Casino biz good for McGuinness

STRATEGY SESSION: Megan McGuinness owns a media and marketing firm and is an advertising and marketing consultant for Twin River Management Group. She is speaking with Neil Fernandes, senior database marketing manager for Twin River Management Group. / PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO
STRATEGY SESSION: Megan McGuinness owns a media and marketing firm and is an advertising and marketing consultant for Twin River Management Group. She is speaking with Neil Fernandes, senior database marketing manager for Twin River Management Group. / PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

At a time when casinos are proliferating across the region, Megan McGuinness’ job is to find new ways to entice patrons to choose her clients over the competition.

McGuinness, owner of McGuiness Media & Marketing LLC, entered the casino industry in 2009 after spending seven years working at a global communications agency in Boston. Having previously managed accounts for national and global brands, McGuiness took a job as advertising manager at Lincoln-based Twin River Management Group, which marked the beginning of what’s now the focal point of her career.

“Within the business [of casinos] you have the hospitality business, the gambling business, the shows and concerts and everything else in between, which is what I love about marketing [for it],” McGuiness said.

McGuiness worked at Twin River for three years, until she decided she wanted a little more flexibility. She decided to strike out on her own, starting McGuinness Media & Marketing.

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Twin River, however, wasn’t entirely ready to let go of her expertise, so a deal was struck that she would continue to provide services for the casino as a consultant. Today, McGuinness continues the advertising efforts for Twin River and has picked up Newport Grand. She also does media and advertising for Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Biloxi, Miss.v

In total, McGuinness is responsible for three casinos, 15 restaurants, a hotel and nine entertainment venues.

Despite having teams of people working with her at the ground-level of each venue, she runs McGuinness Media & Marketing on her own. But with the mounting work, she sees the possibility of that changing.

“My plan is to have an office and employees and establish myself … as a full-scale ad agency,” she said.

The regional casino industry has experienced a number of changes in the last couple of years. Besides the stalwarts Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun casinos in Connecticut, competition has emerged in Massachusetts, as Plainville-based Plainridge Park Casino opened in June 2015.

From a marketing perspective, McGuinness said, strategies of the competition must be understood in order to create an advertising campaign that will maximize return on investment.

“It’s always interesting to see the competition, which is there on any brand you work with,” McGuinness said. •

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