Campaign makes ‘fabulous’ push to bring visitors back to Las Vegas — VIDEO
Social media critics bashed the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority’s new advertising campaign rollout Thursday, saying the agency’s bid to convince the public the city remains a value missed the mark.
But LVCVA’s top executive said there are more elements still ahead.
The new “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” campaign draws inspiration from the famous sign on Las Vegas Boulevard and will include activations, experiences, special offers and partnerships that will be rolled out in the coming weeks.
A 60-second television spot aired during the broadcast of the National Football League’s season-opening game between the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys.
Before it even aired on television, social media critics were exclaiming how badly the ad misfired.
“As we have been talking about for the last week, the LVCVA launched its new ‘Fabulous’ campaign today,” said Scott Roeben, whose @vitalvegas X site is one forum where followers piled on and mocked the initial ad developed by the LVCVA’s contracted agency of record, R&R Partners.
“It is aggressively terrible. On the heels of the F1 (Formula One) and A’s debacle, fire everyone (including R&R). Full trainwreck,” a Vital Vegas post said.
Jen G on X was more forgiving than others. Under the @vegasstarfish handle, she said, “While I don’t think this commercial is the worst I’ve ever seen, I know this is an archaic way of reaching viewers. No one watches commercials. Tourists and locals have spoken loud and clear that they want value, hospitality and compelling reasons to return. We should be launching activations that focus on the excitement of our city and why you can’t get the Vegas experience anywhere else.”
$35 million budgeted
Late Thursday, an LVCVA representative said the agency budgeted $35 million to pay for media expenses through R&R Partners for the 2025-26 fiscal year, with half of that dedicated to premium television ad placements for maximum impact.
LVCVA President and CEO Steve Hill urged patience with the campaign after only one day.
“The goal is to both put a spotlight on the city and to remind people of the fact that there is no place else like Las Vegas, that it is the place that you come to to celebrate good times and that it’s a place where when times are a little tougher, you come to escape,” Hill said in an interview before the advertisement aired.
But many who viewed the ad were expecting much more. Comments regarding the promotion suggested that resorts go further by lowering or eliminating resort fees, parking fees and doing away with surge pricing at restaurants and for bottled water, sunscreen and beer.
“I think over the past couple of weeks, you’ve seen properties recognize some of those comments that they’ve seen and responded to them and that will continue to happen,” Hill said.
But as far as a broad removal of resort and parking fees, Hill doubts that would ever occur. He did note that new Federal Trade Commission regulations that took effect in May require full disclosure of the total price of a product, including hotel rooms and concert tickets, so that there are no surprises to consumers, even through third parties, when making a transaction.
As for Las Vegas as a value proposition, Hill said it is “a mathematical fact” that the city outperforms other destinations for value. And with the city’s long history of reinventing itself during challenging times, “I wouldn’t bet against Las Vegas,” he said.
Roeben’s Vital Vegas disagrees.
“I was told it (the campaign) was going to address the changing perception of Vegas as a value destination,” he said. “The only thing this changes is the mistaken belief the LVCVA has a clue.”
Sign is centerpiece
The campaign is built around the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign on Las Vegas Boulevard that, since 1959, has served as a beacon to more than 1.5 billion visitors.
The 60-second TV ad featured an office worker wishing for a break from the usual day-to-day doldrums. She hears a siren song from Las Vegas, enticing her to break free from the monotony and enter a world of “fabulousness,” according to LVCVA. Surrounded by the neon and lights that provided inspiration for the campaign, she encounters iconic locations that have made Las Vegas famous, including Circus Circus, Fremont Street Experience, The Orleans, The Venetian Resort Las Vegas and others.
Also Thursday night, signs at resorts and landmarks glowed purple, and marquees and digital billboards throughout Las Vegas collectively featured the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” message. The coordinated display was visible at resort properties along the Strip, Viva Vision at Fremont Street Experience and various off-Strip locations across the destination.
The campaign will continue Sept. 12 with “fabulous pickups” at Harry Reid International Airport’s Terminal 1 rideshare pickup zone. The area will feature colorful lighting, plush seating, music and a neon selfie wall that will help visitors launch their vacation. During special occasions, the zone will host live performances, DJs and other entertainment.
Terminal 1 will also be home to “fabulous” photo moments where visitors can share being in Las Vegas on social media from the moment they arrive.
Other activations
Starting Sept. 15, Las Vegas images will be projected coast to coast.
Times Square will debut a three-dimensional anamorphic billboard showcasing renowned Las Vegas imagery creating the illusion of breaking through the confines of the screen. On Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, a larger-than-life billboard will blink from “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” to “Come to Fabulous Las Vegas.”
Also on Sept. 15, debuting at Allegiant Stadium during the Las Vegas Raiders’ first home game the “Fabulous Tunnel Walk” will transform a standard hallway into a showstopping Las Vegas moment. As players make their way into the stadium, they’ll showcase their game-day style against a high-energy backdrop that fuses the spirit of Las Vegas with the pride of the Raiders.
The campaign also has a theme song available to fans to use as a backdrop for their social media posts. Grammy Award-winning singer Eryn Allen Kane and Grammy Award-nominated producer and songwriter Dave Sitek have made “Welcome to Fabulous” available for download.
Hill said it would be up to individual resorts to come up with their own new promotions to entice visitors.
LVCVA officials had hinted at the coming marketing campaign for weeks and LVCVA-paid social media influencers had been buzzing about what the campaign would look like.
By Thursday night, many of them went from supportive to disappointed in the end result.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.
