MGM Resorts Says ‘The Show’ Must Go On, Relaunches Suspended Marketing Campaign

Posted on: March 21, 2018, 10:00h. 

Last updated on: March 21, 2018, 09:37h.

Casino.org Staff Writer Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming.

MGM Resorts has relaunched a slightly tweaked version of its “Welcome to the Show” branding campaign, which the company suspended in the days following the October 1 massacre.

MGM Resorts Las Vegas marketing commercial
MGM Resorts and Las Vegas is once again ready to roar. (Image: MGM Resorts/Casino.org)

The roughly three-minute spot begins by telling viewers with on-screen text that “Mankind was not born to be bored.” Paired with thrilling music, the promo features various MGM Resorts properties, predominantly those found on the Las Vegas Strip, and all the electrifying amenities the casinos have to offer.

The fast-paced montage jumps between stadium events, nightclubs, casino floors, fine dining restaurants, retail stores, and spas. The video highlights aerial views of the Strip, as well as MGM’s two properties in Macau.

The spot continues, “We invented MGM to entertain the human race. To turn every dinner table, every gaming table, every shop, every venue, every view, into an experience that takes your breath away.”

“We are not in the hotel business. We are in the holy sh*t business. The world’s most powerful entertainment brand is all lit up and ready to roar. Welcome to the show,” the piece ends.

MGM Resorts debuted the corporate branding video during the Emmy Awards in September, less than a month before the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history took place in Las Vegas.

The campaign was suspended several days after the October 1 tragedy, but returned online earlier this month.

Show Stopper

It’s been 171 days since 58 people lost their lives and hundreds of others were injured while attending an outdoor country music festival on the southern end of the Strip. The Las Vegas shooter sat perched on the 32nd floor of Mandalay Bay, which is a MGM Resorts casino.

At the time, MGM’s “Welcome to the Show” was a prevalent branding campaign. It came with the hashtag “#OMGM,” and the clever acronym was seen on various social media channels with the tagline claiming that MGM is “The World’s Leading Producer of OMG.”

After the shooting, the “oh my god” exclamation being used to advertise dazzling entertainment was viewed as insensitive by some, and the campaign was shelved. The marginally updated version strips the “OMGM” acronym, but continues to use the We are in the holy sh*t business” line.

Necessary Entertainment

Travel Weekly writer Sarah Feldberg recently caught up with MGM Resorts Chief Experience Officer Lili Tomovich to learn about the company’s marketing response to the October 1 shooting.

Tomovich explained that all advertising efforts were essentially shut down in the days following the tragedy, as the company switched its focus to sharing Las Vegas’ message of strength, resiliency, and needed ongoing support from those outside Nevada. Now nearly six months removed, it’s apparently time to get back to business.

“It’s a new year. It’s a fresh start. We have to move forward,” Tomovich told Travel Weekly. “Entertainment is a fundamental human need. Entertainment does change the way people feel in a really positive way. We’ve got to start telling the world that.”

According to a new case study commissioned by MGM, 82 percent of American adults agree with the statement, “Without entertainment in my life, I wouldn’t be me.” And 93 percent believe entertainment is essential to health and happiness.