Amid tourism bust, Las Vegas revives 'What Happens Here'
There's nothing like a crisis to send people running back to the tried-and-true. That truism holds for cities: Las Vegas, in the midst of a tourism slump, is returning to its iconic tagline "What happens here, stays here." According to The Las Vegas Sun, the city is abandoning a gamble that didn't pay off: slogans that acknowledged the nation's rough economy ("Crazy times call for crazy fun"), which failed to entice tourists to return.Needless to say, the stakes are high. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority reports that the number of tourists has slipped 6 percent this year through July, while convention attendance has plunged 26 percent. The result? Gaming revenue in the Strip has dwindled by 13 percent to $5.17 billion. That's caused publicly traded gaming companies to take a beating. MGM Mirage (MGM) swung to a loss in the second quarter, while sales declined 17 percent. Shares of MGM Mirage are down more than 50 percent and Wynn Resorts (WYNN) more than 20 percent from their 52-week highs.
The question is whether returning to the famous tagline will make a difference. Many would-be tourists probably never realized Las Vegas had stopped using the slogan. It entered into the popular consciousness as few tourism slogans have. Indeed, Hollywood even co-opted the phrase, hoping to parlay its popularity into ticket sales for the 2008 Cameron Diaz vehicle What Happens in Vegas. (And it worked: the film grossed $80 million domestically on top of a production budget of $35 million.)
The slogan "certainly had staying power," says Mary Zalla, managing director of the Cincinnati and Chicago offices of branding company Landor & Associates. Zalla, who has worked on campaigns for such cities as Cincinnati and tourist spots such as the Biltmore Estate, says, "If it's a campaign or a line that can define what a city's promise is, it can be very compelling."
The "What happens here" campaign, created by R&R Partners, worked by selling Las Vegas as an experience unrivaled by the casinos sprouting up in other parts of the country. The original campaign included three TV spots that proved memorable and appealing to an important demographic: women. One showed a woman who had gotten into a limo in a sexy dress leaving in business attire, including hair tied back in a bun. The spots became so popular that the slogan was rated as one of the top all-time slogans by Digg Users last year, alongside such classics as "Pardon me, do you have any Grey Poupon?" and "got milk?"
Given the sticking power of the slogan, it may be a bet worth taking for Las Vegas.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
9-29-2009 @ 7:52AM
joe said...
Vegas should try something even more basic. Be NICE to the tourist. It's pretty simple.
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9-28-2009 @ 7:30PM
jack said...
I have a new slogan for Las Vegas that I think is very fitting for the time.."Las Vegas!!! Where is Everyone At?"
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9-28-2009 @ 8:13PM
summerof69 said...
How about "money and fools soon parted, las vegas is where it all started".... : - )
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9-28-2009 @ 8:39PM
Clark G. said...
"Las vegas....The town of fake boobs and real azz holes. A town of $5.00 lobster dinners and where happy ending will cost you a little extra."
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9-28-2009 @ 8:47PM
cjp said...
How about this: If you are a redneck, go to Branson. Missouri loves company!
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9-28-2009 @ 8:49PM
cjp said...
Okay, that's a little harsh. Just kidding!
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9-28-2009 @ 8:53PM
Dave said...
"What Happens in Vegas NEVER Happened"
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9-28-2009 @ 10:04PM
James said...
Las Vegas? I really thought is was called "LOST~WAGES"!
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9-29-2009 @ 1:13AM
John said...
Some folks are being awfully hard on Las Vegas. Where else can you get a really nice hotel room for $29 midweek? If you don't go nuts with the gambling, you can have a lot of fun for not a lot of money.
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9-29-2009 @ 3:33AM
datnaz69 said...
Las Vegas.. where else can you walk down the street with your family to have illegal aliens hand you pictures of nude girls who will come to your hotel room for sex.. What happens in Vegas can stay there!! let it burn to the ground!
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9-29-2009 @ 4:14AM
David S. said...
Um, if you are that much of a prude, why would you take your family to Vegas to begin with? Vegas is known to have an adult nature, it ain't Disneyworld. Maybe next time, take the kiddies there, eh?
9-29-2009 @ 9:11AM
Randy said...
I spent my hart, and lost in Vegas.
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9-29-2009 @ 5:49AM
john said...
what goes on in vegas is gambling what stays in vegas is your money this is what the t-shirt i had made says as ive been there 6 times and never won sh_t.
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9-29-2009 @ 7:51AM
Carol said...
I wish they wouldn't People took that way too seriously. They'd grope you on the sidewalk.
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9-29-2009 @ 7:53AM
DICK JENSEN said...
I USED TO GO TO VEGAS TWICE A YEAR, BUT NO MORE. VEGAS LOST IT'S FOCUS. CHEAP FOOD, GREAT ENTERTAINMENT, CLEAN AND SAFE. NO FOOD IS THE HIGHEST IN THE COUNTRY, ENTERTAINMENT IS 99% JUST PLAIN LOUSY, STREETS ARE FILTY WITH PORN LITERTURE, AND YOU ARE ACCOSTED EVERYWHERE. THERE ARE MORE MEXICANS IN VEGAS THEN THERE ARE IN CALIFORNIA OR MEXICO.
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9-29-2009 @ 10:21AM
M said...
It's one of the reasons why I am trying to get out of Vegas.
I see far too many illegals getting jobs in this town.
9-29-2009 @ 10:38AM
Greg said...
VEGAS IS A toilet! To dirty & to expensive.. being Greedy is dead, out..gone.. BYE BYE!!
9-29-2009 @ 8:14AM
Koz said...
Love Vegas, go there 3 to 4 times a year. Stay in a great hotel, food is great and inexpensive if you know where to go. Gambling and the show are top on my list. and finally the hooked are class AA. Non better in the this country.
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9-29-2009 @ 8:50AM
charlie said...
Remember, Vegas was built by losers not winners......
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9-29-2009 @ 9:11AM
Troy Gnuschke said...
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas? Yeah until you sleep with the wrong person and then what you found in Vegas follows you home in your bloodstream and infects everyone else in your life. Just know that your sin aill always find you out. I wax a drunk and a habitual gambler for many years, looking for redemption, comfort and peace in "things" but true salvation is only found in Jesus Christ, now that is something worth writing about!
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