Atlantic City getting hurt by the ‘enemy within’? While AC has made significant strides in economic diversification, notable internal challenges still exist. Some of these speed bumps are significantly slowing the re-invention of Atlantic City into a family friendly, multi-faceted resort. Before exploring these weak links, let’s recap the growing list of positive, non-gaming attractions and efforts underway in Atlantic City:
- Much cleaner, safer beaches & boardwalk
- Boardwalk Hall light show
- AC DevCo AC Development Company
- Live Nation & AEG Concert Deals
- ‘Meet AC’ efforts to attract conferences
- Live music at Kennedy Plaza
- Maroon 5 & Superstar beach concerts
- Bungalow Beach Bar
- Steel Pier amusements & observation wheel
- Mini-Golf at Kennedy Plaza
- Potential for boutique style Casino hotels
Issues Slowing Re-invention of Atlantic City
The perception of rampant crime, (even though recent facts show otherwise) is a huge impediment to AC’s brighter future. Like many other cities and institutions, Atlantic City struggles with controlling it’s own narrative and story. Proper usage of social media, email, web and online video is poor to non-existent. Sadly, Atlantic City allows a declining, yet still influential group of newspaper and TV outlets to act as a PR agency.
Like other towns, AC has yet to understand the basic tenets of communications and marketing in the digital age.
WATCH VIDEO >
Atlantic City Police Chief; Henry White, Explains Why Crime is Down.
Lack of Digital Marketing Knowledge
In the example below, a well-intentioned yet unsupervised Atlantic City employee posted video and content that amplifies mis-perceptions about crime reduction efforts in Atlantic City. Municipal leadership was made aware of this error. Four months later, the harmful video still exists on YouTube and other online destinations. This is just one example of a phenomenon called…. ‘the enemy within’.
Other challenges facing a new Atlantic City
- Bally’s Beach Bar and x-rated DJ music for boardwalk
- Ambassadors not enough to ‘police’ the boardwalk.
- Random thugs openly scamming visitors on boardwalk
- No centralized information & news authority in city
- Need for higher visibility of police / security presence
- Boardwalk LED screens not used as originally intended
- Beach & ocean views blocked by over-grown dunes
- Caesars charging $40 to park, creating ill-will
- Allowing a casino to chase away Stockton College
- Casinos and harmful deed restrictions / heavy handed influence
- Casinos in AC pay approx 9% in local tax to state. In PA, casinos pay 55%.
- ACR Energy Partners ability to stall Revel re-development