“I am MEGACENTER; prepare to be destroyed!”: If you scroll down to “Best Name Ever?” on David Schwartz’s blog, you’ll find a very funny and thoughtful item about the thunderously unimaginative name Las Vegas Sands dreamed up for its agglomerated Sands Expo/Palazzo/Venetian super-megaresort. What they came up with sounds like something out of Transformers or Toho Studios. “Eek! It’s MEGACENTER! Run for your life!” Where’s the Cloverfield monster (aka “Mr. Grumpypants“) when you really need him?
Speaking of Cloverfield, a dreadful movie whose marketing campaign (here’s its original spore) is the best I’ve ever seen, to what extent is the casino industry exploring viral marketing?
Given the high level of interest that surrounds every new casino or redevelopment of an existing one, not to mention the fever pitch that usually accompanies a grand opening (when properly done), wouldn’t it benefit Company X’s coffers to tease the consumer with hints and tidbits throughout the long runup to that moment when the doors swing open and the players stream into the newest pleasure palace?
In view of the popularity of sites like Two Way Hard Three and VegasTodayandTomorrow.com, it would seem that giving these folks a well-timed glimpse here and there would only help ramp up (and shape) expectations for new and remodeled properties. Instead, casino companies get all defensive and demand, for instance, that all CityCenter images be removed (as briefly happened to VegasTodayandTomorrow).
These people are your allies! Work with them! It’s a win-win scenario if ever I saw one.
