Fostering Loyalty at Mohegan Sun
Loyalty clubs play a major role in acquiring and retaining customers in the highly competitive world of casino gambling. Mohegan Sun’s loyalty program, Players Club, offers casual to serious gamblers a chance to earn rewards depending on their level of play, as well as receive a variety of discounts and offers.
Guy Greene is the director of consumer marketing for Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT, and founded Players Club when the casino opened in 1996. He learned the basics of loyalty programs and acquired first-hand knowledge about players’ needs and wants while working at the state’s other casino, Foxwoods in Mashantucket, CT. His idea was to build a program to set the gold standard and ‘hit the jackpot’ in terms of building loyalty. Greene talked with PROMO P&I about managing Players Club and keeping its 3 million members happy.
PROMO P&I: How do you measure club member satisfaction?
GREENE: Mohegan Sun has a number of methods in place to measure the satisfaction of a marketing initiative. Our high percentage of rated play (play by loyalty club members) is an indicator of the perceived value of membership from its members. I check monthly in hopes of reaching 80% rated play.
PROMO P&I: What additions to Players Club are you the most proud of?
GREENE: The Players Club is in a constant state of change. The core concept stays the same as we push forward and continue to find ways to better understand and market to our members. I am proud that through this progression the program continues to grow in success yet remains simple to understand and use for the new to experienced member.
PROMO P&I: How would you like to see Players Club evolve?
GREENE: The increased use of technology will continue to grow as will our ability to better apply it. As we develop new ways to track, segment and analyze customer transactions we will improve our methods to better supply them with a program they will enjoy.
PROMO P&I: What determines which members will receive which direct mail or e-mail promotions?
GREENE: We have a highly segmented marketing program that is based on customer demographics, frequency of visitation, value and patron life cycles. Extensive customer data and mining this information is crucial to supplying our patrons the best customized offer. (Mohegan Sun mails more than 500,000 pieces a year based on 60 customized offers.)
PROMO P&I: What “hot” prizes do Players Club members redeem?
GREENE: The loyalty program complements a patron’s entertainment experience at Mohegan Sun. Players Club members may use their rewards towards vacations (they can travel anywhere in the world they like), shopping (29 retail shops), dining (30 restaurants), concerts and sporting events (from a 350 seat cabaret theatre to a 10,000 seat arena), a day at the spa and to fill up their gas tank at our on-site Mobil gas station (using their reward points to pay at the pump). Our patrons have many choices. Use of their rewards continues to grow in of all these areas.
PROMO P&I: How do you know when to add another incentive or offer for members?
GREENE: The environment at Mohegan Sun promotes and creates a constant pipeline of ideas and programs to offer our patrons. We constantly review new methods to increase loyalty and complement our existing program. A Player’s Club member constantly sees new and improved offerings adding to their overall experience at Mohegan Sun. Also, business demands may dictate marketing intervention but it is our goal to stay ahead of the game.
