In the midst of the 23rd Annual Card Forum last week, I received a tweet that pointedly asked “Everyone is Tweeting, But is Anyone Listening?”

It came from my friend Jill McBride, who is well versed in the loyalty marketing business, and runs a well respected public relations firm based in Cincinnati. We had both noticed that the Twitter channel is increasingly a one-way broadcast medium which was essentially my response to her tweet.

My observation is that Twitter is like standing by a fast moving stream and watching the debris float past you. You tend to ignore most of it, but occasionally can reach out and grab something of value. If you’re excited about what you found, you can share it with friends by Re-Tweeting.  For those things you’re not so sure about, you can mark them as favorites and decide what to do about them later.

People constantly ask me if investing time in Twitter is “worth it”. I have to frame my answer in a description of how I use Twitter. For me, it’s a business tool and I am satisfied to use it both as a broadcast channel for my own content and other content that I find of interest from those I follow.

Another view of Twitter is to see it as a highlight reel of mashed up RSS feeds from your business contacts. If you follow “X” people in your area of business interest, you’ll probably see articles, news and insights that are shared to make the Tweeter look as if they are in the know. No one I know Tweets irrelevant stuff, at least not intentionally. Most everyone is doing their best to share relevant content and insights that are intended to be accretive to your knowledge base.

Then there is the listening issue. During Card Forum, there were about 200 tweets posted by a handful of Tweeple over 3 days. About 60-70% of the flow originated from 4 accounts (I combined accounts of different names that were clearly part of one organization).  One of these accounts, ironically the second most prolific, had no profile and appeared to be activated just to participate in the conference.

Affinion, Colloquy (et als), Citi, MasterCard were all present and the conference organizers, PaymentsSource jumped in on Day 2 to share some good quotes from the day’s sessions. I was there too, but logistics limited me to less sharing than I had planned.

Looking at the flow of messaging during the conference, it did seem to be mostly about broadcast. Inclusive of some re-tweeting that went on, few conversations were sparked. I shared a description of social media tools in the context of baseball some time ago and pegged Twitter as the “groupie” channel. I’m not so sure now since I would think groupies would be chattering away, comparing notes and making more noise.

Does this change my opinion about Twitter or tempt me to back away? Nope. It does highlight that Twitter deserves just so much investment of time and money, because if few people listen, then it is just a new form of broadcast media that was supposed to becoming obsolete as Consumer 2.0 becomes more influential.

The one caveat to this opinion is that Twitter does mirror real life in one way. There is a small group of people among my Twitter world who continually engage and encourage conversations around posts. This demonstrates they are not only posting, but reading, listening and interested to contribute towards a greater goal.

The Pareto rule interpreted by Twitter usage probably means that 5% of users spark 95% of the conversations. That in itself makes Twitter worthwhile for business people seeking a slight edge in a fast moving world.

What are your thoughts?

Atlantic City, the famed gambling Mecca about an hour down the coast from me, is on a nasty losing streak. A recent story in the NY Times quoted a top gambling executive as saying “the city is in a death spiral.” Few disagreed.

It seems that after a rough couple of years, 2009 is looking even worse. Every Atlantic City casino but one is seeing a double-digit drop in revenue. The lone exception being the glitzy, feels-like-you’re-in-Vegas Borgata, which is down about 5 percent this year.

The reasons for the decline are many: the rotten economy, competition from newly opened gambling operations in nearby states, and the fact that Atlantic City, like the dwindling number of day-tripping seniors who bus into the city each day, is feeling old and tired.

The most-talked about solution: a cash infusion of a few billion dollars to build new hotels, new attractions, new anything that can start pulling in people again. Which, with the current economic environment, is as likely as me filling a double inside straight flush at the poker table. Or not very likely.

Harrah’s Entertainment ups the ante

In years past, I’ve frequented the Borgata where I’m a member of the My Borgata Rewards program. But on my last two trips into Atlantic City, I ventured to the swanky but hip Caesars, where I joined Total Rewards–the casino loyalty program from  Harrah’s Entertainment, the company behind the Harrahs, Caesars, Bally’s and Showboat casinos.

It appears that Total Rewards has upped the ante over the My Borgata program, by rolling out the red carpet for program members. My evidence here is strictly anecdotal, but I (and a good friend) recently received a bump up not one, but two tier levels to Diamond status. I also received a pair of free weekday hotel stays. (Surprising because, trust me, a high roller I am not.)

It’s obviously a play by Harrah’s Entertainment to get past customers back to Atlantic City and it’s either a smart move or a desperate move, depending on your perspective. I say smart—because rather than gamble on an expensive, and to my thinking, ultimately wasteful mass media campaign, Harrah’s is appealing directly to its customer base for more business.

Granted, they’re digging deep into the base by giving a two-time visitor like me special favors, but my guess is they’re mining the data for a few things: the recency of my visits, my perceived spend level, and my zip code, which tells them I live nearby and should be at a certain income level.

So can Total Rewards really save Atlantic City? It’s a lot to ask of a loyalty program, but it strikes me that Harrah Entertainment is playing the hand it was dealt—and reaching out to its customer base may be its last, best hope. I, for one, hope it works. In fact, I’m about to book a free night for my wife and I right now.

Now, a few words about the Total Rewards communications

The first good thing I can say about Total Rewards is that they actually have a communications program in place. As a member of the My Borgata program, who opted in for e-mail, I cannot recall receiving the first piece of communications from them, digital or otherwise. (It’s good to be King!)

While the Total Rewards postcard and e-mail creative is perfunctory, they do some small but important things right. They recognize me by name and tier level, and occasionally by the casino I visit, Caesars. They’ve also made attempts to cross-sell me into other areas of the property, including their dining and entertainment venues.

But the Total Rewards communications could go even further. A few thoughts, for the people behind the program:

1. Pump up the engagement: I checked and Total Rewards has a presence on both Facebook and Twitter. Why not add these links to every e-mail? And while you’re at it, add an “invite a friend to join” link to each e-mail, as well.
2. Talk to my preferences: I know your part of the Harrah’s empire, but frankly I only joined the program because I like and visit Caesars. So more info on Caesars and less on Vegas and the other brands please.
3. Leverage the community: I know starting your own online community may be a hassle you don’t want to contemplate, but why not use some of the glowing testimonials found on social travel sites like Kayak and Virtual Tourist. This both encourages loyal customers to return and invites them to join the conversation.

Tom Rapsas is a Creative Director/Writer/Strategist. He can be reached at tomrapsas@gmail.com and via Twitter @tomrapsas.

At times, Marketers can be real Bozos…….or is it BOGOS?

Striving for creativity can unleash the best and worst in marketers and while I’m not afraid to make mistakes, I try to avoid outsmarting myself as much as possible.

Folks working in the marketing space will agree that we have to be sharp as tacks to stay ahead of our customers. The possibility of successfully slinging out points or miles as a temporary bribe is declining by the day. Loyalty Marketing has to evolve beyond the idea that every customer has a price on her head and re-focus on a broader value proposition.

A critical element of delivering the value proposition is communications. We have to grab consumer attention and hold it just long enough to make our point. That forces marketers to reach further for something new and often the results don’t translate well.

The question: is it a good or bad idea to use our own lingo in the ads we create?

Driving down a crowded South Florida highway this week, I saw a huge billboard with an ad that shouted “Publix BOGO” and included the URL needed to find the deals of the week. The same day, I caught an ad on TV from Payless Shoes that touted their BOGO offers. A quick search online revealed that Kohl’s and a few others are running on the same track for the moment.

As a consumer, I don’t mind finding deals and saving money. And the billboard did grab  my attention. It just struck me that a little success in using “insider’s” verbiage could unleash a wave of awkward ad copy.

So, while it’s kind of cute-sy to adopt our trade lingo in customer facing ads, I don’t know how far we should go and, in particular, if the idea translates to Loyalty Marketing.

Imagine if we tried any of these in our promotional emails for our rewards program:

• Earn quick and enjoy the burn!
• We offer the  highest earn velocity around!
• Help us lower our CPA and we’ll give you more CVP!

It just doesn’t translate well, does it?

Ouch, was that my foot that I just shot?