Harrah's Entertainment Goes Mobile at the Rio
Mobile solution powered by Acxiom® and Acuity Mobile delivers timely, targeted promotions to guests' mobile devices
Little Rock, Jan. 22 2009 - Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. recently implemented a new mobile marketing technology capable of delivering personalized, targeted promotions to guests at the Rio All Suites Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
"Powered by global interactive marketing company Acxiom® Corporation (NASDAQ: ACXM) with technology partner Acuity Mobile, the mobile marketing program provides real-time offers, property information, and Total Rewards points balance to Rio guests directly to their mobile phone."
"Harrah's offers compelling entertainment experiences for our guests and we leverage innovative technology, like this mobile solution offered by Acxiom and Acuity, to create a stronger, more direct relationship with our guests," said David Norton, chief marketing officer, Harrah's Entertainment.
The opt-in marketing pilot at the Rio is based on Acxiom's new mobile marketing solution and incorporates the capabilities of Acuity Mobile to enable Harrah's to deliver personal offers and content to guests' mobile devices based on time, context, and the individual's preferences. The result: guests at the Rio can choose to receive attractive offers when it's most relevant for them. Guests can opt in to receive special offers on things like show tickets and dining during their visit by sending a text message while visiting the Rio.
"Acxiom and Acuity are providing to Harrah's the capability to communicate directly with specific guests via their mobile devices, offering great promotional opportunities when it's most relevant," said Norton. "From an operational perspective, this provides us another marketing channel to promote perishable inventory, tickets or appointments."
"One of the unique things about Harrah's program that enhances the casino experience is that the consumer has control choosing whether or not to receive offers as well as what kind of promotions they would like to receive," said Tim Suther, Acxiom's senior vice president for digital marketing services.
"The capabilities Acxiom provides enable marketers to increase the performance of their advertising and marketing investment by enhancing relationships between businesses and consumers," said Suther. "Mobile marketing is driven by consumer demand and consumer response " often approaching a remarkable 12 percent response rate."
With this mobile marketing program, Harrah's aims to extend the reach of its Total Rewards guest loyalty program. "Personal touches are important to Harrah's and they are now able to extend that high degree of personal attention through the mobile channel," said Alan Sultan, President of Acuity Mobile.
About Acxiom
The global leader in interactive marketing services, Acxiom connects clients with their
customers through deep consumer insight, powering effective and profitable marketing
initiatives and business decisions. Our consultative approach spans multiple industries and
incorporates decades of experience in consumer data and analytics, information technology,
data integration and consulting solutions for effective marketing across digital, Internet, email,
mobile and direct mail channels. Founded in 1969, Acxiom is headquartered in Little Rock, Ark.,
and serves clients around the world from locations in the United States, Europe and Asia-
Pacific. For more information about Acxiom, visit www.acxiom.com.
About Acuity Mobile
Acuity Mobile is a leading provider of mobile marketing content delivery solutions. Acuity
Mobile's Embedded Mobile Advertising Platform (EMAP) is a patented technology that enables
Spot Relevance™ - the ability to deliver targeted marketing content to the right person, at the
right time, in the right location via text, WAP and applications. EMAP technology is used by
carriers, advertisers and content owners to ensure that relevant content (ads, offers, traffic,
weather, etc.) is delivered directly to mobile users based on their interests, time of day and
geographic location. The technology behind EMAP was first developed in 2000 and patent
protected since 2003. Acuity Mobile harnesses the power of mobility to improve content delivery
for marketers and their consumers. For more information, please visit www.acuitymobile.com.
About Harra's
Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. is the world's largest provider of branded casino entertainment.
Since its beginning in Reno, Nevada, more than 70 years ago, Harrah's has grown through
development of new properties, expansions and acquisitions, and now operates casinos on four
continents. The company's properties operate primarily under the Harrah's®, Caesars® and
Horseshoe® brand names; Harrah's also owns the London Clubs International family of casinos
and the World Series of Poker®. Harrah's Entertainment is focused on building loyalty and value
with its customers through a unique combination of great service, excellent products,
unsurpassed distribution, operational excellence and technology leadership. For more
information, please visit www.harrahs.com.
Acxiom is a registered trademark of Acxiom Corporation.
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Media Contact:
Dave Clossey
for Acuity Mobile
Tel: (410) 466-0049
dclossey@abelcommunications.com
Shane Sharp
Acxiom Corporate Communications
Tel: (501) 252-2195
shane.sharp@acxiom.com
Jacqueline Peterson
Harrahʼs Entertainment
Tel: (702) 494 4829
japeterson@harrahs.com