If Your Brand Was A Casino…

I recently took a trip to Las Vegas (for the first time) for an extended weekend with some friends. While wandering amongst the madness that is the Vegas strip, I had the opportunity to visit a number of casinos/hotels and look around. And because I’m a big enough marketing nerd, I started thinking about the differences between the venues.

Each of the different venues has a very distinct personality, environment and decor– each of them has a clear brand. Some of the themes are more explicit (I’m thinking specifically of the Excalibur and the Luxor, which are meticulously styled as medieval castles and Egyptian scenes, respectively) where some are more nebulous (if asked to sum up the Wynn’s brand, one might use words like classy, chic or luxurious).

The more memorable places in Las Vegas have real personalities and unique features. Drawing on what I noticed in Las Vegas – that each brand is meticulously planned so customers can identify and resonate with the brand both immediately and in the long term-  I started asking myself either-or questions regarding some of my favorite brands to see if they were distinct in the same way.

For example- is the brand’s target customer:

• seeking luxury or seeking value?
• interested more in tradition or innovation?
• spontaneous or methodical in their purchasing habits?

Too often, marketers get so caught up in casting the widest net possible and looking at numbers without giving some real thought to the brand itself. Try this exercise yourself with your (and your competitors’) brands.  Do they hold up? If you find yourself unable to answer these sorts of questions, it’s seriously worth considering going back to the drawing board and carving out a personality for your brand.