Faculty & Research
A Qualitative Analysis of Slot Clubs as Drivers of Casino Loyalty
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Vol 49 No 2
By: Flavia Hendler and Kathryn A. LaTour
Executive Summary: Using metaphors and pictures, an analysis of the attitudes toward a Las Vegas casino’s slot club identified issues that impaired customers’ loyalty. The analysis, based on the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET), separately investigated the attitudes of local players and tourists, using images that describe the slot club. The in-depth ZMET interviews isolated factors not found by the usual methods. Local residents participating in the ZMET interviews revealed that they saw the casino and club as a home, and they wanted to feel connected to the program. The locals also wanted more control over their rewards, with greater program transparency in terms of where members stood in accumulating points for rewards. Tourists differentiated the club from the resort. They saw the resort as posh and welcoming, but the club as bland and rigid, albeit exclusive and with accommodating hosts. To remedy the club’s cold, inflexible image, management authorized all slot club employees to accommodate members’ requests (rather than just hosts). To address locals’ need for value, management implemented a more transparent award system, while retaining the ability to grant upgrades at will. The key implication for other industries that attempt to operate affinity programs is that loyalty must be assessed by measures other than those commonly applied, particularly behavioral measures, which do not necessarily indicate loyalty.
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- A Qualitative Analysis of Slot Clubs as Drivers of Casino Loyalty By: Flavia Hendler and Kathryn A. LaTour
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