‘A rough start’: LVCVA addresses backlash over new Las Vegas ad campaign
Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority’s new advertising campaign has been warmly embraced — but not locally, the agency’s chief marketing officer said Tuesday.
The multimillion-dollar campaign to bring tourists back to the city kicked off with a 60-second television advertisement that aired Thursday in the broadcast of the first National Football League game of the season.
“Unfortunately, we did get off to a bit of a rough start with a few local loud voices became the dominant voice,” Kate Wik, chief marketing officer, said Tuesday during LVCVA’s board meeting. “Of 300 articles, 24 were slanted positive, 291 were neutral, meaning they just outlined the details of the campaign, typically of how news reporting goes. And then, there were five negative. Of the five negative, four of them were here locally. It was disappointing that in our own backyard, we’d get these while we’re trying to rally the troops to lean in to change the narrative of the destination.”
Wik was referencing news coverage of reaction to the campaign from numerous social media voices.
Most of the social media commentary about the campaign focused mostly on the ad’s failure to address perceived price gouging by local resorts, food and beverage outlets and entertainment pricing.
Best tested with visitors
“The ad performance metrics for the ‘Welcome to Fabulous’ TV spot ranked it historically among the best brand spots tested with our visitors,” Wik said. “Overall, favorability was 87 percent. We dove in to making sure that this resonated with them, this makes them want to travel to Las Vegas, this shows the energy and excitement of Las Vegas. So all positive across the board.”
Wik’s comments mirrored those of LVCVA President and CEO Steve Hill last week, who said the objective of the campaign is to influence travel to Las Vegas and to position it as a desirable value destination.
Hill also doubled down on how strong the upcoming convention and events calendar is looking, mentioning events at Allegiant Stadium and Sphere as catalysts that will draw visitors to the city later this year and in 2026.
“We are looking at, over the next nine to 16 months, the best meetings and trade show calendar that this city has ever seen,” Hill told the board. “We’re excited about that.”
A gaming industry analyst said in an email Tuesday that the LVCVA campaign is long overdue, and Hill said at Tuesday’s meeting that the LVCVA hasn’t had a campaign like it since 2018.
“Las Vegas has and will always be a deal,” Brendan Bussmann, director of government affairs for Las Vegas-based B Global, said in an email. “Not just in terms of still offering a spot for every demographic but being one of the only places where you can span so many different types of food, entertainment, sports, etc. Las Vegas is relatively on par with other markets in its offering from hotel rates to prices on (food and beverage). Whether it is New York or London or any other major city, this is on par in cost but those cities do not have to offer what Las Vegas does in one location.”
While last week’s advertisement debut represented the campaign’s kickoff, Wik said there are many more activations in the weeks and months ahead.
Airport activation
The next big campaign driver occurs Friday at Harry Reid International Airport when live entertainment with DJs will greet visitors coming off planes and the ride-hailing waiting area will take on a celebratory vibe.
“We have taken over the ride share, which if any of you have done it, it’s not the best experience,” Wik said. “It’s dark, it’s dreary, it’s very crowded, it’s hot. We want to welcome our visitors from the moment they get here with a great experience. We are setting the bar that this is a fabulous experience. This is what you can expect across the destination.”
A Reid representative said Tuesday that details are still being worked out on the exact location and time of Friday night’s entertainment at the airport. The representative said Friday’s activation is a continuation of live entertainment that has occurred over the past couple of years “as part of our ongoing commitment to guest experience.”
Football fans have an early look at another campaign activation at Allegiant Stadium. The “Fabulous Tunnel Walk” is due to debut Monday at the Raiders’ first home game of 2025 against the Los Angeles Chargers, but it was set up for UNLV’s home game Saturday against UCLA.
While international travel is trending upward, Bussmann says there are still challenges ahead domestically as a result of Spirit Airlines — the No. 2 carrier at Reid — filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. In a bid to save money, the airline has reduced the number of Las Vegas flights in recent months with the number of Spirit passengers down 42.4 percent in July and off 29.6 percent for the first seven months of 2025.
“The market continues to face its challenges but what keeps getting ignored is the decrease in domestic lift, largely because of Spirit that has been in year-over-year decreases or flat since last August,” Bussmann said.
“International, with the exception of a couple of markets, is promising as things continue to grow,” he said. “Occupancy continues to remain strong overall. Do we need to change the narrative? Yes, but it is not about Chicken Little and the sky falling.”
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.