Beckham leads The Venetian's biggest campaign in years

With Macau's gaming revenue showing no signs of slowing, casinos across the Chinese enclave are putting in extra effort to stabilise their businesses. Star celebrity power is increasingly being used as a marketing strategy.The Venetian Macao, a resort under the Sands China group, has rolled out a branding initiative to harness the power of global superstar David Beckham for audiences in Hong Kong, Macau and the mainland.Developed by AR New York and film director Anthony Mandler, the retired soccer player stars in this one-minute spot that takes place at The Venetian Macao, where he is seen wandering around, flashing his iconic smile. The ad finished up with Beckham performing his signature free kick which dramatically dodges The Venetian's golden globe statue at the hotel lobby.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN9flSi9yxkThe ad was originally slated to launch on 12 February with a high-profile launch event at The Venetian, but was scrapped days before the launch due to "technical problems", a spokesperson from The Venetian Macao told Marketing.It was announced via e-mail briefly saying the event had been "postponed until further notice".Despite the delay, the campaign launched on TV and social media a day later, marking the biggest branding effort from the resort in recent years.Scott Messinger, senior vice president of marketing at Sands China, said the ‘Never Settle’ tagline underscores what drive The Venetian Macao, a mission he said was to "be the best, to reinvent, to dream big and make an impact.""The campaign celebrates how far we have come as The Venetian Macao and our aspiration to do even better," he added.He describes Beckham’s life as an inspirational example of the "Never Settle" spirit, and that "same spirit is embodied in everything The Venetian Macao delivers" for visitors."The experience at The Venetian Macao is the embodiment of Beckham style: the confidence to live beyond your wildest dreams. When our audience visits the Venetian, Macao we want them to know that they will never settle – experiencing the most fun, best dining and extraordinary shopping opportunities," he added.