Welcome to the Sound In Marketing Podcast. The Sound In Marketing podcast explores and defines sound on purpose, in marketing and in advertising. I'm your host, Jeanna Isham, owner and founder of Dreamr Productions and Sound in Marketing Learning. I create, consult and educate individuals and brands on the power of sound in marketing. My goal is to inspire you with unique and interesting ways to use sound effectively in your business.
If you would like to explore this further, my company, Dreamr Productions would love to help. Our contact info can be found in the show notes. Now on to the show! In this episode, I documented a recent trip to Vegas and my thoughts on how it could have sounded better. Sound in casinos could be more strategic than just noisy and overwhelming. Before I even begin, I want to make it clear that I know I am not Vegas target audience. But what if I could be?
What if Vegas could change my mind with a more strategic sound experience? What if Vegas won me over by taking a note? From Disney. As a sound strategist, I'm usually more attuned to the sounds around me than others. My most recent trip was no different. In March 2024, I was attending a conference in Vegas and the noise was deafening. From the moment I stepped off the plane, the sound of Vegas hit me like a hurricane.
The pressure to gamble starts immediately as slot machines are waiting for you, literally at the gate. Although I'm not a gambler, an immediate exclamation of Vegas made sense to me, as gambling is one of its biggest draws. The sound of slot machines is iconic to the area, and in that respect, the cacophony of ‘cha-ching’ made all the sense in the world. This is good branding, but that was where the sound strategy ended, at least until my very last day, which we'll circle back to later.
From the airport. I was whisked away on a lift to Mandalay Bay. I had to sign in for my conference before dropping off my bags at Excalibur. Staying at a different hotel than the conference meant I would be walking a lot during the next four days.
wear good walking shoes. Ladies, ditch the heels. I entered Mandalay Bay and was loudly greeted by the sound of about a million different slot machines playing largely different ‘cha-ching’ jingles. It felt like all volume knobs were turned to 11. There was no getting away from this not so subtle plug to dump money into a machine. Over and over again with the same disappointing results. Again, not a gambler.
On top of the ‘cha-ching’s, the PA systems were also at an 11, blasting random music to every corner of the huge space. If it had been playing a specific playlist or had a theme in mind, I never figured out which one. What playlist goes from Michael Jackson to Garth Brooks anyways? I could feel a headache starting. No one just finds what they are looking for in Vegas. So it took me twice as long to locate the conference center than I would have liked.
Once signed in, I turned and headed for Excalibur. Thankfully, there was a tram for the sake of story flow. We will pretend that I found that the first day and didn't wander out to the street with my suitcase. I stepped aboard the tram. At this point, I had been walking and surrounded by sound for at least an hour or two between the airport and the hotel. Sitting down peacefully on a tram for a whole two minute ride sounded delightful. I spoke too soon.
Instantly after “the tram is moving” announcement came on. I was bombarded with what sounded like rave music. It wasn't until I found the screen behind my head the second day that I realized it was an ad for the Blue Man group. Without that context, all it had been to me was very loud music in a small space with a terrible speaker that needed maintenance. My headache was getting worse. After a not so relaxing two minutes, I deboarded the tram and wandered Excalibur until I found the front desk.
Another Vegas tip. Front desks are super hard to find in Vegas. Allow ample time and wear good shoes. Always. My room wasn't ready yet, so I had to wait. The only seats I could find to wait comfortably in were in the casino's bar. This bar was in the center of everything. I shuffled into a booth and pretended I would order a drink soon. I never did. Even if I had been fond of gambling, I was tired at this point with all my bags in tow. I was not properly ready to do Vegas yet.
Now, in the center of the chaos, there was nothing left for me to do but to drown out sound with other sounds. I put in my earbuds and listened to a podcast or two, possibly three, while I waited for my room. Finally the notification came and I wearily stumbled to the room. The MGM app told me was mine. I opened the door, entered, and was greeted by glorious silence. Nap time. So what does Disney have to do with this? Walt Disney was a master of experience.
He understood that the more the senses complemented each other within the park, the more memorable and magical an experience his guests would have, and the more memorable and magical the experience, the more likely guests would return over and over and over and over again. Sound was no exception. Great pains are taken to create the sound of Disney every single day, from Fantasyland to Tomorrowland. The sound and music changed strategically from one land to the next.
This experience is so well-crafted that the guests don't even notice. We can thank Mr. Q in part for that. A former audio experience engineer at Disney, Mr. Q was acutely aware of a sound design issue in the park. In the 1990s, the volume of sound and music between lands at the park had minuscule variations that would unknowingly disrupt the guest's magical Disney experience, even though there had been no formal complaints. Mr. Q knew the experience could be better.
He created speakers that had a complex algorithm that regulated the sound between them. He placed these 15,000 speakers strategically around the park. The effect is what we now know, or rather don't realize today because of Mr. Q, we can now jump from land to land in a more acoustically seamless way. Does this matter since we're not even aware of it? Yes. And for that very reason. Good experiential sound isn't noticed. Good sound experiences don't draw attention to themselves.
It is a complement to all other senses at play. It's worth noting that I have never gotten a headache from a trip to Disney, unless it was ice cream induced. Walt Disney and company have gone far beyond these speakers within their sound strategy, but I'll save those examples for another time. The point is, Disney treats its sound experience with the same level of importance as its visual, textural, olfactory, gustatorial experiences. Now back to Vegas.
What if Vegas used Disney's principles of sound to invite rather than disorient their customers. What if Vegas separated and partitioned its casino sounds? What if they created different sections and subsections of these massive halls with sound walls to create a more cohesive experience? For example, walkways could play filler music like Michael Jackson and Garth Brooks, while the slot machine ‘cha-chings’ enticed people at a muted level from a distance.
The music in the walkways could then slowly transition from said filler music to music more appropriate to where the walkway led. If you are walking towards a craps table in the New York New York hotel and you start to hear Frank Sinatra singing Luck, Be a Lady. (Musical theater kid here) would your anticipation to play a game of craps. actually grow? What would happen if you were greeted at the Paris casino with some Can-Can music, or maybe some Caravan Palace?
If you haven't heard of Caravan Palace, check them out. I’ll link it in the show notes Would that curated music set the environment memorialized that specific casino more than Vegas in general? Would this help its bottom line to know guests favored that hotel over others? As you approach the gondolas in the Venetian. What if you hear some instrumental traditional Italian music? However, as you get closer, the music starts to transition.
The faint sound of. (O Solo Mio playing) Gets louder and louder as you near the canal, prompting you to take the gondola ride. What if Vegas put more thought into the sound experience? Would it matter? Would we notice and be more inclined to participate in what it's whispering, rather than yelling for us to do? Could sound strategy make Vegas self-expression more pronounced and appreciated? My sound journey was bookended absolutely perfectly.
The most memorable Vegas sound of my visit came at the very end, as I lined up to board my plane home. I couldn't help but snicker at the last song I was hearing in Vegas over the airport's sound system. Sheryl Crow's leaving Las Vegas ushered me back to reality and clearly ended my four day sound journey in Nevada. Will Vegas ever discover a sound strategy like what I've described? I really don't know.
I may be one of the very few who even notice or care right now, but I do believe it would be noticeable to all if implemented. An improvement like this could subconsciously encourage loitering and longer patronage. The employees would be happier with curated sound over constant noise with the massive amounts of money Vegas already spends on itself. Why not splurge on sound strategy over its constant facelifts? Dear Vegas. That was fun.
But just as at the end of my trips to Disneyland, I bid you adieu. I'll hear and see you again soon. Thank you to Art list for providing some amazing sound effects and musical tracks for me to play with. Your selection never disappoints. I know it was a bit anticlimactic not playing Leaving Las Vegas, but although this is an educational podcast, I just didn't want to risk a lawsuit. But Sheryl, if you're listening, I'd love to put it back in with your blessing.
Thank you also to Vegas for being the noisy inspiration for this rabbit hole of an episode. This was a joy to write out and get out of my head. All contact information can be found in the show notes. Let's make this world of sound more intriguing, more unique, and more and more on brand.