Thursday, September 04, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Caesars set to debut new ad campaign

Caesars Palaces' new multimillion-dollar advertising campaign is aimed mainly at males, 35 to 60 years of age, making more than $100,0000 a year, according to Caesars Palace President Mark Juliano. COURTESY PHOTO

Et tu, Caesars?

Park Place Entertainment Corp. Wednesday announced it is turning thumbs down on the togas, chariots and laurel wreaths used in past marketing campaigns for its Roman-themed Caesars Palace resort.

Instead, it has given a thumbs up to a new multimillion-dollar ad campaign that will feature scenes such as a woman feeding martini olives from her drink to a young man, three women tossing down drinks on a girls' night out and a man being ogled by beautiful blondes.

While Park Place executives say Caesars Palace's brand identity will be unmistakable in the ads, even without the well-recognized Imperial Roman images, gaming expert and University of Nevada, Las Vegas professor Bill Thompson questioned the new message.

"If they're going to embrace the Caesars name, they should embrace the glory and the upscale image, not the lowest common denominator," he said.

"Maybe this connects to the (convention authority's) 'What's done here, stays here' campaign. Both messages seem to be what you do here is sleazy. But Caesars isn't a draw because it's sleazy, but because it's glorious," he said.

Caesars Palace President Mark Juliano Wednesday offered a different perspective of the new, multimillion-dollar campaign created by R&R Partners of Las Vegas, which also created the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority's $58 million "Vegas Stories" ad campaign.

"Our new ad campaign and its `Live Famously' tag line are intended to deliver a simple message: Caesars Palace once again is the most exciting place to experience all that Las Vegas has to offer," he said.

And R&R partner Mary Ann Mele said the Caesars campaign is "a little more sophisticated, more regal" than the Las Vegas Convention and Visitor Authority ads.

The "Vegas Stories" campaign has generated some negative publicity for Las Vegas with some companies reporting that its "What happens here, stays here" message is discouraging some businesses and workers from moving to Las Vegas.

Caesars' "Live Famously" ads debut this month with print placements in upscale consumer feeder market magazines, including LA Confidential, Angeleno, Gotham, Hamptons and Chicago Social, as well as travel industry and meeting publications.

The campaign will expand to include direct marketing, Internet and outdoor advertising, and, in late 2004, television.

Juliano said the campaign is aimed mainly at males, 35 to 60 years of age, making more than $100,000 a year.

"We're trying to reach the person aware of Caesars' name but not aware of how it's changed," he said.

The new campaign marks the beginning of an integrated marketing program intended to support "the continuing physical renaissance" of Park Place's famous Strip resort, which includes the 4,100-seat Colosseum featuring Celine Dion.

In addition to the Colosseum, Caesars Palace recently opened Bradley Ogden, the first restaurant opened outside California by its namesake celebrity chef. The resort also has announced plans to bring to Las Vegas the first Mesa Grill outside of New York.

Juliano said research shows people come to Las Vegas for adventure.

"Bradley Ogden is quite a departure from buffets and the Colosseum is quite a departure from the old Circus Maximus. They are the kind of things we're trying to tell people (about), and we think that age group will be interested in," Juliano said.

Caesars officials said they will not be replacing any of the resort's Imperial Roman features and amenities, but are adopting a so-called "business Roman" motif, which they described as "more suggestive of Rome without becoming cartoonish," on its new architectural features. Park Place declined to release the cost of the new multimedia promotional campaign.