For a new generation of Millennial consumers, brought up on a diet of digital entertainment and pop-up experience, traditional high street gambling and leisure venues can appear dull by comparison. Faced with this challenge, Rank Group, the UK’s leading casino and bingo operator, set out to develop a new 24-7 gambling and entertainment venue designed to appeal equally to Millennials and existing casino visitors.
H:F partnered with Rank Group in defining the brand proposition, including extensive research with Millennial consumers. The proposition was prototyped in Brighton within an existing 3-storey casino on the seafront. H:F was responsible for the name of the first venue, Pier Nine, together with the visual identity, interior design and site implementation. Key to the success of Pier Nine is the range of leisure choices on offer including two casinos, restaurants, bars, amusements arcade and a clubhouse with competitive socialising and live entertainment. It is designed as a department store of gaming and entertainment to encourage higher dwell time and spend and with the flexibility to change offers over time to maintain relevance.
The brand will be rolled out to other cities with a strong Millennial audience, but the intention is that each site will have its own name and identity rather than creating a cookie-cutter chain.
