“Do it now.” Those three urgent words are being flashed on television screens in cities across the United States, confronting viewers with an idea that many would like to consider but few have the resources to: drop everything and go to Las Vegas. Now.

This spring, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority unveiled the “Vegas right now” campaign, effectively replacing frothier marketing pitches like “What happens here stays here” and “Your Vegas is showing.” Though new advertising slogans are old hat for the LVCVA, “Vegas right now” is different because of its immediacy.

Let’s Make a Deal
With gas prices pushing through the $4-a-gallon glass ceiling and rising ever higher, unemployment rates steadily increasing, consumer spending at a standstill and the economy essentially grinding to a halt, it seems heading to Vegas may be the last priority on many to-do lists.

But the LVCVA is aiming to draw visitors to the city, despite widespread economic woes, by using cut-to-the-chase marketing. The organization also intends to ease the strain that planning a Vegas
Rob O’Keefe, the group account director for R & R Partners, works directly with the LVCVA to craft the best way to market Las Vegas to the outside world, and helped design the message behind “Vegas right now.” The slogan is intended to demonstrate the need for visitors to see Las Vegas in all its glory—with new properties open (the Palazzo) and more on the way (CityCenter), now may be the time to experience Vegas at its peak.

“The line comes from the strategy that we’re trying to create immediacy,” O’Keefe said. “It’s essentially an immediacy campaign where we’re trying to encourage people to come to Vegas now. There are a lot of new things going on in Vegas.”

Visitlasvegas.com is a key component in the LVCVA’s latest advertising strategy because it directly links casino properties to visitors through an easy-to-use interface. The broadcast commercials are designed to point potential visitors to the website to discover what Las Vegas has to offer.

“What we’re trying to do is showcase the various things that are happening here (through) television, radio and online promotionally,” O’Keefe said. “We’re trying to tell people that there are a lot of things happening. We have places on the site where you can get deals.”

Hotel casinos offering promotions online include Bellagio, Flamingo and Harrah’s. O’Keefe said the relationship between the LVCVA and the casino properties is symbiotic in that both entities want the tourism industry to grow, and so it was a given that the two would work together to encourage the success of “Vegas right now.”

“The LVCVA has a constant and open dialogue with the various hotel properties,” O’Keefe said. “Half the people who make up the board of directors are from casino properties. Hotels can actually update (the website). We connect people to properties directly.”

Business Before Pleasure
In the past, the relationship between the LVCVA and the casinos may have been seen as more contentious, with some casino executives criticizing the LVCVA’s ability to draw visitors to the city as well as the use of public funding to comprise the organization’s budget. But those criticisms have waned with the success of the “What happens in Vegas” marketing blitz and the growth in tourism over the last few years.

Chris Meyer, vice president of convention sales for the LVCVA, said there is no reason for any animosity between the Authority and the casino properties, as both are striving to bring people to Las Vegas. The LVCVA is also funded by a percentage of the hotel room tax, another factor that links the two entities.

“We are in a symbiotic relationship,” Meyer said. “If we don’t do our job then we don’t fill hotel rooms. If hotel rooms aren’t full then we don’t receive tax collection. The community directly benefits from our efforts because they collect the lion’s share. We are joined at the hip. What we do helps our roads, helps our schools and helps our local governments with capital that we collect.”

The Authority’s biggest claim to fame is the Las Vegas Convention Center, which opened in 1959. The LVCVA’s precursor, the Clark County Fair and Recreation Board, was created to develop the convention industry as a supplement to tourism. Though less than 20 percent of out-of-town visitors are convention attendees, those visitors vastly outspend their tourist counterparts.

“The Las Vegas Convention Center is one of the single greatest marketing tools that was ever created,” Meyer said. “We put through between 1.5 million and 2 million business visitors a year. They don’t stay at the convention center; they stay at the hotels. Everyone gets the benefit.”

Several major conventions bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city. Two of the largest conventions are the consumer electronics show, which brings in about 140,000 attendees, and the MAGIC Marketplace, which happens twice a year. The convention center not only brings people to the city, but also employs many Las Vegas residents to staff the numerous events hosted at the center. Meyer said one event alone would require 3,000 to 4,000 workers.

The convention center boasted more than 20,000 conventions in 2007, according to the LVCVA website, a number that puts Las Vegas in the top ranks of business destinations. It is a crowning achievement for both the LVCVA and for the city.

“We’re the largest in the world,” Meyer said. “We do more events than anybody in the world. We like to brag that we’re the biggest and busiest in the universe and you prove us wrong.”

And though the economy is softening, to put it delicately, Meyer said he thinks the convention visitor is reliable enough to see the city through tough times.

“Commerce always continues,” Meyer said. “The first thing that came back in (after September 11) was the trade show customer. People who go to marketplaces go to exchange goods, ideas and services. Those are necessary parts of the global economy. The last thing to pick up was the discretionary visitor (after 9/11). The business visitor is a very stable group of business.”

Neon Oasis
While convention attendance remains stable, tourism is slipping, which is where the marketing team at R & R Partners and the LVCVA remain consistently adamant in their advertising. Previous campaigns have showcased Las Vegas as an “adult playground,” where illicit and debauchery are code words. The “Vegas right now” campaign still emphasizes the nightlife aspect, which appeals to a younger demographic with more disposable income.

In the 1990s, it seemed the LVCVA was positioning the city as a family destination, with hotspots like Wet ‘n Wild and the Adventuredome at Circus Circus drawing thousands of parents and children to the city. But O’Keefe said family fun never factored into the LVCVA’s advertising strategies, largely because Las Vegas has the edge when it comes to the youth market.

“If you look at what we have here, it appeals to a 21 and over audience,” O’Keefe said. “Families bring kids here and nobody has a problem with that. We’re going after the target audience—we have something that we own that no one else can own.”

Visitlasvegas.com showcases the nightlife aspect of the city, with club listings and a restaurant guide. Las Vegas is still one of the few places in the world where visitors can escape to dance next to celebrities, spend hours at the blackjack table and stay in lavish hotel rooms with relative ease. The LVCVA website is intended to emphasize the luxury that awaits just a short plane (or car) ride away. Visitlasvegas.com also lists upcoming events for any date range to make planning outings easier for visitors. After all, “people who come from L.A. may want to know what’s happening this weekend,” O’Keefe said.

The idea of Vegas as a nearby paradise is one that O’Keefe thinks will tempt potential customers into making the jump and booking a hotel on visitlasvegas.com, even though most Americans are feeling the financial pinch.

“Every tourism industry is feeling the same impact,” O’Keefe said. “We do a lot of research to understand how the change in the economy is affecting consumer mindset. We want to continue to capture the majority of the marketshare. First of all, it’s a very powerful brand. Vegas is viewed as a getaway. With all that’s going on, it’s a pretty nice place to be to get away from things.”

No significant numbers have been released regarding the success of the “Vegas right now” advertising, but O’Keefe said visitlasvegas.com has seen a 27 percent increase in traffic since last May—perhaps an indication potential visitors may be deciding to visit Las Vegas right now.

The “Vegas right now” campaign will continue throughout the summer and perhaps beyond, depending on the market’s outlook. There are also no plans to retire the “What happens here stays here” or “Your Vegas is showing” campaigns.

By Caitlin McGarry

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