Nevada tourism agency trying to brand the state
By Richard N. Velotta, Las Vegas Sun
How do you capture the essence of Nevada in a brand?
That’s a task the Nevada Tourism Commission will assign to a brand development vendor when it drafts a request for proposals over the next couple of months.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has gone though the same process in developing what arguably is the most successful destination branding scheme ever conceived. Love it or hate it, “What happens here, stays here” is uniquely Las Vegas and the ad campaign that accompanied the effort to brand the city as a place to engage in adult freedom is something that people have talked about, mimicked, ripped off and recycled for years.
Although “What happens here, stays here” used humor to project Las Vegas as a fun place, the challenge may be greater for branding Nevada.
The state’s diverse landscape — one of the things we cherish about Nevada and what sets us apart from our 49 sibling states — is difficult to put in a one-size-fits-all box.
To some, Nevada is a vast desert wasteland. To others, it’s a rugged snow-packed mountain wilderness. It’s outdoor adventure and indoor entertainment, gaming palaces and ghost towns. It’s canyons and caves, dry desert lakes and clear mountain streams. And, it’s for backpackers, RVers, ATVers, PWCers, zip liners, rock climbers and NASCAR driver wannabes.
