The Silver Legacy Resort Hotel and Casino had been an iconic property in the heart of downtown Reno since opening in the late 1990s. But faced with growing competition from California casinos and an economic downturn that battered Reno, they found themselves in bankruptcy and trying to find ways to revive a casino resort that was the literally the biggest thing in the Biggest Little City’s skyline. We discovered that they were primarily competing only on low room rates and offers. We helped them refocus on branding in hopes of making people fall in love with what made the Silver Legacy so special – that it was a quirky, fun property and the jumping off point for all kinds of adventures people can have in the Biggest Little City. As all this was happening, Reno was undergoing a huge, hip renaissance, one that was beginning to attract a little bit of attention. We called this the “Renossance.” With this in mind, we created the “Go Big in the Biggest Little City” campaign, which featured a character called the Renossance Man. The Renossance Man served as a guide to “going big in the Biggest Little City.” The beauty of a character – or in ad speak, a “fluent device” – is that it can serve as a very quick and easy way to give your brand immediate personality and to have people remember it. The Renossance Man was the SIlver Legacy’s fluent device, and we used him in a cross-channel campaign that included TV, online video, print ads, outdoor, digital, social media and on-property activations. The campaign was a success and he was responsible for getting a lot of people to go big in the Biggest Little City.
