August 1, 2008:

    I've probably used this tip before, but I'm amazed how often I hear marketers say, "I never mail the same letter twice. Our customers would spot it right away." Oh, yeah? So how come "Repetition, repetition, repetition" is what makes advertising work? And why does the Wall Street Journal keep mailing its famous subscription letter that was written when Nixon was president? Oh, they've tried to replace it, but it still wins all the tests. Truth is, most people can't remember what they saw on TV or read in the mail yesterday, much less what they got a week earlier. Because we're bombarded with a thousand or more advertising messages every day, it becomes a matter of self-defense. We tune ads out because most of them are junk. Few offer us a promise or a benefit that sticks. Advertisers run the same ad dozens of times. So never be afraid to mail the same letter twice--especially if it pulled well the first time.

August 11, 2008:

    I saw a story on the financial pages the other day that reminded me of the "corporate lead" you see so often from large companies. In the corporate lead, the main idea is to lead off with the CEO's name, then get in as many plugs as possible for the company before you reveal what the hell the press release is about. Here's an example that's uncomfortably close to the real thing: "John J. Johnson, president and chief executive officer of the Hot Damn Casino Company, Inc., speaking to a group of investors to answer questions about the company's new casinos in Ponca City, OK, and Brimstone, ID, revealed at the company's offices in New York, with video feeds to other company casinos in Las Vegas, Reno and Tonopah, NV, that the world will end Wednesday night." When I was in the newspaper business, this kind of thing used to drive me wild. But if your job depends on corporate leads, forget everything I just said.

August 22, 2008:

    In most casino direct mail, everything from valet parking to the buffet is called "exciting." I've seen that word used as many as four times in a one-page letter. It's become a crutch for writers who have no vocabulary, no imagination, or both. And really, there are much better words to describe the sensations that a casino creates. They include "breathless," "thrilled," "captivated" and "inspiring." And perhaps the one word that best describes the feelings of a first time casino visitor is "serendipity," coined by British writer Horace Walpole in 1774. The word comes from a story named, "The Three Princes of Serendip." They were fortunate fellows who made a series of wonderful discoveries by accident. Hence, "serendipity" is a delightful but unexpected discovery. I remember the night I walked into my first casino, the Las Vegas Sahara. I found serendipity all over the place. Wouldn't you know it? Years later they hired me.

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July 1, 2008:

    I must have written a dozen hotel and Sales brochures in my 18-year stay as marketing director of the former Del Webb's Sahara, Las Vegas. Maybe you're writing one as we speak. If so, my condolences. In case you're having trouble with the copy, here's my best advice. Before you start, imagine you're making a first trip to your own hotel. You'd have plenty of questions, right? Then answer them in the copy you prepare. And don't embellish your answers with fancy adjectives. Just stick to the facts. I'd also suggest some visual surprises--photos that back up the benefits and promises you make If you have a golf course, for example, maybe a photo that shows a golf ball at the moment it's crushed against the face of a driver. And when you choose models, make sure they relate to your target audience.

July 11, 2008:

    I'm sometimes asked about "Writer's block," and some of the people who ask are writers themselves. To tell you the truth, I've never had it--and I don't enjoy talking about it. But I brought it up and I suppose I should keep going. To start, I'm a professional writer, which means I get paid for what I write. And when you're paid to write you simply don't get Writer's Block because you can't afford it. I came up through the newspaper business, and you can't afford Writer's Block there, either. You can't sit down at 9:45 p.m. to write a news story for a 10 p.m. deadline and just stare at blank paper. Your fingers hit the keys the moment you slide into your seat and you always--and I mean always--beat the deadline. Either that or you find a new job. So now I've told you all I know (or care to know) about Writer's Block. Don't ask me again.

July 22, 2008:

    Here's a tip about a single word that can change the impact of an important sentence in a piece of direct mail or in almost anything else you write. The word is well known and it's part of everyone's vocabulary, but its power to motivate and please is largely overlooked. The word is "really." I use this magic amplifier in virtually every piece of direct mail I write. But there's a drawback. It can be used only once per piece. To show you how it adds a punch, which is stronger in the following examples? "I loved the necklace you sent," or "I really loved the necklace you sent." "I appreciate your interest in our company,' or "I really appreciate your interest in our company." Of course, the word can amplify everything from doubt to weather. "Do you really expect me to believe that?" "It's really a hot day." Use it to make an impression right up front, or to close your letter. It really works.In most casino direct mail, everything from valet parking to the buffet is called "exciting." I've seen that word used as many as four times in a one-page letter. It's become a crutch for writers who have no vocabulary, no imagination, or both. And really, there are much better words to describe the sensations that a casino creates. They include "breathless," "thrilled," "captivated" and "inspiring." And perhaps the one word that best describes the feelings of a first time casino visitor is "serendipity," coined by British writer Horace Walpole in 1774. The word comes from a story named, "The Three Princes of Serendip." They were fortunate fellows who made a series of wonderful discoveries by accident. Hence, "serendipity" is a delightful but unexpected discovery. I remember the night I walked into my first casino, the Las Vegas Sahara. I found serendipity all over the place. Wouldn't you know it? Years later they hired me.

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June 1, 2008:

    Look at the headlines I've written on the News & Opinions piece, and on the Tip of the Week story you're reading. Note that each line stands alone, a thought in itself. And note that the headline tells you exactly what you'll find in the story. This is because the headline is the most important part of any story or ad. Good headlines reach out and snare a reader because they hit the reader's self interest. Cute and clever "indirect" headlines hide an ad's offer. In tests, the :direct" headline such as you'll find at the top of every story in a newspaper, beats the "indirect" headline 4 to 1. When both lines are balanced and each conveys a thought, the meaning is easier to comprehend. Sure, you can go with the first one you write, But the discipline of balance always produces the superior headline.

June 11, 2008:

    "Headlines on ads," wrote Claude Hopkins, "are like headlines on news items. Nobody reads a whole newspaper. One is interested in financial news, one in political, one in society, one in cookery, one in sports. There are whole pages in every newspaper that we never scan at all. Yet other people will turn directly to those pages. We pick out what we wish to read by headlines." Is this some radical new theory, previously hidden from the creative people in advertising? ). Not exactly. Hopkins wrote the paragraph I just quoted in his first book, Scientific Advertising, published in 1923. I've read that book three times and I've yet to find any of his conclusions outdated. So you can imagine my consternation when I see casino ad headlines that are the direct opposite of the basic truth Hopkins laid down 85 years ago. Of all businesses, casinos should understand the odds of success lie with the newspaper-style headline. But no. Silly, goofy, indirect headlines abound. Creativity--it's wonderful. (From my first book, Casino Marketing.)

June 22, 2008:

    I've written a ton of advice about the first paragraph of your sales letter (only amateurs call them "cover letters"). Now here are a few gems about the last paragraph. To start, keep in mind it's the last thing prospects read, so tell them exactly what you want them to do (the "call for action"). Generally you'll tell them to phone the 800 number right away, or send back the coupon, or call their host. And it doesn't hurt to throw a little "fear" in there. "We have only a few rooms left, and when they're gone, they're gone...My phones are already ringing off the hook and space is limited...If I don't hear from you by (date) I'm afraid all our rooms will be gone, and I'd hate to see you kiss this one." Finally, you can throw in a little exclusivity ("And don't bother going to the front desk when you arrive. Your key will be ready and waiting at the VIP Lounge.")

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May 1, 2008:

    The millions of pieces of direct mail sent by hundreds of casino in the US can be divided into a five loose segments--bad, struggling, not too bad, shows promise and excellent. If you think you're in the last two groups, check these points that can increase response and move you into the top three.: (1) Your objective is not just to inform or to communicate. It's to make your customers see and feel the action, it's to arouse their emotions, get them off the couch and impel them to accept or buy what you're offering (2) The fewer adjectives and adverbs the better. They make your letter sound like an ad and they weigh down the copy (3) Appeal to what Herschell Lewis calls the four motivators--greed, guilt, fear and exclusivity (4) Make the tone of your letter personal, as if you're writing to a friend. (5) make it easy for your targets to respond.

May 11, 2008:

    Pick up any newspaper and you see scores of small space ads, all trying to break through and catch a moment of your time. But few succeed. Why? Because readers don't really "read" a newspaper--they scan it. They look only for headlines that hit their own self-interest. If your headline doesn't do that, you don't have a chance in hell to get your message across. Yet some budgets are so slim that to get any kind of consistency you have to go small. What to do? First, remember that you're not trying to get the "readers" of the newspaper to read your ad. You care only for those who may have a need or yearning for your product--whether it's a casino or a used car dealership. Aim your headline at their need. Advertise a benefit or a make a promise. Make the headline large. Make the copy pay off the headline. Get it as high on the page as you can. Track your results and test headlines.

May 22, 2008:

    Nobody will read a long letter, Is that true or false? I've had clients tell me that their customers prefer short letters--just the facts. But, I ask, what if you received two letters from stock brokers pitching annuities? One was short and to the point. The other went into detail that explained just how they would invest your money and protect your privacy. It's obvious here that the longer letter would be more effective. But some casinos are hard to convince. If they offer a free room for two nights, that's it. But what if I make the same offer and add something like this: "You'll sleep on soft Egyptian cotton sheets, down-filled pillows and Sealy's top of the line mattress. If you need to hit the Internet just plug in--it's free. And for television viewing, click on your 34-inch Sharp high definition Acquos that delivers an image so sharp you can see the brush marks on the anchor woman's lipstick." Which "free room" becomes more appealing? The length of a letter should be determined by the benefits you can find in the offer--and there are plenty of them if you dig.

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April 1, 2008:

    Here's a portion of a letter I wrote last December to Popular Mechanics magazine. The Tip is pretty obvious: "I've been a PM subscriber for several years and can testify that your magazine is filled with interesting and worthwhile articles. But when my subscription expires I won't renew it. The reason is not content. It is typography--page after page of sans serif type that makes reading and comprehension a worsening chore. Your magazine leans more heavily on sans serif each month. In the Jan., 2008, issue, only three features and a few captions were in Roman serif faces. The other 110 pages were all in sans serif type. The purpose of typography is to make reading easier. Any type that makes the message hard to read and hard to comprehend, is wrong."

April 11, 2008:

    Into every marketer's life comes an occasional brochure. It's never a happy time. You think it's going to be a simple project, but the convention sales people scour every word and phrase. You go through two or three proofs and they're still not satisfied. When it's finally complete, a rival casino could put its own name on the cover and no one would know the difference. But here are some rules I follow (mostly because I made them up). If it's a Las Vegas brochure I always put "Las Vegas" at the top of the cover. I follow that with a benefit or a promise--like the headline on an ad. If I haven't included the hotel name in the promise, I put it at the bottom. This infuriates the Sales people because they maintain that when brochures go in a rack you see only the top half. I explain this is why I want a headline at the top--a headline that will hit a propect's self-interest and she'll take the brochure and read it. Most brochures are filled with happy people eating, playing slots or craps--fake shots, every one of them. I hold out for pictures of the actual casino employees and executives a guest might meet. Then I fill the rest of the brochure with benefits. Once I wrote a thousand words of copy in a brochure. Now stop that giggling. The HSMA gave it a gold medal.

April 22, 2008:

    Casinos are starting to look like old science fiction movies--the kind where robots and weird machines do everything and the humans walk around in out-of-style white coats and trousers trying to find out what their jobs are. Some joints never send cash vouchers. They just let the player know his money is in one of their cash machines--waiting for him to come in and draw it out. At other places you get your comps and drawing tickets from a kiosk. And ticket in-ticket out games are everywhere. The human side is gone. You can spend a hour on the slot floors of some places and never see a soul from the house. So when Dennis Conrad and Steve Browne of Raving Consulting Company in Reno, came up with a program named "Slot Ambassadors," I told them they should have named it "Rage Against the Machine." When I got a good look at it I stopped kidding. It's personal service all over again. "Slot Ambassadors" on the floor are like money in the bank. Raving has a 4-step program and a tactical manual so big you could hurt your back trying to lift it. I mean, these guys are thorough. They expect to get the program going in several casinos this summer--which means the human side is back. Get lost, Gort.

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March 1, 2008:

    I seldom write about politics, but political tactics interest me and Barack Obama's people have one that's a real beauty. After Super Tuesday, he was reported to have raised more then seven million bucks in a week--all from the Internet. Whoa, I said. Seven million from nickel and dime donors, and so fast? Must have a monster list, I thought. Then I read Brian Quinton's piece in the February issue of Direct magazine. When a December rally at Columbia, SC, drew 30,000, the crowd was asked to text their cell phone numbers to Obama headquarters and sign up for mobile messages. Then they were invited to look at tickets they were handed as they entered. Each had a name and phone number of four registered South Carolina Democrats. "Would they take 10 minutes right now to call these four people and urge them to vote for Obama in the South Carolina primary in January?"writes Quinton. Then, probably as astonished as I was when I read it, Quinton points out that Obama's campaign found a way to data-mine a live event and then got people to make up to 120,000 campaign calls--and charge the calls to their own bills. Because Obama makes a speech a day somewhere, you now have an idea how he's collected his list--and his money. If, like me, you thought mobile marketing was still a few years away, better take a closer look. Thank you, Direct magazine.

March 11, 2008:

    One of the differences between general agency "branding" ads and direct response ads is the number of times the ad must be run. In branding, a general agency can't count on any real results until the ad, or series of ads, has been run again and again to hammer home the brand name. A single branding ad accomplishes little or nothing. But in most cases, a single large direct response ad can pay for itself immediately--provided it takes advantage of three key elements. They are (1) the headline, which should reveal a benefit or promise to hit the self interests of the readers (2) powerful copy, usually long, to reveal even more benefits and promises, and (3) a response device such as a coupon or a toll-free number so the readers can reply directly to the sponsor.

March 22, 2008:

    Can you write one piece of copy that works in a print ad, a radio commercial, a speech and a piece of collateral? Not possible. One of the first ads I wrote when I was marketing director at the old Del Webb's Sahara Las Vegas, did very well. I turned it into a radio spot without changing a single word. The second I heard the announcer read it I thought, "Oh oh." It just didn't work. For one thing, I didn't mention the Sahara name enough. When I started to give seminars and workshops I got another surprise. Some words look okay on paper but are just hard to pronounce, and some constructions I used in print sounded ridiculous when I spoke them. Writing for brochures is all short copy, and that requires the art of condensation. But most writers will tell you that playing around with words is fun--and it is.

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February 1, 2008:

    In many of the casino letters I see, the first paragraph wanders all over the place. Sometimes it's five or six lines long--and in some cases up to ten lines. How, I wonder, did such letters ever leave the property? The first paragraph is the most important one in the letter. Based on what it says and how it says it, the prospect keeps reading or immediately throws your letter away. That's why the safest opening paragraph hits the customer or prospect with a super benefit. My close friend, the late Andy Byrne, used to say, "Fire your big guns first." If you've established a rapport with your customers based on personal letters, it's okay to be informal, even tease a little or use a bit of humor in the opening paragraph--as long as it sets up the benefit in the following paragraph. You can even start with a question, or a shocking statement you'd never expect to hear from a casino. Work on that lead. It's the key.

February 11, 2008:

    The Super Bowl ads astonished me. Some actually focused on the product or service. A few actually tried to sell something. I liked the lone ad for GoDaddy.com. They kept the company name in the lower left corner through the entire spot, With the barrage of "branding" nonsense that surrounded them it was a smart move. Grade for the entire batch of commercials was C minus. Now here are five spots whose agencies should be called in and asked what in the hell they were thinking. If you can remember even one sponsor, congratulations. (1) A fancy new car speeds through the French countryside. It halts when it reaches the French army, circa 1814, and Napoleon steps out. (2) A gorgeous girl and a bunch of lizards hoof it to the original choreography of Michael Jackson's "Thriller." One of the lizards looks like Jackson. (3) An inept car salesman is forced to jump into a ring of fire to confront an tattooed brute wearing a bad haircut. (4) In a series of animated B/W drawings, a guy tries to push a rock up a hill while an off-camera voice drones boring copy. (5) A guy with jumper cables attached to his nipples shucks and jives until he starts a car. Now this is truly silly stuff, done to make people laugh and say they loved the commercial. The agencies get an F. The answers (1) Garmin (2) Life Water (3) Cars.com (4) Yukon Hybrid (5) Amp Energy. Goodbye until 2009, students.

February 22, 2008:

    Read the farewell in the News & Opinions section.

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January 1, 2008:

    I'm always griping about art directors who make pretty, but unreadable designs. So I asked my friends, Reg and Kathe Avey (who did most of my art direction in Las Vegas) to write a tip for you. They've always believed that art should enhance copy. not obliterate it. Smart people,these Aveys. Here's their tip: Never use black letters on a red background in your printing or internet art. It just doesn't read. To check for readability, "squint" your eyes and then look at the art. Never use yellow on a light background, red on orange, or colors with similar tonal values (such as dark on dark, light on light etc.) You'll lose the type into the background and the message will not read. Color is very important, but if in doubt use black letters on a white background. That's safe.

January 11, 2008:

    What happens if you send the same letter with the same offer to the non-responders from your first mailing--just two weeks later? Will they immediately see it was the same letter and toss it into the nearest trashcan? Will they be insulted and never come to your store again? Will they write the direct marketing manager and call him an idiot? The answer is--none of those. And the response to your second "same" mailing will be half of what the first mailing drew. I learned this from the late Andrew Byrne, one of my closest friends for years. I never challenged it because Andy was almost never wrong when it came to direct marketing. But I finally tested it several years ago. My second identical mailing drew 47% of the response to the first mailing. And to my knowledge, no one became angry, no one felt insulted. and no one called the direct marketing manager an idiot. Never overestimate retention.

January 22, 2008:

    I've heard the question a hundred times. Is there something you always say, in every letter you write, to high end and low end customers alike? Sure there is. And it's not at all complicated. I thank them for choosing my client. Look around. There are casinos in almost every state now, all fighting for business--and it come cases it's YOUR business they're after. Then ask yourself what makes your casino any more attractive than your competition? Is it the building, the shows, the buffet, the odds or the rooms? Who knows? But the casinos who actually thank their customers, in writing, usually set themselves apart--and it doesn't cost a cent. That's why I do it.

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December 1, 2007:

    Near the end of summer I gave a clinic to casino marketing writers. Dennis Conrad's Raving Consulting sponsored the Las Vegas show. The writers who attended ranged from pros to beginners, but all were eager to learn more selling secrets of direct mail. I fired a lot of stuff at them. but the subject is so vast that I could have gone on for weeks. Checking, back, I found I left out salutations--so here's a quick list of the dogs that can spoil a letter: "Dear Valued Guest" is about as convoluted, clumsy and self-serving as you can get. The words come out as insincere. Same for that old direct mail standard, "Dear Friend." And I've seen casinos use "Dear Neighbor" to lead off their letters to the local market. Weak. Assumes too much. Fortunately, we don't see that many of these three barnacles. Most casinos now personalize. In my Jan. 11 posting, I'll tell you a few I like.

December 11, 2007:

    Following up last week's letter salutations I hated, here are some I like. "Dear John," or "Dear Mr. Smith" are clearly the best. But if you don't personalize, try some of these: I sometimes use "Dear Slot Genius," when addressing the slot list (it never fails to get comments), and "Esteemed Member" when writing to the players card list. I also like "Dear Preferred Player" when aiming at the high end, and occasional offbeat intros including "Dear All-Knowing, All-Seeing Three-Card Poker Player." Don't be afraid to have fun with the salutation but under no circumstances try anything that could be construed as an insult. In this age of the indignant, bruised feelings can get you in more trouble than you ever thought possible.

December 22, 2007:

    I'm still seeing casino direct mail with final paragraphs that read, "Have a nice day," or something equally meaningless. When I see such criminal acts I begin to wonder why I've written hundreds of columns, two best-selling casino marketing books and seven years of archived Tips and Opinions like the one you're reading. now. But on each occasion I struggle over to my machine and say it one more time. Goes like this: The last paragraph should tell the reader exactly what you want him to do. "Phone the 800 number today and confirm your free room...Send back your tournament entry form and fee today...Confirm your reservations now with a free call to...Let us know right away, today, by phoning VIP Services at..." And there's one more two-word sentence that I always tag on the end of the paragraph. That sentence is "Thank you."

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November 1, 2007:

    When you open up your machine in the morning, how do you treat the new e-mail messages that you find? Do you rip through them as I used to do, killing off everything with a spam subject line or with an unfamiliar address? If so, maybe you'd better change your tactics a bit. All of us can spot spam by now. What we can't always spot is an honest letter with a subject line that reads like a con job. E-mail like this can come from someone seeking your help, offering you a job, inviting you to a gaming conference or just sending along a nice comment on your work. I missed a few with my original killer tactic. I still toss out many unopened, but then I go back to the rest and put my instincts to work. I've opened a few and been pleasantly surprised. If you have a better way, let me know.

November 11, 2007:

    Is current print advertising the ad industry's best ever? I doubt it. Listen to what Claude Hopkins wrote in his book, 'Scientific Advertising." in 1923. "Some insist on dressy ads. That is all right to a certain degree., but it is quite unimportant. Some poorly-dressed ads, like poorly-dressed men, prove to be excellent salesmen. So with countless questions. Measure them by salesmen's standards, not by amusement standards. Ads are not written to entertain. That is one of the greatest advertising faults. Ad-writers abandon their parts. They forget they are salesman and try to be performers. Instead of sales, they seek applause." Well put, Mr. Hopkins.

November 22, 2007:

    After I wrote the column on your left, I went to my bookshelf and pulled out my second book, Secrets of Casino Marketing--in which I devote a chapter to casino floor promotions. The chapter is a short one--seven pages long. But it lays out 16 key points for promotions that I evolved after 18 years at the old Del Webb's Sahara Las Vegas. Here's the first one: "Keep it simple. If you can explain the promotion in 17 words or less you start on firm footing. If it takes three or four paragraphs, you're in trouble. When it's that complicated the advertising struggles because the prospects are too impatient to decipher it. Even the people on the floor get confused. The best promotions are based on one specific, powerful, easily-grasped, overriding promise." To this day it's still true.

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October 1, 2007:

    Give me an art director who has a background in direct marketing and in direct response advertising. The edge they have over art directors in general agencies is simply this: they know that their job is to enhance copy, not use it as a design element. And most of them understand reading comprehension--which is hopeless for most generalists. Lately I've seen the work of general ad ADs that places orange type on a green background, black on red and yellow on brown. I've seen reverse outs that can't be read, and for a while I thought that the only type in the generalist portfolio was sans serif. Do you want your customers to read and understand every word? Put your print ad message in black on white with a Roman (serif) type face.

October 11, 2007:

    The late David Ogilvy always hated testimonials by celebrities. He claimed they were "Below average" in their ability to change a brand preference. Then he summed up his feelings with the following: "Viewers have a way of remembering the celebrity while forgetting the product. I didn't know this until I paid Eleanor Roosevelt $35,000 to make a commercial for margarine. She reported that her mail was equally divided. 'One half was sad because I had damaged my reputation. The other half was happy because I had damaged my reputation." Not one of my proud memories."

October 22, 2007:

    Successful advertising has been defined as "Repetition, repetition, repetition," which is super if you have a lot of money to spend. But what if you don't? My good friend Roddy Rogers, who was the agency executive on the Las Vegas Del Webb's Sahara account in the 70s, groaned when I told him we just didn't have the budget to hit the southern California radio market all year. So we sat down and agreed to run our spots in flights--in for a couple of months, out for a couple of months. We decided to dominate when we advertised and hoped the carryover would sustain us until we could get back on the air. Alan Barzman wrote the spots, which won best of the year in Los Angeles. The offer (A Sahara Safari vacation package) accounted for 16% of our occupancy the first year."

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September 1, 2007:

    Would you believe that a single word can make the difference between a sale and a turndown? In the world of advertising writers it happens all the time. Herschell Gordon Lewis tells of writing an ad for antique pistol replicas in which he used the intellectual word firearms instead of the emotional word guns because he thought the word better justified the price. When selling expensive cars he substituted motorcar for automobile. In my casino sales letters I'll use luxury accommodations instead of luxury rooms and cuisine instead of food when writing to the high end. In the English language there are two (or more) ways to say almost everything--and smart writers usually take advantage of that.

September 11, 2007:

    My friend Murray Raphel takes on complainers and whiners in his marvelous little book named "Selling Rules." Here's how he handles them: "When someone complains, the first rule is to listen. He's rehearsed what he's going to say and he expects negative feedback from you. He's ready to fight. So don't interrupt him. Listen. Don't comment. Don't look around. Don't look exasperated--and look at him while he's talking. When the conversation stops, wait a second and carefully, slowly say these ten words: Tell me what you want and the answer is yes." Any questions?

September 22, 2007:

    Joe Karbo published his "Lazy Man;'s Way to Riches:" in 1973. It became an immediate hit, Here's some if his Direct Response Marketing advice that launched thousands of businesses: "First, make a list of what you enjoy doing, and do better than most people. Are you a great cook? Are you a genius at fixing things around the house? Are you a sharp poker player? Is there something special you know about attracting people of the opposite sex? When you're on a fishing trip are you the one who usually ends up with the largest catch? Are the parties you give the ones that people talk about? Do you get a kick out of meeting new people? Are you the guy people call for advice? Do people admire your garden? Do you have a good memory? A million-dollar Direct Response Business has been built on every one of these."

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August 1, 2007:

    In the Casino Marketing Conference in Las Vegas, a panel debated this question: "Can you ever really know if your casino advertising is driving revenue?"They put forth several reasons why it was hard to come up with definite numbers when casinos concentrated on branding. But branding or any other objective can be accomplished with direct response advertising. When the replies, coupons, reservations or entries come directly to the casino, it's fairly easy to compute how much response your ad drew--and how much it cost you per response. Player tracking takes over from there, and you could wind up knowing exactly how much gambling revenue the ad (or ads) brought in. Why doesn't everyone use direct response advertising? Beats the hell out of me.

August 11, 2007:

    In "Writing Gaming Marketing,: Aug. 21-22 at the Tuscany Suites & Casino in Las Vegas, I'll elaborate on "The 12 best lines in casino marketing," and follow that with "The 12 worst lines in casino marketing." Under the "Best" heading is a line I've used for years in the direct mail packages I write. It's "Skip the lines at the front desk and check in at the VIP lounge." This is a VIP privilege that's underrated because human beings just don't like to stand in lines. And it's not a casual complaint. They HATE lines. In the "Worst" category is "Subject to availability." Don't get me started on this one. But fortunately, there's a way to turn that negative into a positive. Do you want to know what it is? Attend the show. Phone Raving Consulting for details at 775-329-7864. Maybe I'll see you there.

August 22, 2007:

    Hey, I'm at the gaming writing conference today in Las Vegas, and one of the areas I'll cover is the teaser line you see on the front of so many envelopes. The teaser's job is to get the envelope opened, but some companies just throw away that opportunity and write something silly. The teaser should contain a benefit or a promise--and sometimes I'll work on a teaser for hours until I think I've got just the right line. If you're having trouble writing one, start with "You" or "Your." These are personal words that draw prospects in. For example, "Your room is ready at the ABC Casino, with my compliments" And put the general manager's name under it. Or you could say, "You must come see us in Las Vegas (airline tickets enclosed)." Don't ever take the first idea that appeals to you. Keep trying until you get one that's perfect. A good teaser can make the mailing.

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July 1, 2007:

    I'm giving a couple of writing classes in gaming marketing, Aug. 21-22, in Las Vegas, and this month's tips offer previews. First up, a question. Should a gaming writer keep his letter short, stick to the facts and convey only pure information. Well, no. Would you ask your best salesperson to do such a thing? Of course not. Selling is romancing, selling is persuasion, selling is personal. Here, for example, is a fairly common line found in casino gaming letters: "The Big Time Casino is pleased to offer you complimentary room, food and beverage." But here's another way to say that: "I'll make sure you get one of our best rooms, plus meals and drinks, free of charge." The second, written in first person, is warm, friendly and contains a strong personal promise. It uses "meals and drinks" instead of "food and beverage." The latter sounds stiff and formal.

    NOTE: For details on "Writing Gaming Marketing Copy That Sells," Aug. 21 & 22, at the Tuscany Suites & Casino, Las Vegas, call Raving Consulting, 1-775-329-7864. Confirm by the Early Bird deadline of July 21, and save $50.

July 11, 2007:

    I'm giving a couple of writing classes in gaming marketing, Aug. 21-22, in Las Vegas. Therefore, this month's tips Are about writing. Here we go again. In the casino business it's normal write to five or ten thousand players in a single mailing. Do you know how to approach every one of them? Impossible. So the next best thing is to think of them all as friends--and write as you would to that friend. You also have to consider the general; manager who signs your letter. What's his or her personality? Are they warm or shy? Can you name their likes and dislikes? How would they handle a problem? How do they present themselves to customers? Once you get a handle on the answers you can write your piece. Go over your letter line by line. Did you write, "Subject to availability?" You certainly wouldn't say that to a friend, so maybe it should be, "Please make your reservation today. We sell out often at this time of the year." Bottom line: write to friends, not to "the database." NOTE: For details on "Writing Gaming Marketing Copy That Sells," Aug. 21 & 22, at the Tuscany Suites & Casino, Las Vegas, call Raving Consulting, 1-775-329-7864. Confirm by the Early Bird deadline of July 21, and save $50.

July 22, 2007:

   I'm giving a couple of writing classes in gaming marketing, Aug. 21-22, in Las Vegas. Here's our final tip on gaming letter writing: Most direct marketing books will advise you to stay away from humor in your letters--but they don't mean you have to cut off humor entirely. If tastefully done and slipped in at just the right place, it works very well. I started a letter recently with "You've chosen wisely." That's not LOL humor but I know it draws smiles because the recipients have told me. I once started a letter for a St. Patrick's Day slot tournament by having the general manager telephone the saint. The letter opened, "Hello, St. Patrick? Oh, you answer your own phone. That's very impressive, sir." The entire letter was a give and take conversation with St. Patrick. It's not what you'd expect from a casino--and that's important.

    NOTE: For details on "Writing Gaming Marketing Copy That Sells," Aug. 21 & 22, at the Tuscany Suites & Casino, Las Vegas, call Raving Consulting, 1-775-329-7864.

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June 1, 2007:

    Late last year we moved in to a new home we'd just completed. I changed our address with all our utilities, banks, subscriptions--that sort of thing. But even my good intentions couldn't catch everything. But in weeks we began to receive catalogs, magazines and other types of mail with our correct address from companies I hadn't notified. That was the NCOALink (National Change of Address Linkage System) at work. Sharon Neuenfeldt, VP of a Minnesota database services company, tells DM News that quarterly matching with NCOALink is a must if your list is your life. DM News says that 20 percent of Americans move each year, and that 10 to 20 percent of this group fail to notify the USPS of the new address. Can you imagine how much money that could cost you? Bottom line: since it's easy to keep your casino player list updated every three months, just do it.

June 11, 2007:

    I prefer to write ad copy that sells something, even thought I know that the client can track cost-per-sale and hold me accountable. I just like the pressure (it won me two gold Echo Awards and one silver in the annual DMA competition). The late David Ogilvy was one of several writers who inspired me. Remember the old Hathaway Shirt print ads that featured a guy with an eye patch? Ogilvy wrote them. The first one listed 15 benefits, from "longer tails that stay in your trousers" to "makes you look younger and more distinguished." He sold the value and quality of the shirts by stating exactly where the fabrics originated (Scotland, England and the West Indies). He also sold Hathaway's 120 years of fine shirtmaking tradition and the "small town craftsmen" who made them. The ads were a near perfect blend of copy and art (the eye patch). Oh, yeah, the tip. Copy is still king. Makes sure yours is first rate.

Last 2 items for Romero's June Web site / 6-8-07

June 22, 2007:

    I opened a letter from my brokerage company the other day and read, "We have been requested to forward the enclosed information." Why the hell this kind of tortured verbiage hangs around I don't know. So listen well, students, while I translate. "Requested" is the intellectual way to say it. "Asked" is the emotional way. "Forward" is an antique. The word in this situation is "send." As to "the enclosed information, " how much more personal to say "the information I've enclosed." Now rewrite the sentence, and remember this stuff the next time you send a letter to a good customer.

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May 1, 2007:

    All those sales letters you get at home--what could have been going through the minds of the copywriters who wrote them and the editors who approved them? For example, what was the writer thinking who wrote, "Now you have a chance to buy this famous artifact..." Chance means "a possibility of something happening, " or "something without design, an accident." Now replace "chance" with "opportunity" and your impact is far greater. Opportunity is, "a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something." Small point? Maybe, but words are the only weapons a writer has, and every shot must count. (More examples coming.)

May 11, 2007:

    Continuing our assault on flabby words that weigh down the meaning in an ad or in a sales letter, we see a line that reads, "We take care of all your travel needs." Using "needs" in place of a specific sales benefit is unbearably amateurish. If you're paying for letter or ad copy and the writer throws a "needs" at you, get another writer. There is no definition in the newest Oxford American College Dictionary for "needs." It's an empty, made-up advertising word to allow the writer a lazy way out of a sales argument he doesn't know how to complete.

May 20, 2007:

    We've been unkind to "chance" and "needs" this month, so let's get to a word that can enliven your copy, not weigh it down. That word is "really." Which is more appealing: "Please send your confirmation by the 20th," or "I'd really appreciate your confirmation by the 20th?" "Really" heightens the plea the writer makes. It enhances the word "appreciate" and it cements the person-to-person appeal that's vital in every sales letter. Caution: Just one "really" to a letter.

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April 1, 2007:

    What's the most important single element in any print ad? If you miss this one it's only because you got tired of reading about it. The answer is, "the headline." The headline should reach out to the prospect and tell that person that you are offering something that will be of great benefit to him. For example, I often quote a headline that said, "With these binoculars you can look a sparrow in the eye from a hundred yards--and see him blink." That's a 19-word headline but do you have any trouble figuring out how powerful those glasses are? Of course not. Then there's David Ogilvy's famous, "At 60 miles per hour the loudest sound you hear in the new Rolls Royce is the ticking of the electric clock." That one has 22 words but the message is clear. The Rolls is one super-quiet car. So here's the lesson: spell out the benefit no matter how many words it takes.

April 12, 2007:

    Back in 2000, my friend Murray Raphel wrote a neat little book named "Selling Rules--52 Ways You Can Achieve Sales Success." Although Murray is a clothing retailer, practically everything in the book can apply to casinos. For example, No. 37 is "Don't use percentages when selling." He tells of a test given to Florida high schoolers that presented the question: "A store advertises Blue Jeans, regularly $15, for one-third off. How much do you save?" Half the students couldn't figure it out. He also advises you to use such terms such as "Half price" instead of "50 percent off." His bottom line is--people understand numbers but not percentages. Now take a look at your games, slots and food ads. Can you clarify the offers?

April 21, 2007:

    Lee Iacocca said, "If you wish to be the best, you have to separate yourself from all the talk about quality. And put it in writing." The gentleman was talking about a guarantee, which in the normal world can become a strong boost to sales. Guarantees make people comfortable. In the mail order business, for example, guarantees of satisfaction are common. Benjamin Franklin had one for his store in Philadelphia. Franklin guaranteed to fill the orders of settlers striking out for the plains and parts west, even to "those persons who live remote." But what can the casino business guarantee? Not much, you say? Well, keep at it and you'll surprise yourself. You'll soon come up with many possible guarantees and when you get the best one, you'll know it.

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March 1, 2007:

    We're all wiser now. So it's fairly easy to spot an e-mail spammer or a boring pitch that you'd never read even if you opened it. One look at the subject line tells you all you want to know. Christen Gruebel of Target Marketing magazine picks "free," "discount" and "special offer" as three "utterly obvious" words that are sure to send your fingers to the delete key. Well, maybe. But if "free" or "special offer" is followed by a casino name, the curse is lifted. Nick Usborne, who publishes the ExcessVoice.com newsletter, says that the most important thing your subject line can do is "trigger recognition" of your company name and newsletter. Usborne believes that if you have "a proven track record for sending quality information and offers, including your brand name is a smart way to get your message opened." Good advice, Mr. Usborne. You're on my A list.

March 12, 2007:

    This one is for writers. My favorite baseball scribe is Tracy Ringolsby of the Denver Rocky Mountain News. But occasionally Tracy makes me grit my teeth by misplacing the word "only." On one recent morning he wrote, "Finley only hit .246 with San Francisco." Aghrrr! This means Finley was the lone San Francisco player to hit .246, which is not what Tracy meant. The misplaced "only" may be the most common mistake in writing--and it's so easy to correct. Just put it immediately before the word or phrase it modifies. Thus, it becomes "Finley hit only .246 with San Francisco," which clears up the ambiguity. Tracy is the best in baseball --and once he learns the "only" rule, you can make that "the undisputed best."

March 24, 2007:

    You've just finished writing copy for an ad or for a letter. Now the real work starts. Seldom do first drafts go untouched because the best writers almost always find words or phrases they can cut--and cutting makes your work stronger. So look for those words and phrases that slow down the copy and get rid of them. Writing is rewriting. I rewrite until the little voice inside me says "Okay, you can send it now." Even then it sometimes turns out to be a false alarm--ao I rewrite some more until I'm satisfied. Of course, writers aren't EVER completely satisfied. I look at copy I wrote a couple of years ago and say, "Oh, no." But that's the writing business.

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February 1, 2007:

    Would you like to run print ads that draw an immediate response from prospects who want to stay in your hotel or enter your casino promotion.? Or do you believe in ads that never draw a measurable response but may increase "awareness" of your property if run long enough? The first sentence describes direct response advertising; the second describes general advertising. Direct response ads usually are quite specific in describing the benefits of the offer. They're always long on copy because their purpose is to get an order right now (it's called "selling off the page.") Their advantage lies in the science of measuring, or "metrics" as the new hip are wont to say. The client knows what his ad cost, knows the response because it came directly to him, and can quickly determine if the ad was a winner or a loser. As for the general ad--see my next tip on Feb. 10.

February 10, 2007:

    Continuing our discussion of direct response advertising versus general advertising (scroll down to check the archives for my tip of Feb. 1). General advertising, rather than seek a measurable response, often relies on creatives to break a client out of the "clutter" of newspapers or magazines by teasing readers with clever indirect headlines. But the problem is that readers scan a page in about three seconds, searching for something that hits their own self-interest--and indirect headlines hide the offer. For example, what does "Run these guys out of town" mean to you? That was an actual indirect headline in a major Los Angeles newspaper for...a slot tournament in Las Vegas. For contrast, here's a direct response headline. "Las Vegas casino introduces a radical new slot; if it doesn't pay off, it gives back your money." When the client budget is in the tens of millions, general has some successes--but almost always from TV. Print advertising, largely because so much of it is useless, is now the hardest job of all.

February 20, 2007:

    When I directed casino promotions for the Sahara Las Vegas in the 60s and 70s, I had a pre-promotion plan to guarantee that the events ran smoothly. Maybe you can pick up something useful from it. .I started with private visits to every department head (each was involved in every promotion we did). I explained the upcoming event, asked for their suggestions, and told them how important they would be to the success of the promotion. The two of us, sitting together, solved all small problems before they became big problems., Of course, I thanked them sincerely for their help.. The next phase was a large meeting in which I asked each department head to speak for a couple of minutes on their preparations. In half an hour all questions were answered and all preparations approved. They came as individuals and left as a team, marveling at all they had accomplished in just thirty minutes. Management marveled at my thirty minute meetings, too, but never caught on.

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January 1, 2007:

    Most casinos have an "Inactive" list of former players, but nobody has a clue why they stopped coming. Maybe this advice from my friend, the late Ray Jutkins, will give you a clue. It's from Ray's book, Power Direct Marketing. Says Ray, "People stop buying from people for five primary reasons. 4% aren't there anymore. They move, get promoted, quit, transfer or die. 5% change to another company on the recommendation of a friend or business associate. 9% change to the competition because there is a true competitive advantage. 14% change because they are unhappy with the service or product you provide. 68% change because of the lack of caring by some one person inside your company. Little or no contact, indifference, missed dates, a lack of caring by sales, service, accounting, management--someone or anyone."

January 11, 2007:

    Putting together a brochure or a new ad? Here are a few tips that will please your targets. They're gleaned from the research of typofile Colin Wheildon. (1) Reading comprehension drops dramatically when sans serif type faces (such as Helvetica) are used for body copy--from 67% to 12% (2) Of a group of 112 readers who read an article of direct interest set in Helvetica, 53% complained strongly about the difficulty in reading the type. The same group had no difficulty in reading another article of direct interest set in a Roman (serif) type face (3) Layouts with black headlines showed 67% comprehension, while layouts with colored headlines rated only 17% comprehension.

January 22, 2007:

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December 22, 2006:

    Do your letters over a general manager's signature draw personal replies from the customers? The better letter you write, the more replies you'll get--and that's the way it's supposed to be. But here's an oddity: the format can suppress replies. If your format is just a letter--nothing more--and makes the GM sound like a super guy, you have a good chance to get replies. But if your letter is surrounded by coupons and ads, your reply chances diminish, no matter how well you've written. A letter alone whispers to the customer, "This is personal communication, and it deserves a reply." A letter surrounded by ads looks like an ad itself--and customer seldom reply to an ad.

December 11, 2006:

    If you've written to the same rated players with pretty much the same offer for a couple of hundred times, how do you start the letter? Since I went full time in my own business writing casino direct mail, I've faced that problem thousands of times. Okay, so I exaggerated a little. It just seems like thousands. But the lead paragraph IS the most important one in the letter--and you'd better have a good one. Remembering my pal, the late Andrew Byrne, I'll usually put the offer there. One of Andy's famous rules was, "Fire your big guns first." But now and then I'll use favorite leads from my days as a newspaper sports editor--the quote lead, the exclamation lead, the question lead, the two-word lead, the story lead. But even then I almost always work in the offer. Sometimes I'll write 15 or 20 leads before settling on one. Other times I'll sit down and hit it on the first try. But it's never easy.

December 1, 2006:

    Nothing beats a personal relationship. Not a slick advertising campaign, not a multimillion dollar skyscraper, not free rooms, not free meals, not even the best odds in town. And in my opinion the GM or president of the casino is the key person. I always recommend that the top executive sign all the outgoing customer mail because he or she is the one person least likely to leave and move down the street for a few more bucks. But when you're trying to endear the GM to your customers you can't send mail that looks and reads like advertising over this person's signature. The GM must sell in a low-key manner, writing as if to a good friend. Tell your writers that to form a relationship, write talking--not writing. They'll understand (borrowed from my "15 Principles of Casino Direct Mail").

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November 20, 2006:

    Here's an E-mail prediction I made in "Secrets of Casino Marketing" when I wrote it in 1997. "One day, when E-mail is the norm and personal letters are passé, some casino marketing director, somewhere, will rediscover the power of the letter. 'Look at this,' she'll say. 'Response is huge and some of the customers are actually writing back to thank us. I think we've just revolutionized casino marketing.' Could such a thing really happen? You're damn right it could. I guess you can tell I'm a direct mail guy. And I'll stay one until the Net proves me wrong.

November 11, 2006:

    In 1927, Elmer Wheeler was an ad salesman for the Los Angeles Herald. Puzzled when his best sales arguments elicited a "So what" response, he made a study of the words and sentences that would improve it--and thus began a monumental contribution to the art of selling. Ten years later his landmark book, "Tested Sentences That Sell," changed the art of advertising. Mr. Wheeler had discovered the power of benefits and summed it up in one memorable sentence, "Sell the sizzle, not the steak." He maintained that every product had a "sizzle." You just had to find it. He once told vacuum cleaner salesmen not to sell suction. "Sell cleaner rugs,"said Wheeler. Get the idea? Now see if you can write a dozen sentences of gambling "sizzle."

November 1, 2006:

    Who has the easiest path to success--someone who is humble, down-to-earth and modest, or someone who is positive and assertive? Baylor University did a study of 200 college students, says Newsmax.com, and the winner was humility--pretty much the opposite of the personalities in the political races we're seeing these days. Dr. Wade Rowatt., who led the study, said humility was "A positive quality associated with self-esteem, well-being and even performance." According to Rowatt, every top athlete in every sport was associated with humility. In a second study, Rowatt confirmed that college students who showed humble traits got higher grades. Could all this research be applied to lift response from casino direct mail and e-mail? Of course. Letters that speak modestly, one human being to another, beat the heck out of those screamers that shout "exciting!" in every paragraph. (For a bit of related opinion, see "Quote of the Month.)

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October 21, 2006:

    More from reading comprehension expert Colin Wheildon, featured in last week's Tips. "Magazine editors and art directors argue that sans serif body type is clean, ucluttered and attractive. And so it is. But they also argue that any difficulties with comprehension, should they exist, will pass as people become more and more used to seeing and reading sans serif. People will grow to live with it, and it will soon become comprehensible to all, and all will eventually love it. This is nonsense. It's analogous to saying that instead of feeding your children Wheaties, you should feed them wood shavings because they'll get used to them. In tests on sans serif body copy versus serif body copy, the following: with serif body copy, "Good" comprehension was 67%. With sans serif body copy, it was 12%. The conclusion is that body type must be set in serif type if the designer intends it to be read and understood.

October 12, 2006:

    "Got to have color in your ads." That's what most ad people tell their clients--and it's true to a certain extent. Here's what reading comprehension expert Colin Wheildon wrote following his landmark study on color in ads (hint: his title is, "Any color, as long as it's black"). Wheildon said, "Consider this page. It looks like any other page with its ordinary black type printed on ordinary white paper. Now consider the type blue. Eight of ten readers would say the blue page was more attractive; nine of ten probably would describe the black page as boring. But ask these people to read the two pages and we're in a different ball game. Seven of ten would digest the message on the black page. But only one of ten will display good comprehension on the blue page. Spot color in logotypes is fine. For headlines and copy, no."

October 1, 2006:

    More on print ad headlines, as promised last month. There are two types of headlines--direct and indirect. Direct headlines are almost exclusively the property of the direct marketing industry for a simple reason: their ads increase sales and can prove it. An example of as direct headline is, "Las Vegas casino unveils a radical slot machine; if it doesn't pay off, it gives back your money." That's a headline I wrote in the mid-80s to announce Lady Luck's "Win or your money back" campaign. Do you have any trouble understanding what the ad is about? Of course not. Indirect headlines, by comparison, are almost exclusively the property of general ad agencies for a simple reason: they don't have to prove their ads sold anything, so they can hide the offer and get as cute as they want to. Here's an example: "I did it for us." Do you know what the ad is about? Not a chance (it's for a computer learning center). So can you think of even one reason why you would ever use an indirect headline? If you do, let me know.

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September 22, 2006:

    The most important single element in a print ad is the headline. Too bad so many ad agencies and clients ignore that simple fact. Look through your newspaper or any of the magazines you take and read the headlines. Chances are more than three fourths of them are clever plays on words or some meaningless line the headline writer thought was hilarious. Too bad. They hide the offer. A good headline (the kind you find in most direct response ads) includes a benefit or a promise--and it's almost never short. How about this one advertising binoculars, for example: "You can look a sparrow in the eye from 100 yards away, and see him blink." If you're in the market for binoculars you're going to read the ad that follows. Sometimes, though, shorter is better. I saw a headline for the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas that had just three words: "Single Deck Blackjack." (More headline truisms in October.)

September 12, 2006:

    Your casino is breaking ground for a new building. Or maybe you're buying another casino--or being bought. So you've decided to hold a press conference and put your president or GM up there to make the announcement. Sounds like an easy way to get some PR for the joint, but it could wind up as big trouble. The press is not always on your side. And if they hold some kind of grudge against your property they can be plenty nasty. So before you put the big guy on the podium, go over some possible press questions with him. Make sure he knows when they're trying to trap him. Have him prepared to answer everything but tell him to defer to you if he has the slightest doubt. You can duck the question or give a prepared answer. Bottom line: be prepared for anything.

September 1, 2006:

    In his classic "Direct Marketing," Ed Nash writes the following: "Your customer is not a statistic. All market data can tell us is who our audience has been...it shouldn't be a surprise, but often is, that years of positioning a product toward older people, for example, eventually results in a research study showing that older people have been buying the product. It doesn't show us what could have been, or still could be...the buyer is not packaged in neat demographic profiles waiting for your message to arrive...there is only one common denominator you can count on: interest in your product." Ed was not only brilliant--he was clever. A line on the front of his book reads, "Sell just about anything to just about anyone."

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August 24, 2006:

    The 7th anniversary of David Ogilvy's death passed quietly on July 22. This advertising genius has an odd legacy. He brought the essentials of selling to the business, but nobody seemed to notice. His pronouncements remain valid even today, but he is scorned by many in advertising because he was a direct marketer, not a generalist. But see for yourself as he compares advertisements to editorial copy: "There is no law that says advertisements have to look like advertisements. If you make them look like editorial pages you will attract more readers. Roughly six times as many people read the average article as read the average advertisement. Very few advertisements are read by more than one reader in 20. I conclude that editors communicate better than admen." After Ogilvy says it, there is no room left for rebuttal.

August 13, 2006:

    The late David Ogilvy in his book "Ogilvy on Advertising," wrote the following about TV commercials. "Copywriters specify that the commercial should be shot in Bali when it could equally well be shot in the studio for half the price. They insert expensive animation into live-action commercials. They insist that original music be composed for background purposes, as if there were nothing suitable in the whole repertoire of existing music. Worst of all, they use expensive celebrities when an unknown actor would sell more of the product. I have no research to prove it but I suspect that there is a negative correlation between the money spent on producing commercials and their power to sell products." Then he added, "The easiest way to reduce the cost of a commercial is to cut actors out of the storyboard. Every actor you cut will save you between $350 and $10,000, depending on how long you run the commercial." Pretty strong words, right? They were written in 1983. Nobody listened.

August 1, 2006:

    Charles Givens, millionaire author of Wealth Without Risk, says he was a flop early in his career trying to sell real estate at Beach Mountain. A more experienced salesman pointed out the problem. "You're out there trying to sell mountain dirt," he told Givens. "Nobody wants to buy mountain dirt; they want to buy dreams." I've used that story in lectures and columns for 30 years trying to convince casinos to sell dreams, not product. Most of the time it's been a thankless persuasion. How many times have you seen casinos advertise their slot machines by name, as if everyone reading the ad knows exactly what they're talking about? How many times have you seen "Loose Slots" or "Liberal Slots" or "More Jackpots?" Advertising individual machines or phony claims is a waste of time and money. You can't assume that customers and prospects will dream automatically. You have to paint the picture for them.

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July 24 2006:

    "Once a month in Direct magazine, veteran adman Thomas Collins writes a column named "Makeover Maven," in which he turns a truly terrible general ad into a direct response masterpiece. You'd think Tom would face a challenge each month--but turning turkeys into gold is a cinch for this pro. In the June issue, for example, he attacked an ad for a hardwood floor company. Its full page featured a huge wooden pair of bare feet and 11 words of almost unreadable copy (in script). Tom's "makeover" ad showed two shots of the product, used two headlines and 149 words of copy. The tip? If you want to sell something, tell how it benefits the purchaser. And if you use a picture, make sure it enhances the copy and helps prove the claims you make. Casino ads are notorious for unproved claims including the old standby, "Loose slots."

July 12, 2006:

    Earlier this month I wrote about famous old ad slogans that consumers could see in their minds. Among them was one for Timex watches, one of the first big television advertisers. The TV spots set out to prove the validity of their famous line, "Takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'." On the old Steve Allen Tonight Show, Timex unveiled the wildest spot in the group. A pitchman (remember, this was a LIVE spot) standing next to a huge vat of water extolled the merits of the watch while assistants attached a Timex to the blades of an outboard motor and lowered it into the vat. Vah-rooom! The motor roared to life for a full 10 seconds. The pitchman, still selling like a pro and looking straight at the camera, ordered the motor raised, then turned the propellor blades as he groped for the watch. A look of pure horror crossed his face as he realized the watch had vanished, but his pitch never stopped. "And if that Timex was still attached," he said, "it would still be ticking--and next time I'll prove it to you." Allen laughed so hard he nearly fell off the stage. "Do you really think there's going to be a next time?" he yelled So what's the tip here? It's simply "Be bold," but test your ads before you run them. P.S. They ran the same spot a few days later on the Allen show. This time it worked--but it wasn't half as funny.

July 1, 2006:

    "Plop plop, fizz fizz, oh what a relief it is"..."Good to the last drop"..."Whole beef patty, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun"..."Takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'." I'll bet you know the product that each of those famous advertising slogans refers to. Most of them were written before the ad industry's infatuation with "Branding" began. If I quoted a bunch of the latest slogans you probably wouldn't know one of them. So if you're considering a slogan for your casino, take a tip from the past. Make your slogans word pictures--something that your customers and prospects can see in their minds. Make it a guarantee or a promise--something you can back up. And forget brevity. Short copy may look cool, but it's hard to summon a vision in two or three words. P.S. For those born after 1980, the slogans advertised Alka Seltzer, Maxwell House Coffee, McDonalds and Timex watches.

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June 23, 2006:

    Name the three most important sentences in a casino direct mail letter. If you said first sentence, last sentence and first sentence of the P.S., give yourself a star. The first sentence is key; if it hooks the reader you have a chance. The last sentence is important because it should tell the reader exactly what you want him to do (Phone for reservations now...Bring in the coupon today...Be here for the drawing at 8 p.m.). You must be specific. The first sentence of the P.S. is important because it can restate the offer in a different way. It can succeed where the body of the letter failed.

June 12, 2006:

    How long should a paragraph be in a casino sales letter? It depends. Are you actually trying to sell the reader, or just writing down everything you can think of and hoping something might interest him? The first thing to remember is that most customers and prospects scan your mail; they don't read it word-for-word. To make your point to those who scan, hold your paragraphs to two or three lines. That way, they absorb information as they scan. Long paragraphs are common in casino direct mail (I've seen up to nine lines) but don't kid yourself. A little voice in the reader's mind says, "Too long. Too hard to read." And they skip it.

June 1, 2006:

    Now and then an art director will call me out after one of my nasty comments on body copy set in sans serif type. Some art directors love sans serif type faces such as Helvetica because they look so "clean" and "cool." No offense intended, but that's the viewpoint of an amateur who believes design is more important than comprehension. Newspapers, books and most magazines are set in Roman (serif) type faces for a reason. Research has shown they're far easier to read and understand. To ignore such a basic rule when you're trying to sell something is either arrogance or stupidity.

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May 22, 2006:

    Are you up to date on Web marketing language? Okay then, what do you call the point at which customers on your list stop responding? Michael Greenberg of Chief Marketer calls it an "inflection point." What, you thought "inflection" referred to modulation of the voice? Then take a look at Webster's third definition of "inflect," which is "to bend or turn from a direct line or course." Pretty sharp guy, this Greenberg. So the next time you're in a casino marketing meeting trying to figure out a way to resurrect about 25,000 inactives, say something like "We've simply got to recognize inflection points before they happen." Hah! The meeting will go right on as if everyone in the room knew exactly what you meant. Afterwards, they'll scurry for their dictionaries. Next month maybe I'll write about "metrics." You do know what that means, don't you?

May 12, 2006:

    Some casinos ask their casino hosts to send customer notes in their own handwriting because they think it's more personal. Yes, it's personal, but handwriting is much harder to read than computer typing, it doesn't look professional and you don't have the benefit of a spell-checker. The better presentation is a computer typed letter, personally signed in contrasting ink, with a short, handwritten note under the signature ("Miss you, Bill," or some such). You have to watch the tone of the letter, too. You want the customer to think of the host as a friend, not as a salesman. When the customer thinks you're trying to sell him something, you damage the relationship. (from my first book, Casino Marketing).

May 1, 2006:

    The lowly postcard is routinely disparaged, but it's still out there, supporting and reinforcing casino promotions. Poor thing--all it does is sell. It's fast (you can get one out to your list in a couple of days). It's inexpensive. And who can resist flipping it to see what's on the back (especially if you a put a teaser on the front). Many of today's casino promotions are complicated; they last for days or weeks, with multiple drawings on certain days. You can't sell that kind of promotion with a single mailing package. You need the postcard to follow up. But make sure the headlines and copy on the back are filled with benefits. You might even give away a trinket or slot points to customers who bring in the card. Whatever you do, don't knock it.

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April 21, 2006:

    I've been asked to repeat my sacred rules for disposing of--I mean, answering--those requests for money and comp vacations that pour into every casino in the known world every week. (1) If the letter is addressed to a title (for example, "Marketing Director") throw it away (2) If you open it and find a letter reproduced by a copier, throw it away (3) If it's a personal letter, written to you, reply with your standard "Sorry, no budget" letter (4) If the general manager personally brings it it to your desk, says he thinks it's a worthy cause and "Would like to help these people," ask him if that's an order. After all, these little dribs and drabs add up, and they usually come out of your marketing budget.

April 10, 2006:

    Your customers are smart. They don't believe a "Limited time offer" because most of them have no expiration date. But when you change to a "Limited number" and get specific, they make up their minds fast. Here's how I used the tactic in a last-minute letter selling rooms on a slow weekend: "I have 68 rooms remaining for the weekend, but when they're booked, that's it. If you'd like to have one them, phone today. By May 20, they'll all be gone and I'll have to disappoint you." The casino filled all 68 rooms With rated players. Specifics sell; generalities are just not good enough. (From my first book, Casino Marketing.)

April 1, 2006:

    Are you up to date on Web marketing language? Okay then, what do you call the point at which customers on your list stop responding? Michael Greenberg of Chief Marketer calls it an "inflection point." What, you thought "inflection" referred to modulation of the voice? Then take a look at Webster's third definition of "inflect," which is "to bend or turn from a direct line or course." Pretty sharp guy, this Greenberg. So the next time you're in a casino marketing meeting trying to figure out a way to resurrect about 25,000 inactives, say something like "We've simply got to recognize inflection points before they happen." Hah! The meeting will go right on as if everyone in the room knew exactly what you meant. Afterwards, they'll scurry for their dictionaries. Next month maybe I'll write about "metrics." You do know what that means, don't you?

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March 22, 2006:

    The Internet has become the most powerful force on the planet. So why can't the pros make Web sites easier to read, easier to comprehend and easier to navigate? To look at the type on many Web sites, you'd think the designers were terrorists trying to give half the country eyestrain. Modern, sans serif type predominates. Too bad the designers have never read the studies which show that sans serif type is so hard to read that comprehension drops off as much as 60% compared to traditional Roman type faces. As far as navigating, can't tell you how many times I've gone through the buying process only to be asked for my "Password." What password? It's my first time on the site. And while I've seen the lines that ask, :"Forgot your password," I seldom see lines that say, "Need a password? Click here."

March 12, 2006:

    Tell the truth. Have you ever read all the way through your insurance policy, a stock solicitation or even any set of rules and regulations that runs a page or more? Those examples, in particular, are loaded down with 60-word sentences and legal booby traps. About 30 words into a sentence you realize you've already forgotten what you just read. The mind says, "Please don't put me through this," and that's that. Here are six more cruel barriers to comprehension: any paragraph more than four lines long; the failure to indent the first line of a paragraph; the use of sans serif type; more than 70 characters in a line; letters printed in anything but black type on white paper, and reversed out copy. Better check the stuff you're mailing.

March 1, 2006:

    Most direct mail writers will tell you that successful sales letters start with the offer--and you can't go wrong that way. The late Andy Byrne, my close friend and direct marketing genius, would sometimes open like this: "The voucher I've enclosed is worth $100 in cash--or more." But another equally successful writer, the late Bill Jayme, used to start his letters with sentences like this: "She pulled herself up on the ledge, being careful not to disturb the cobra sleeping there." In both cases they hooked readers immediately, pulling them into the letter. Andy's lead hits you between the eyes; Bill's lead tickles your sense of adventure, and proves that the offer can be hidden if you work it into a compelling story. The secret is knowing your audience.

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February 20, 2006:

    First, the myth: You have to give away the store to drive in business. Now, the fact: The customer wants personal attention as much as she wants a comp--maybe even more. Now, the rationale: It's easy to give things away. The challenge is to sell something at a fair price. The problem casinos face when they give comps is the same problem retailers face when they discount their merchandise. Rather than build loyalty, the discount destroys it. Customers who were once locked into your store wind up running to competitors because they give steeper discounts. Does that sound familiar? (From my first book, Casino Marketing, now in its third printing)"

February 11, 2006:

    I call it "The Impossible Promise." Casinos make such hopeless covenants all the time. Sad to say, this strain of hype infests direct mail as well as general advertising. In a mailing package we come across the following from a famous casino: Concentrate on every creature comfort...indulge your palate in a dazzling array of tastes...pamper your body...experience the attention to detail. Do we grasp the meaning of the words? Yes. Do we prefer to have information fed to us in such [pretentious doses. No. Net result, "yawn." (From my first book, Casino Marketing, now in its third printing)

February 1, 2006:

    I see a lot of good casino floor promotions geared to traffic. But I don't see many geared to occupancy. Too bad. If you can develop a promotion that lasts a week or so and keeps the players busy with every game in the house, occupancy will follow. And while occupancy may be outnumbered by locals for such an event, it will carry the promotion. Can you imagine 60 percent of your hotel filled with