Owned and operated by the Cocopah Indian Tribe, Cocopah Casino & Resort first opened its doors in 1993 in Somerton, Arizona. Located in the southwest part of the state, the casino draws visitors from the nearby city of Yuma and Mexico, as well as “snowbirds” who flock to warm, sunny Arizona during the winter months. In addition to multiple gaming options, including over 500 slots, table games and bingo, Cocopah is home to a resort hotel, bars, restaurants and an adjacent 18-hole golf course, an 800-spot RV resort and family entertainment center featuring a bowling alley, laser tag, climbing wall and more.
Located off the main highway and with two direct competitors in the Yuma market, Cocopah needed a way to distinguish the property from other casinos and position itself as a year-round entertainment attraction for locals and seasonal visitors. Yet, a minimal in-house marketing team made it difficult for the property to maintain its brand and highlight all its offerings to audiences across various, ever-evolving marketing channels.
In late 2022, Cocopah partnered with LaneTerralever (LT) to raise its profile, refresh its image, and create a comprehensive marketing campaign and media strategy to attract new and repeat guests.
How do you get a small casino to stand out in an oversaturated market? And how do you entice people to veer off the beaten path when similar gaming and dining options are more conveniently located?
Cocopah needed a modern look and feel, along with an updated website to bring excitement and attract more interest. LT refreshed the casino’s identity through new logo designs and new photography - repositioning Cocopah by focusing on customer service over gaming. As a friendly, fun, comfortable and clean destination, it offers a local ambiance unmatched by its competitors. The new tagline, “All the Fun, Under the Sun,” also showcases the destination’s wide array of entertainment options, illustrating the vast superiority of Cocopah compared to its competitors.
To ensure we were reaching the target audience where they were, LT launched a new brand campaign through multiple-platform media, including TV, radio, print and out-of-home billboards. Social media content was also critical in raising Cocopah’s online profile.
Keeping Cocopah top of mind for both visitors and locals after the rebrand is key to its long-term growth. LT's extensive marketing strategy includes regular updates to the website, traditional and digital advertising, and continuously refreshing guest messaging and promotion designs.
The brand update was extended to Cocopah’s ongoing communication with casino guests. This previously consisted of a simple flyer mailed to the entire database, showing each month’s promotions. In addition, postcards were mailed to various segments of the database for specialized messages, offers or events. LT developed a sophisticated, efficient and much more economical solution by combining all communications in one monthly direct mail piece - providing each guest with their own curated offers and messaging.
The digital experience for guests has also been a focus of the brand refresh. LT developed a more user-friendly, mobile-first website and player portal that provides a seamless brand experience from online to on-property. Through the new player portal, Cocopah gaming patrons will have immediate access to real-time rewards points, tier points, win/loss reports and other updates. Meanwhile, the casino will have more visibility into their players’ behavior.
LT’s efforts have contributed to Cocopah’s consistent 14% increase in their coin-in year-over-year. In addition, their new website won the 2023 Excellence Award for Consumer Websites by AZIMA (Arizona Innovation Marketing Association). Moreover, one of our most significant indicators of success was that the new campaign and website resulted in a happy, satisfied client and an ongoing working relationship.
“The experience with LaneTerralever has been nothing but positive. We appreciate that they visit the property regularly to keep up to date on our needs and any changes. Communication is top-notch. I’m very, very happy with our progress and excited to have them on board.”
Sheila Knapp, GM of Cocopah Casino & Resort
