Resort targets Californians
There are few visible remnants of the Sahara at the new SLS Las Vegas, located on the world-famous Strip. But the property’s $415 million transformation includes many nods to the Rat Pack era that first made the property famous, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
A new ad campaign called “Be Legendary” includes images from the 1960s Sahara alongside similar but contemporary images.
“It’s a way to target the customer market of today that wants to be part of a purely lifestyle property, while honoring the heritage of the Sahara,” said Veronica Smiley, chief marketing officer for SBE Entertainment of Los Angeles, which owns the SLS with San Francisco-based private equity firm Stockbridge Real Estate.
The campaign uses photos from the portfolio of British photographer Terry O’Neill, who took pictures of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Sean Connery at the property during the 1960s and 1970s.
The campaign targets Las Vegas feeder markets such as Southern California, Chicago and the Southwest through print, digital and social media, the Review-Journal reported.
“The budget may seem super tiny compared to our competitors, but we’re thinking smart and using a platform nobody else has,” Smiley said. “The goal is to create a massive buzz and awareness.”
The SLS brand is well known in Southern California, and SBE will increase that brand awareness by joining the Preferred Hotels &Resorts guest loyalty program, which includes 450 independently owned hotels and resorts.
And in June, SLS forged an alliance with Hilton Worldwide that allows the property to market through the Hilton HHonors customer loyalty program, which has 40 million members. SBE CEO Sam Nazarian called the deal with Hilton “an important relationship” for SLS Las Vegas.
Social media will be a big part of the multimedia campaign.
“We have a thriving social media community of millions who engages with us daily, and the campaign activations are a way of offering them an opportunity to make it their own and tell us what ‘Be Legendary’ means to them,” said Smiley.
SLS Las Vegas President and COO Rob Oseland said SLS “is a place designed with locals in mind.”
