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Famous 'What Happens Here' Slogan Gets Upgrade

“What Happens Here, Only Happens Here” Instagram pop-up in front of the iconic Fountains of Bellagio on the Las Vegas Strip.
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“What Happens Here, Only Happens Here” Instagram pop-up in front of the iconic Fountains of Bellagio on the Las Vegas Strip.

“What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas” is one of the most recognized ad slogans in history.  

It implied a freedom to do things here that you wouldn’t do at home. And over 17 years, it drew millions of tourists, inspired movies and was even famously quoted by Laura Bush.  

But it’s time for a change. 

The new slogan: “What happens here only happens here," aired during a 30-second Super Bowl ad Sunday. 

Arnie DiGeorge is with R&R Partners, which came up with the old and the new campaigns. 

“This city is like no other," DiGeorge told KNPR's State of Nevada, "We told people for a long time about the kind of feeling that you could have here and that it was like no other with ‘What Happens Here, Stays Here.’ Now, we’re going to tell them even more about how it is differentiated from any other city and that’s the whole key of why you want to do that is that you want to differentiate yourself from the rest of the world out there.”

DiGeorge said from a year of research and testing different slogans, ideas, ads and marketing they landed on the "Only Happens Here" line.

He said people loved the old slogan but felt like it was time for a change.

“The interesting thing is it really, really just kept telling us that there’s a lot of equity but something needed to be changed,” he said.

But instead of creating a whole new slogan, R&R Partners decided to keep most of the old favorite and tweak it.

“We really wanted something that worked just as well with the stakeholders as it worked with consumers,” DiGeorge said.

He said consumers they talked would keep using the old slogan anyway.

Both the old and new slogan relate to the idea of adult freedom. DiGeorge said during testing and research people often told them that Las Vegas gave them permission to do something they wouldn't do at home.

“The town itself is so incredibly energic and diverse now as to what you can do and see in that you kind of want people to share it,” he said.

The new campaign is more than just the slogan there are print, TV and social media ads all with one thing in mind - bring more visitors to the valley. 

Arnie DiGeorge, R&R Partners 

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Prior to taking on the role of Broadcast Operations Manager in January 2021, Rachel was the senior producer of KNPR's State of Nevada program for 6 years. She helped compile newscasts and provided coverage for and about the people of Southern Nevada, as well as major events such as the October 1 shooting on the Las Vegas strip, protests of racial injustice, elections and more. Rachel graduated with a bachelor's degree of journalism and mass communications from New Mexico State University.