Think before you act

Jedd Cokayne, Business Unit Manager at The MediaShop

As marketers, I often feel we over complicate the interaction that we have with brands on different levels which muddies the water for our consumers, lets us slip from the short list and ultimately chase consumers to competitor brands.

Certain segments have identified specific brand USP’s that have made them successful. Single minded focus is key in an economy that is struggling and brands that are fighting to be part of the consideration set.

One such industry that has pin hole focus, knows what works for them and makes no excuses for what they do, is the gambling fraternity. They know exactly what works for them, they focus on the outcome and relentlessly pursue it with precision and determination.

And here we thought that vile coloured carpet used in the main lobby and gambling areas was a sick joke by the interior decorator, or the fact that the toilets were positioned in the belly of the beast and you had to pass all the amenities available just to get there was a design flaw. All of this actually took plenty of thought to solicit a specific behaviour or outcome.

The secret life of a casino is designed to appeal to the thousands of guests and gamers visiting them each day; from the confused newcomer to a cash laden ‘whale’ looking to play the high stakes tables for hours. By clearly segmenting their visitors and taking them into consideration each casino is specifically designed to accommodate all.

Let’s take a closer look.

Casinos deliberately don’t have clocks or any item that displays the time. They don’t have any windows and supply false lighting so that players lose track of time and continue to gamble through the night. They deliberately dull the senses to get a desired effect from the gamblers, this is very difficult to replicate in any other surrounding.

Casinos only offer drinks that are small with no form of stimulant to keep people gambling and ensure they don’t leave to go to the toilets. That’s why the toilets are placed in the belly of the beast. Another advantage is that smaller drinks are easier to clean up if spilt.

But what can brands do to ensure people interact with them over a longer period with no distractions and increase the likelihood of purchase?

Gamblers are often rewarded at different times as it keeps them coming back for more. Loyalty packages and databases collected often drive repeat purchases on a more frequent basis.

Previously, I mentioned those vile, gaudiest carpets known to man. Believe it or not those brightly coloured carpets with wild swirling patterns and designs are purposefully put there to keep players alert and happy, encouraging them to play more.

Casinos are a symphony of non-stop sounds, lights and colours, these all boost the players mood making them more excited around the thought of winning and end up spending more.

Standard services like toilets, food, cashiers etc are all strategically located deep within the casino. This is strategically done so that when the players want to leave the casino and have visited one or more of the above amenities, they have to pass the gambling areas once again and potentially lose some more money.

Players are often lulled into a false sense of control as some games allow them to throw the dice, chose their own cards and pick random numbers. This illusion of control fools gamblers into thinking they have a higher chance of winning because of their interaction and thus results into them gambling longer and spending more.

As we can see there is a lot of thought that goes into your plain casino, something we in marketing need to consider the next time we look at how our consumers interact with our brands and ultimately what the desired result is that we want from that interaction.