Competition for locals looking to book "nearcations" in New York City's tri-state area is heating up. While the Big Apple doesn't need much help on the marketing front, Connecticut just launched its big tourism campaign. Now New Jersey's fabled Atlantic City is wooing northeastern residents to visit — and not for the reasons you might think. 

The Atlantic City Alliance, a non-profit funded and operated by local casinos, is focused on increasing tourism by pitching. The marketing challenge: how to promote a city synonymous with gambling without focusing on casinos? The strategy: woo potential visitors on the city's other charms, as part of a campaign titled "Do Anything. Do Everything."Continue reading...

A year ago, a Quinnipiac University survey found that half of New Jersey residents find MTV's series Jersey Shore "revolting." A "Jersey Doesn't Stink" campaign duly launched in an attempt to clean up the state's image. Ah, New Jersey.

Now, the state's Governor Chris Christie has embarked on a campaign to reclaim the Jersey Shore from the seedy image fostered by Jersey Shore ... which was just named the "cable phenom" of the year by Bloomberg Businessweek, by the way.

Christie's campaign to reclaim and restore the image of New Jersey's shore towns includes a visit today to Atlantic City — battling its own image downgrade at the hands of another cable network (HBO) and TV series (Empire Boardwalk) peopled by less than upright citizens. 

Blame/credit an earlier HBO series, The Sopranos, for ... ah, fuhgeddaboudit!

The job title may still be a bit insulting, but the existence of it says a lot. Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City has hired an “alternative lifestyle marketing” director specifically to target LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) consumers.

The casino claims it is the first property (presumably in Atlantic City) to dedicate an executive position to courting the so-called "gay dollar," a move that is certainly emblematic of an iconic casino property's move to recover.Continue reading...

What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but what happens elsewhere stays elsewhere. And that includes the revenues that Las Vegas misses out on when its former business flees to new centers of gambling entertainment. Native American tribal casinos' continued upgrade into Vegas-quality destinations shouldn't be the city's only worry. It appears Atlantic City is gearing up to shake its gritty gambling image and, as part of a takeover by the state of New Jersey, transform itself into a top-end global destination. Which brand would we gamble on?Continue reading...