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Why There Are No Clocks in Las Vegas... Marketing ploys you can adapt to lure customers
"Do you have the time?"
During my Las Vegas vacation last week, several people spotted my wristwatch and asked me that question.
"Have you noticed that none of the hotels along the Strip have clocks?" they'd ask.
I checked hotel lobbies.
No clocks.
Swimming pool areas.
No clocks.
Restaurants.
No clocks.
Casinos.
Definitely no clocks.
No windows, either. Once you pass through the darkly-tinted doors of any resort along the Strip, you enter a world where time ceases to exist. You can't see out, so you don't know whether it's night or day. The absence of clocks further suspends one's sense of reality.
You can almost hear the casino owners chanting, "You're mine... all mine. I've sucked you in and I'm never going to let you go. So spend, spend, spend!"
In a city whose existence hinges on tourism, marketing is a high-stakes bet resort owners can't afford to lose, particularly in our rough economy (Las Vegas has the highest home foreclosure rate in the nation, according to USA Today).
With tourism and convention attendance down significantly this year, the resorts are pulling out all the stops. Their goal: Make sure the tourists who do visit are happy, so they'll encourage all their friends to visit.
All of us who hope to grow a business can learn from Vegas's super-sized, in-your-face marketing strategies.
Here are three good ones I observed:
1. The Room Key Caper
It took three hours, two bellhops, one security guard, one maintenance man, and the Luxor's night manager to troubleshoot the problem with our room keys (they were coded improperly and wouldn't work). After issuing us 10 different key cards, the staff finally solved the problem, and comped us a $40 buffet for our inconvenience.
Marketing Strategies:
- Treat your customers graciously, especially when they have a complaint.
- Respond promptly to all customer service issues (which the Luxor staff did).
- Apologize for your mistake and give your customer a freebie to smooth ruffled feathers.
When you go the extra mile for your customer, they'll remember - and they'll likely continue to give you their business.
2. The All-Day Buffet Foray
All-you-can-eat, all day. That's the catchphrase at the resort buffets.
The premise: If hotel guests eat three (or more!) meals a day, they're likely to linger in or near said hotel all day... lounging at the pool, getting spa treatments, gambling, shopping, and attending nightclubs and shows.
We tried the Luxor's all-day buffet one day. While three buffet meals was a tad filling, the food was delicious. The Luxor's buffet was spendier than other resorts' buffets, but the food was higher quality.
Marketing Strategies:
- It's okay to charge more than your competitors, as long as your product/service is better than theirs.
- Brainstorm one value-added product or service you can offer your customers that will keep them on your premises long-term. The Vegas resorts are big on customer loyalty programs - scannable cards that reward you for spending money on the premises by giving you free or discounted food, admission to shows or exhibits, or gambling chips.
3. Walk Like an Egyptian
The Luxor's mammoth pyramid-shaped atrium is a marvel to behold (it's also fun to travel at a 39 degree angle up the hotel "inclinators").
The Bellagio has a very different feel than the Luxor; its exquisite lobby features 2,000 Chihuly hand-blown glass flowers; you can stroll through the quiet Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, or head outside and watch the famous Fountain show. Everything about the Bellagio breathes "luxury."
Marketing Strategy:
- Choose a unique motif or theme for your business. Develop it. Promote it. Stick with it.
Your Assignment
- List one specific thing you will do to go the extra mile for your customer.
- Develop a strategy for soothing disgruntled customers.
- Plan a customer rewards program for your business. What incentives will it include?
- In three words, define what makes your business unique. List three concrete ways you will capitalize on your uniqueness.
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