Monopoly lost

If you are wondering how Daily Candy can review a restaurant that isn't open yet, there are locations for Bill's Bar and Burger in Manhattan. So you only have to drive 30 miles to try one.

Prices are actually pretty good for Manhattan
Bacon And Cheddar Burger $8.50
Bill's Burger $7.95
Market Veggie Burger $7.50
Mushroom And Swiss Burger $7.95
The Classic $6.95
The Classic With American Cheese $7.50
The Classic With Cheddar Cheese $7.50
The Classic With Jack Cheese $7.50
The Classic With Swiss Cheese $7.50
The Mexican $7.95
Tuscan Turkey Burger $8.50
Cheese Fries $4.25
Chili Cheese Fries $5.95
Fries $3.50
Disco Fries $4.50
Chocolate Shake $5.95
Vanilla Shake $5.95
Coke $2.00
Diet Coke $2.00
Sprite $2.00

Quote: pacomartin

If you are wondering how Daily Candy can review a restaurant that isn't open yet...

Actually, no, I wasn't wondering that.

There's NOTHING in the billboard to suggest that it's not already open. In fact, if I were stupid enough to be swayed into driving 125 miles to Harrah's to try the burger, and it wasn't open yet, I'd be PISSED!

Since you're talking about a chain restaurant, the Daily Candy probably reviewed their food in New York, and now they can use the quotes from that review in advertising any of their stores no matter where they are.

A recent trend in advertising is not utilizing separate images for separate mediums. The billboard image is probably identical to something they have or had online, thus the inclusion of the facebook and twitter buttons.

As for advertising something that's 125 miles away, while that may seem odd, it really doesn't seem that strange to me. It's not like I'm going to see this ad and want to drive that far to get a burger. But, if I'm on my way to Atlantic City, and thinking about eating while I'm there, I may recall this billboard and decide to try the burger joint.

Advertising doesn't have to be good. It just has to be memorable.

Advertising doesn't have to be good. It just has to be memorable.

Gee, I miss those Burma Shave signs.

Quote: konceptum

Advertising doesn't have to be good. It just has to be memorable.

I suppose that could have to do with the purpose of the advertising.

Have you ever seen an ad on TV that was so striking or surprising that you remembered much of it weeks later? But you had no idea what product/service was being advertised? I have seen a number of them over the years. I think the ad agencies were very effective in catching my attention and getting me to remember the ad, but they did nothing at all of value for the sponsor. Would that make it a good ad or a poor one?

Quote: konceptum

Since you're talking about a chain restaurant, the Daily Candy probably reviewed their food in New York, and now they can use the quotes from that review in advertising any of their stores no matter where they are.

Fair enough. But are you suggesting that this billboard was the restaurant's idea? The restaurant's website (Thanks Paco) doesn't mention the AC location. Quite frankly, until Paco provided the link, I thought the name was a Harrah's/Caesars thing. They own Bill's Gambling Hall in Vegas, the poker room at Bally's AC is named "Billy's", etc.

On the flip side, now that I finally checked the Harrah's AC website, yeah, there it is, with a "coming soon" comment, but no link to Bill's site.

Quote: konceptum

But, if I'm on my way to Atlantic City, and thinking about eating while I'm there, I may recall this billboard and decide to try the burger joint.

I alluded to this in my first post....

This billboard is about a mile PAST the Garden State Parkway. I.E. If you were on Route 80 heading west, you'd get on the Parkway a mile before you get to this ad.

Still, back to the original point. There is a Mo’ Burger at Bethlehem Sands Casino for $8. There is a Bill's Burger at Harrah's Atlantic City. It's just one casino is 50 miles closer. There should be something worth advertising to make you drive for another hour than a hamburger.

Quote: buzzpaff

Advertising doesn't have to be good. It just has to be memorable.

This one is memorable for me. I'd drive 125 miles to get a burger from Miss Turkey at Carls Jr.

Its not the miles, its the travel time and the stress.
Brooklyn and Queens residents who are whales will still go to Pennsylvania but five dollar fleas will flock to Queens, which just may take some pressure off other casinos.

Its surely true: the monopoly is gone... just about everywhere is now "not far" from a casino of some sort. It may be one's favorite casino or a particularly impressive casino, but it never has to be your favorite, it just has to be close by. Look at all the "Locals" in Vegas (Yeah, I know, some variations in the definitions). At a locals you've got Keno players and Bingo players and others who are surely not "sharpies". The outlying locals places don't compete for sharpies, they compete for nearby customers.

New Jersey had a monopoly and all its opportunities were wasted. Now the monopoly is gone. The tax rates will have to come down. The state will have to learn that state tax revenue has to be invested for the benefit of the city or those state taxes will go unpaid. The monopoly is over and it ain't never gonna come back.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

Fair enough. But are you suggesting that this billboard was the restaurant's idea?

No. In fact, I would initially think that the billboard was not the restaurant's idea at all, but rather the idea of the casino. After all, if the restaurant is famous enough, and well known enough, and it appears that it is, then the restaurant doesn't "need" to do the advertising. In fact, if I was the owner of a chain of successful restaurants, I would require that the casino pay for any advertising, as a way to further save money on my part. I'm not saying this is what happened in this instance, but it makes the most sense from my point of view as a businessman.

Years ago when I decided to start making "extra" money by utilizing U-Haul, I was always quick to use any advertising that touted how great U-Haul was, even if it was a store in a different state. On the other hand, when people came in and mentioned they had hear something negative about U-Haul, I was quick to state that it was an isolated case that only involved that particular store owner. In other words, good advertising applied to the whole company. Bad advertising applied only to that individual store.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

I alluded to this in my first post....

This billboard is about a mile PAST the Garden State Parkway. I.E. If you were on Route 80 heading west, you'd get on the Parkway a mile before you get to this ad.

Sorry, I came into this thread late and only read a few bits. Plus, I have no idea where this location is that you are talking about, having never been to that part of the country or to Atlantic City.