help with any of that, Red Circle has a photography division. We call it REEL casino content. Our photographer’s been shooting in-casino for 25+ years. We’ve shot inside close to a hundred casinos, tens of thousands of photos. All the stuff. Photos, video content, editing, effects — we do it all. And we do it well.
Connect with Red Circle today at RedCircleAgency.com.
Red Circle is the nation’s largest 100% Native-owned casino marketing firm. More than a typical advertising and media agency, we deliver proprietary products to help you better understand your guests and increase revenue.