Las Vegas' LGBT Marketing Goes National (VIDEO)

 

For the first time ever, Las Vegas' iconic "What Happens Here, Stays Here" advertising campaign is targeting the LGBT market with a new, nationally televised TV spot geared toward the LGBT community. 

The latest installment of the "What Happens Here, Stays Here" campaign, which was rebooted back in November, began airing April 7 on well-known national television networks, including Bravo TV, E! Entertainment Television and Logo TV.

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"The addition of an LGBT spot to the 'What Happens Here' campaign was a natural next step," said Cathy Tull, senior vice president of marketing for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA). "Las Vegas' campaigns are based on adult freedom and encouraging visitors to experience that freedom first hand."

Las Vegas has been marketing to the LGBT community for more than five years. The newest "What Happens Here, Stays Here" installment is a follow-up to the "Everyone's welcome, even straight people" print and digital campaign, which debuted in 2012 and featured gay and lesbian scenarios. However, this is the first time the destination has created a "What Happens Here, Stays Here" television commercial targeting the LGBT community. Furthermore, Las Vegas is the first destination in the U.S. to do a national mainstream media buy with Bravo TV and E! Entertainment Television to advertise to the LGBT community.

Las Vegas is a noted LGBT-friendly destination. MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment Corp., Wynn Resorts Ltd., and The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas all received perfect scores on the 2014 Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Corporate Equality Index, and were voted Best Places to Work in 2014 for LGBT Equality. These four property groups represent nearly 30 properties in Las Vegas.

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"The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has a long history of actively supporting equality through groundbreaking advertising and community initiatives," said GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. "In becoming the first-ever destination to show their support in a national mainstream broadcast campaign, they have once again raised the bar for the travel industry."

According to the Community Marketing & Insights (CMI) annual LGBT travel survey, Las Vegas remains a premier travel destination among LGBT travelers. Las Vegas ranked as the second most popular U.S. destination among gay men and third among lesbians.

The "What Happens Here, Stays Here" LGBT television commercial, "The Check In," employs a playful approach to the welcoming ambiance found in Las Vegas and is scheduled to run through 2014.

Visit www.LasVegas.com/gaytravel