Las Vegas Weekly

‘What Happens Here’ … wins stuff in New York

A shot from a “What Happens Here, Stays Here” TV commercial.

What happens in Vegas, stays on Madison Avenue.

After a decade of selling Las Vegas to tourists around the world, the “What Happens Here, Stays Here” slogan created by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and R&R Partners has earned a place on the Madison Avenue Advertising Walk of Fame in New York City.

The catchphrase dominated online voting, securing 54 percent of votes. In a distant second was Capital One’s “What’s In Your Wallet?” That slogan received 11 percent of votes and will also be honored on the Walk of Fame. The two campaigns beat out Nike’s “Just Do It,” the National Milk Processor Board’s “Got Milk?” and DeBeers’ “A Diamond is Forever,” among others.

“The ‘What Happens Here, Stays Here’ branding campaign is the most successful in the history of the tourism industry,” said LVCVA President and CEO Rossi Ralenkotter in a statement. “The campaign has given millions of people the idea to visit Las Vegas, and it resonates with the consumer because it’s based on their Las Vegas stories. It reinforces that Las Vegas is all about having fun.”

Also being honored this year are Allstate’s “Mayhem” and the Coca Cola Polar Bears as favorite icons of the year. Meanwhile, the party-rocking Kia Hamsters won in the inaugural rookie of the year category. Other nominees in those categories included The Most Interesting Man in the World, Mr. Clean, the Keebler Elves and the Energizer Bunny.

“Mayhem,” the polar bears, “What’s In Your Wallet?” and “What Happens Here, Stays Here” will receive permanent positions on the Madison Avenue Walk of Fame, located between 42nd and 50th streets in New York City. The Walk of Fame was created in 2004 by Advertising Week to focus on the power of advertising. Previous inductees include the Pillsbury Dough Boy and M&Ms “Melts In Your Mouth, Not In Your Hand.”