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Foxwoods contest seeks musicians to make a new pitch [The Day, New London, Conn.]
(Day, The (New London, CT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Nov. 15--For sheer effectiveness, few jingles rival Foxwoods Resort Casino's "The Wonder of It All," which debuted in TV commercials in 1999. Repeated in Foxwoods advertising campaigns over the next several years, the tune, featuring crooner John Pizzarelli, never failed to conjure a place where "Life is good, life is sweet."
But even an iconic pitch can grow stale. Especially for a casino intent on reaching an audience that's younger than the one normally associated with the slots-playing crowd.
"We understand how prominent 'The Wonder of It All' was, but then we opened MGM Grand at Foxwoods (in 2008) and we got away from it," Roy Colebut, Foxwoods' director of advertising, says. "We wanted to bring it back -- with a different type of spin."
Toward that end, Foxwoods has launched a search for a new version of the jingle, inviting established musicians and wannabes to upload audio entries to a Web site on which the public can weigh in, rendering either a thumbs up or a thumbs down. The deadline for submissions is Jan. 15, 2010. Voting will continue until midnight Feb. 21.
Foxwoods executives will review the 50 entries that fare the best in the balloting, choosing 10 finalists to perform Feb. 27 before a panel of as-yet-unnamed celebrity judges at Foxwoods' 1,200-seat Fox Theater. The winner, whose jingle will be used in Foxwoods commercials, will take home $25,000 worth of prizes, including music equipment, a Foxwoods VIP package and studio recording time.
Colebut says the new campaign grew out of brainstorming among Foxwoods executives and the casino's advertising team. The contest component was inspired by "American Idol," the popular TV show that relies on voting among viewers and a panel of judges to pare down a field of contestants.
"It's wide open," Colebut adds. "All genres are welcome. ... A heavy metal version would be fine."
A contestant could even pen new lyrics, he said, though the old ones have held up pretty well.
In getting the word out about the competition, Foxwoods says it was employing "a mix of new and traditional mediums to reach its target audiences," ranging from such Web sites as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to billboards and print, radio and online advertising.
By the middle of last week, five entries had been uploaded at www.BeTheWonder.com, representing such genres as pop, rock and rap.
Mohegan Sun, Foxwoods' nearby competition, continues to air TV commercials developed as part of its "Could You Use Some Sun?" campaign launched in March 2008. A "musicals" component features actors performing versions of such songs as "My Sharona," "Super Freak" and "Hold the Line."
Mitchell Etess, president and chief executive officer of Mohegan Sun, says the casino continually tracks the effectiveness of its advertising through research.
"We couldn't be more pleased with the way the (current) campaign's played out," he says.
"What we try to do is convey the excitement, the warmth, the energy of the property," he says. "We try to appeal to as broad a demographic as possible."
b.hallenbeck@theday.com
To see more of The Day, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.theday.com.
Copyright (c) 2009, The Day, New London, Conn.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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