Shooting Star Casino – Mahnomen, MN - Brrriffic

While mostly known for endless lakes and beautiful farming land, Mahnomen, MN, home of Shooting Star Casino, represents a significant revenue enterprise for the White Earth Nation. With a sizeable casino, hotel, spa and beautiful events center, the property has long been the top casino draw for Fargo, ND, Northwest Minnesota as well as Southern Manitoba.

The Challenge

With a new campaign set to launch in April, the property was challenged to find a bridge to drive business from January through March, traditionally a down time.

The Plan

Develop a promotional execution to help the property exceed Q1 visitation and revenue goals. Concussion worked with the Shooting Star Casino team to develop a promotion themed around what we found to the market's most pressing issue…the weather. Everyone we spoke to wanted to be able to escape the Minnesota winter (if only for a few days). Thus, the Brrriffic Tropical Getaway promotion was born. Concussion's goal was to remind everyone how nice it would be to…well…be somewhere tropical. On property Shooting Star was turned into a tropical experience, complete with Hawaiian shirts, branded table felts, flip flops, Radio Margaritaville, boat drinks and grass huts. Within Fargo, residents were greeted by flocks of 500 Pink Flamingos in the snow banks in front of malls, main intersections and large gathering areas. Outdoor boards reminded locals just how cold it was compared to a warm tropical paradise. Radio liners broadcasted “72 and sunny” forecasts for Shooting Star Casino immediately after conveying a –10 degree local temperature.

The Results

The result was the most successful promotion in the history of Shooting Star Casino. Customers loved the on-property experience and joined in the fun. Every revenue and visitation goal was exceeded by 5%. Oh, and those pink flamingos mysteriously started appearing in front lawns around the city. Mission accomplished.