Barona’s Billboard Contest
By Linda Devine, Senior V.P. Marketing
When we launched our Vanity Plate Contest a few weeks ago, we never anticipated the amazing response we would have from our guests, staff and fellow San Diegans who had seen our Barona Casino billboards on Interstate 8. It seems there are thousands of aspiring copywriters driving the freeways of San Diego. Who knew?
Literally within 24 hours of launching the contest we had more than 2,500 creative entries. As of this blog post, we have more than 15,000! And, there are still two weeks until the contest deadline.
The contest was actually born out of a cool concept developed by Barona’s marketing team. We knew that thousands of our guests drive the I-8 every day to and from work and on their way to Barona to play slots, poker or blackjack… So, we wanted a fun way to capture their attention with billboards that stand out from the pack.
We began with a series of billboards my team brainstormed internally with a number of other staff members here at Barona Casino. We found that the more we talked about the billboards the more input we received. Everyone was really getting into it: BARONA. MORWNNRS. CHA CHING. 
It turns out you can say a lot about a business and convey a strong message with words on a license plate…and in only 8 letters! These simple letters, abbreviations and plays on words were more powerful and engaging for our guest than we could have imagined.
This first series of billboards generated such an enthusiastic response from guests and passersby we thought we’d put it out there and see what was on the minds of other locals.
Last year about this time, we launched another creative contest – The Barona Video Contest. That contest also generated hundreds of submissions and shed a lot of light on how our customers feel about Barona. Who needs focus groups when you can go straight to the people? The insight, creativity and enthusiasm have been invaluable and inspiring. I think it’s safe to say that guests have become an important part of Barona’s creative process. 
We love that you are telling us what you want to see and expect from Barona. And, we are really listening. Soon you’ll see what your friends and neighbors want to see on our future billboards.
If you have ideas for our billboard, go to www.barona.com/billboard and submit your idea. Winners receive up to $1000 and their own billboard! You have until March 31st.
April 2, 2010 at 12:38 pm
love seeing them on hwy 8, as drive to Barona the number one place .. for costomber apreciation..
April 11, 2010 at 2:04 am
Can’t wait to see what goes up next. How often do they change?
April 14, 2010 at 7:34 pm
Hi Christine! We switch them out as often as every two weeks!
John @ Barona
April 14, 2010 at 10:37 am
Dear Barona Resort and Casino , by chance have you posted the winners for the Barona Billboard Contest yet. just curious that was fun playing and trying to come with the perfect slogan was not very easy, i think half my entries did not make it . Is there anyway to see all the entries I submitted.
thanks #1 loyal player at Barona
Gary S.
April 14, 2010 at 7:33 pm
Hey Gary! Yes we have announce our first 4 winners for the Billboard Contest on our facebook – http://www.facebook.com/baronacasino and also on our website. We will be picking more winners throughout the year as we change out the billboards.
The ideas that have one so far are:
CERTFIED-LOO$EST-BARONA by Paul L. from Santee, and Bruce F. from San Diego. And….
WOO HOO! – CA$H 4U – BARONA
We had other guest say that they think only some of their entries went through and the main reason this was happening is because they submitted so many that after a while, the email started going to their spam folder! Check there. I don’t know if we’d be able to find all of yours, we had almost 18,000 submissions! But I will check. Thanks,,,,
John @ Barona
July 25, 2010 at 2:44 am
HOW ABOUT
BAR ON A ROLL!!