How Las Vegas leveraged an entertainment icon as brand ambassador — John Schadler // Harkey Group

There's so much to learn from Vegas, what that town has done, what people like Steve Wynn have done, and what has been built there. And it's been manufactured from nothing with hardly any assets. Want to find out what went into creating what Vegas is today? Listen to John Schadler, Managing Director of Harkey Group, as he discusses how Las Vegas leveraged an entertainment icon as a brand ambassador.
About the speaker

John Schadler

Harkey Group

 - Harkey Group

John Schadler is Managing Director at Harkey Group

Show Notes

  • 03:03
    How John Schadler met Steve Wynn
    From delivering work samples to becoming the head of marketing, John shares how he met entertainment icon, Steve Wynn.
  • 08:55
    The one thing new marketers dont know how to do well
    Emotional intelligence
  • 11:51
    Examples of campaigns that worked well with Steve
    Opening Golden Nuggets with Frank Sinatra as an influencer, Steve made a huge bet.
  • 14:06
    What Steve did to market Las Vegas as a destination
    After Steve made a $600 million bet on property investment in Las Vegas, he knew he had to come up with a different type of marketing to generate a million dollars a day in revenue to break even. They marketed the city as a new destination in the world through a very sophisticated series of commercials and primarily commercials and print ads.

Quotes

  • "The one thing in those days that may be missing today in creativity is that sense of emotional intelligence. And Steve was a master at taking a product that may have a cold facade, like casinos or casinos and a roomful of slot machines. But how do you give it warmth, a sense of humor, and an endearing quality?" - John Schadler

  • "Steve made a huge bet when all the operators that had licenses were rushing to get open. They took old facilities and repurposed them. And they were not necessarily remarkable in their scale or composition. And Steve took a different route: building something from the ground up from scratch. It delayed his entry into the market by a year or so. It was about a $150 million bet, unheard of in the marketplace." - John Schadler

  • “Why did Steve Wynn invest in a resort in Las Vegas? The recognition that maybe gaming was becoming more widespread in the US and was no longer unique and special, and it was becoming more of a commodity. And the consumer was looking for something way different, more expansive, and more in the non-gaming space. And then Steve made a $600 million bet on property investment, and they had to generate a million dollars a day in revenue to break even." - John Schadler

About the speaker

John Schadler

Harkey Group

 - Harkey Group

John Schadler is Managing Director at Harkey Group

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