With their official name change to the Las Vegas Raiders, and the 2018 Supreme Court ruling that allows sports betting, the NFL’s inviting Las Vegas to share in some of the action on their biggest stage.
During this sunday’s Super Bowl LIV pre-game spots, Las Vegas will run an advertisement for the first time ever. The 30-second “Key of Vegas” spot will air, highlighting the city’s new slogan, “What Happens Here, Only Happens Here,” between 5:30 – 6 p.m. EST/2:30 – 3 p.m. PST.
Lady Gaga’s bandleader, Brian Newman, and UFC heavyweight fighter, Francis Ngannou, also make an appearance.
The goal of the ad is to emphasize the unique experiences that visitors can only get in Las Vegas, and how varied those experiences are in today’s Vegas. Las Vegas continues to transform itself from a gambling mecca, to entertainment capital of the world, to most recently, a sport’s town.
In a pattern of firsts, the new campaign launched during last Sunday’s GRAMMY awards, featuring Vegas’ latest ad.
Welcome to Vegas. It's time to play by your own set of rules. From Aerosmith to Shania to Christina and so much more, all in one place. That's #OnlyVegas pic.twitter.com/UFaW5MjkvI
— Vegas (@Vegas) January 30, 2020
Marquee roll-outs across the Strip’s popular casinos and downtown displaying the new slogan were planned to be unveiled on Sunday night as well, but were postponed in lieu of the news of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and eight other victims, including Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna. Marquee’s instead displayed the message, “LA, our hearts go out to you…RIP Kobe.”
A Winning Combination
The National Football League and Las Vegas have had a growing relationship throughout the years. In the years prior, the league didn’t allow the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority the permission to feature any ads during the Super Bowl.
The LVCVA is Southern Nevada’s marketing arm which spends around $100 million on all advertising efforts, with the latest slogan rebranding biting out a major chunk of this year’s budget.
With the arrival of the Las Vegas Raiders, and Las Vegas being named the host city of 2020’s NFL Draft, that has since changed. The Las Vegas ad airing during NFL’s biggest day will hopefully further draw connections to viewers that Las Vegas is quickly transforming into a serious sport’s town now, too.
Steve Hill, CEO and president of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, said this of the exciting new partnership:
“We are excited to welcome the NFL to Las Vegas in 2020 with the Raiders inaugural season this fall and the NFL Draft coming in April. This is a partnership that continues to grow and is another big reason the destination is a mecca for sports fans, who flock to Las Vegas every year for an experience that only happens here.”
In addition to landing the TV spot, Las Vegas has also secured a Twitter sponsorship for Super Bowl Sunday, with Twitter running the 30-second ad in their highlight clips from the @NFL handle.
