For years, the casino resorts in Atlantic City led separate lives unless they had ownership ties. But by the turn of the century, the resorts saw viewing the city as a whole to be marketed grew more enticing.
Within that approach, cluster marketing has evolved: the Marina District, center Boardwalk and South Beach. But the latter has found a new name and a new approach—North Beach Atlantic City
North Beach includes Ocean Casino Resort, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City and Resorts Casino Hotel as well as Showboat Atlantic City, Steel Pier and various restaurants and bars in the Tennessee Avenue corridor, according to the Press of Atlantic City.
The joint marketing effort has paid off, said Hard Rock President Joe Lupo, who mentions the financial results of the three North Beach casinos. All three casinos in the district saw increases in their third quarter gross operating profits.
“We are pleased that the north end of the Atlantic City Boardwalk continues to lead the market…showing the majority of the increase in comparison to 2019,” Lupo said. “This positive growth shows the importance of investing in the city and that working collaboratively together can have a positive impact in our community.”
Jane F. Bokunewicz, director of the Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality and Tourism at Stockton University, said districts like North Beach, create a hub of economic activity within a larger geographic area.
“And when stakeholders collaborate, they can create a distinctive identity and sense of ‘place’ marketable to visitors. Since casino patrons tend to visit more than one property in a given trip, the success of one casino in a cluster can positively impact the others,” she said.
The benefits go beyond the financials in the casinos, said Mark Callazzo, co-founder and CEO of Alpha Funding Solutions and operator of the Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall and Rhythm & Spirits.
“North Beach Atlantic City has been a great partnership of casinos, the Steel Pier, the Absecon Lighthouse and our restaurant group on Tennessee Avenue,” Callazzo said. “It’s been great to work with our neighbors on events and cooperative marketing, and we could not ask for better partners. There is so much to do in the North Beach area, and our partnership has been a great way to showcase all the North Beach fun.”
Clearly, the alliance sees the benefit of working together on events, Lupo said. “When the casinos do better, everyone does better. It’s a trickle down to the local businesses.”
