Ever since “the mark” was seared into a cow rump, a brand has come to signify ownership, and now, ownership of a product or service, besides just the beef. To the consumer, a brand means, quite simply, a promise-the conviction that whatever product or service I’m buying will be what I’m told it is, or what I believe it to be.

Good brands are distinctive.

Distinction drives preference, so powerful brands affect choice and wield tremendous purchasing power.

When it comes to branding tribal casinos, is there a value to making individual tribal casino brands, or does it make more sense to license a well-known brand to attract more customers? The answer to that question wholly depends on whether or not the casino is in a competitive environment.

Where there’s big demand and little supply in a monopoly situation like Foxwoods first was, or Seminole Hard Rock Tampa is, the argument can be made that the casino could be any brand, or non-brand, and do exceptionally well given a healthy economy. The people with a propensity to gamble are going to come to the place and play because it is there and it is convenient, not because it is a well-known brand. It is, after all, about location, location, location.
    

Close Is Best
To paraphrase what Steve Wynn recently said in his proposal to take over the Foxwoods casino project in Philadelphia, “We are 10 minutes away from every ethnic group that gambles.” The vitality of regional gaming (such as it is), at the expense of the branded casino destinations of Atlantic City and Las Vegas, is a testament to the paramount importance of “convenient location.” So, in a non-competitive environment, more customers are not necessarily going to turn out because the casino is a well-known brand.

But that being said, there are benefits-like civic pride and enhanced geographic recognition-in bringing a well-known, respected brand to a smaller, “non-metropolitan/cosmopolitan” area, even if there is no competition. A big brand can help put a place “on the map.”

What is exciting are the individual tribal casinos that have become respected gaming brands themselves-like Grand Casinos or Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, which have poured millions of hours and dollars into creating compelling brands that tribes throughout the nation look to as the gold standard for successful gaming operations. These successful brands are now successfully leveraging into non-tribal areas like Grand Casinos did before its Harrah’s purchase, and the stunning Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. But, to quote Mitchell Etess, president and CEO of Mohegan Sun, “We spent many years and hundreds of million dollars building our brand here at Mohegan Sun, and that might not be possible given the economic realities of 2010.”

Creating or Licensing?
So, is it better to just license a brand? In a competitive market it might be. When the customer has a choice of where to play, and convenient location is not the primary driving factor in the decision-making process, a well-known brand can make a difference.

“Robust brands absolutely have the potential to contribute to incremental revenues,” says Jeanine Repa, senior vice president of brand marketing for the Seminole Hard Rock casinos. “Experts have estimated that value in double-digit percentages. Studies also indicate that a guest’s number of trips would also be influenced by a well-known brand. Hard Rock is one of the most highly recognized brands in the world. Our guests are baby boomers, and our brand wins big among those between the ages of 44 and 64.”

So if there are casinos on every corner, and one of them is a Hard Rock, and Hard Rock is a distinctive, well-known, well-liked brand by the gaming-age demo, and since we know that distinction drives preference, they would presumably get more than their fair share of the first visits (and lion’s share of the spend). Consumers know what to expect with a respected brand, as they see a specific brand name as a contract. A brand’s name may reduce consumers’ sense of uncertainty; there’s familiarity with it, there’s comfort, there’s trust, there’s psychic satisfaction of being a part of or partaking in a brand one finds alluring or compelling.

The Cherokees in Tulsa, Oklahoma have seen the advantage of partnering with the Hard Rock brand.

“In today’s ever-changing and boundary-less business world, the leaders of the Cherokee Nation have seen an opportunity with Hard Rock to expand the ability to attract customers from around the world,” says Meredith Frailey, speaker of the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council.

“Being part of the Hard Rock brand, combined with our expansion, sets us apart from any other entertainment option in the region,” adds David Stewart, CEO of Cherokee Nation Enterprises.

There is also the almighty power of a big brands database, which can be leveraged to a new property’s advantage. With Hard Rock operating 159 venues in 54 countries, how many people are in their database that can be leveraged locally? In 2002, Harrah’s became the first major Las Vegas-based casino brand to jump into the California tribal casino market with the Harrah’s Rincon Casino and Resort in San Diego.

The San Diego market already boasted eight other tribal casinos, but Harrah’s executives knew the name recognition of the Harrah’s Entertainment brand was the key to success-not to mention, the hundreds of thousands of Harrah’s Total Rewards slot club members who live in Southern California who could be immediately enticed to visit a Harrah’s tribal casino in their back yard.

However, to take a page from acclaimed world leader in casino marketing research Mike Meczka, the biggest differentiating factor isn’t simply the brand itself, but the amenity set that comes with it. Hotel towers, luxury guest rooms and suites, indoor/outdoor pools, convention space, multi-purpose theaters for concerts and sporting events, new restaurants and lounges with live entertainment-all may play a greater part in creating differentiation and distinction than brand name alone.    

Big Brands
Of course, the price/value equation plays a leading role in attraction and differentiation as well-the lead role, many would say. No brand, no matter how big and bad the brand name is, will survive in the casino world without a competitive amenity set and value proposition.

If a well-known brand is employed, it seems incumbent upon the operator to strike a balance with tribal heritage. Tribes like the Cherokee have “customized” big brands to make them more uniquely their own. The Cherokee Hard Rock brought its own version of the Hard Rock experience to Tulsa, Oklahoma with influences from Cherokee heritage and Oklahoma’s rich history of musical artists.

As Gay Kingman of the Cheyenne River Sioux said in a 2009 G2E speech, “While gaming is very important to our nations, we must never leave our culture, traditions and spirituality behind as we embrace this new world.”

In tribal sub-brands lies perhaps the best chance to increase awareness of tribal heritage, and further Indian Nation pride. The various amenities within tribal casino resorts abound with opportunity. For example, at the new Northern Quest Resort Casino in Spokane, Washington, the Kalispel tribe’s heritage is on full display.

At Masselows, the new fine dining restaurant named for Chief Masselow, who led the Kalispel Tribe more than 100 years ago, diners are welcomed in Salish, the native language of the Kalispels. An image of Chief Masselow is prominently displayed, along with archive photos depicting the tribe’s history, and bread is served in small bark canoes. The new spa, aptly named “Current,” reflects the tribe’s legacy as “people of the river.” Some spa rituals are based on the tribe’s practices of seeking solitude and solace. Each of the boardrooms and meeting rooms honors luminary tribal figures.

Great brands all have a story, and tell a story. Travel around Indian Country, and you see hallowed tribal traditions and heritage honored in the names and appearance of places within the walls of the casino property. Visitors are rewarded with intimate connections to the culture of the Indian tribe that owns the resort, and the tribe builds and burnishes its own image. That’s branding at its best, and in the long run, maybe just as important as burnishing the bottom line.

Does a well-known brand matter? Yes. And tribes are doing a great job making their brands well-known, with or without the big brand name partnering.