Issue

Valley Forge Casino Resort entered into a historic partnership with US Airways, “Points for Miles,” which allowed guests to redeem player points directly for US Airways Dividend Miles. As this was the first time a casino would allow players to redeem points for something outside of its property, the program had the potential to appeal to a large audience outside of gamers.

La Torre Communications formulated a plan that hinged on telling Valley Forge Casino Resort’s story through a highly polished, newsworthy message.

Strategy

La Torre Communications:

• Developed messaging that clearly defined the announcement’s historic value and positioned the announcement as breaking news.
• Planned and executed a launch event, including a customer party and press conference. The travel-themed event featured a live hula show with professional dancers and musicians, and a 9-ton sand sculpture depicting an airplane taking off over playing cards and dice.
• Worked with select reporters on embargo in advance of the announcement to generate interest and aggressively pitched the story to both local and national reporters following the press conference.

Result

The campaign exceeded all objectives. La Torre earned Valley Forge Casino Resort national media placements reaching 20 million people with an estimated $1.4 million advertising equivalency value.

This campaign received a Keystone Award for best media relations/media launch by the Central PA Public Relations Society of America. Additionally, La Torre was presented with the Judges Award for achieving maximum results with a minimum budget.