Case Study: Promotions Development

While mostly known for endless lakes and beautiful farming land, Mahnomen, Minnesota, home of Shooting Star Casino, represents a significant revenue enterprise for the White Earth Nation. With a sizeable casino, hotel, spa and beautiful events center, the property has long been the top casino draw for Fargo, North Dakota, Northwest Minnesota and also Southern Manitoba.

Problem

With a new campaign set to launch in April, the property was challenged to find a bridge to drive business from January through March, traditionally a slow period.

Solution

Develop a promotional execution to help the property exceed Q1 visitation and revenue goals. Concussion worked with the Shooting Star Casino team to develop a promotion themed around what we found to be the market’s most pressing issue…the weather. Everyone we spoke to wanted to be able to escape the Minnesota winter (if only for a few days). Thus, the Brrriffic! Tropical Getaway promotion was born. Concussion’s goal was to remind everyone how nice it would be to…well…be somewhere tropical! On property, Shooting Star was turned into a tropical experience, complete with Hawaiian shirts, branded table felts, flip flops, Radio Margaritaville, boat drinks and grass huts. In Fargo, residents were greeted by flocks of 500 Pink Flamingos on the snow banks in front of malls, main intersections and large gathering areas. Outdoor boards reminded locals just how cold it was compared to a warm tropical paradise. Radio liners broadcasted “72 and sunny” forecasts for Shooting Star Casino immediately after conveying a -10 degree local temperature.

Evaluation

The result was one of the most successful promotions in the history of Shooting Star Casino. Customers loved the on-property experience and joined in the fun. In January and February, Shooting Star reported an average 5% increase in total monthly coin-in, 9.5% increase in daily visits and 13% increase in monthly visitation. Oh, and those pink flamingos mysteriously started appearing on front lawns around the city. Mission accomplished.