Challenge

Grand Victoria Casino and Resort by Hyatt is situated in Indiana, on the Ohio river ó a picturesque but remote area that is 12 miles from the nearest small town and 50 minutes from Cincinnati. After 9 months of operation, the riverboat casino was not drawing the traffic it had projected. This, combined with an influx of Vegas-styled riverboat casinos just minutes from Cincinnati, increased competition and further threatened prosperity. Due to the lack of quality in print and broadcast advertising, Hyatt would not allow its brand to be associated with the casino.

Solution

The Capstone - Grand Victoria team 1) Implemented a ìfeel-goodî public relations program to spike local traffic complete with residual dollars returned to the community, 2) Created a new ìHyattî brand-styled ad campaign saturating tri-state newspapers, publications, radio and cable 3) Installed heavy outdoor advertising complemented by hundreds of directional signs and 4) Produced strong direct mail campaigns and VIP incentives. These efforts combined with a new Grand Opening featuring celebrity talent, a dinner/theater club and a ìresort destinationî message differentiated Grand Victoria from all other riverboat casinos and made the drive a "resort destination"..

Results

Within 6 months of this intense marketing program, grosses increased over 30% per month going from 9 million to 12 million and as high as 14 million per month. Furthermore, because of the strong ìHyattî-styled branding effort, Hyatt allowed Grand Victoria to use the Hyatt logo on ads, which strengthened their position as a resort destination and delivered credibility.