“Beyond Promotional Mailers: Marketing to the Next Generation of Gaming Customers” was a panel discussion of consultants and salespeople, each of whom had a product or service that could help casinos achieve the goal in the title.
The panelists discussed how marketing to Millennials (born 1981-1996) and Gen Z players (born 1997 and later and old enough to enter casinos) was different from marketing to their parents.
This group as a whole is active digitally and socially connected, spending 4-5 hours a day on social media and looking for experiences. Since they pay all bills online, any mail they receive is considered “junk” and is opened infrequently, if at all. Thus, direct mail is not an option that works well for them. Going digital is much more effective.
The best way to target younger potential players is through their smart phones. The panelists suggested that email and SMS were practical marketing tools for targeting them. They also suggested that non-gaming offers — such as food, concerts, and other sorts of experiences — were more effective than direct gaming offers. Once these players respond and their data is captured, specific offers can be tailored.
The panel suggested that automated check-in was a feature preferred by the younger crowd. Sports betting seems to be low-hanging fruit; a higher percentage of young players are interested in betting on sporting events than in slots or table games.
Players cards that capture more than just slot play — specifically, purchases at the various outlets in the casino — are more effective at capturing data about where players spends their money and time and are useful in creating more effective offers.
The panel suggested that outsourcing digital marketing made sense, but if casino marketing departments want to going to do it themselves, they should consider hiring one or more Gen Z marketing employees and listen to their input on the best ways to get to their contemporaries.
