Strategy & Background

Our PR strategy for the Event Center has evolved over time, beginning with a straightforward approach to using earned media to drive awareness for key performances. Our team books radio interviews for the larger acts in the weeks leading up to their performances at the Casino. MPR works directly with each artist’s agency or PR contact to obtain their appetite for media interviews and availability. From there, our team pitches the artists to our contacts in the key markets in the drivable region in an effort to secure an interview in the immediate weeks leading up to the scheduled performance.

Most recently, to help promote the quality and variety of performances at the Event Center at Hollywood Casino Charles Town in a supplemental, consolidated campaign, MPR created a social media campaign centered around an official award that we named The Charlies. The idea was to host an online voting campaign where fans could vote for their favorite performances if they had been, or favorite of the performers if they hadn’t, across several categories. MPR developed the campaign look and feel, the creative elements, the online voting form and managed the voting.  We narrowed the performances down by ticket sales to pick the most popular, selecting 6-8 categories. The campaign was pushed heavily on social media, using artist tags to amplify reach.

We then created a replica of the digital trophy for real-world application! In June of 2023, two of the winning performers, musicians Trace Adkins and Bret Michaels, will return to play for a second consecutive year on separate dates, and we will snap a photo of each holding the trophy for The Charlies. Those photos will be used for social media and we will ask the artists to share as well.

Key Successes

– Since January 2022 our team has secured over 110 media hits for the performers & artists (as of June 2023)

– Top Interviews for the Event Center have been:

Paul Reiser on WTOP-FM | Tracy Morgan on Fox5 |
Bret Michaels announces local tour stop on WBIG-FM | 311 on DC 101 | Lukas Nelson on WMZQ-FM & WPOC-FM | Sarah Silverman on 98 Rock’s Justin, Scott & Spiegel morning show | Illusionist Rob Lake in studio at both WUSA-TV and Fox5

– These interviews have proven to drive advance ticket sales to most shows, with surges in purchases occurring shortly after interviews have aired. For acts including Marlon Wayans and Paul Reiser, sales doubled after interviews started airing.

– The first annual “The Charlies” campaign was a great success when considering organic engagement levels. 2,049 votes were received during the three-week campaign and the social media posts were the most engaged with posts during that time frame.