Las Vegas has done such a good job of establishing its own naughty mystique, you wonder why anyone would want to mess with it. After all, "What happens in Vegas, stays in
Vegas," has become one of the catchphrases of our culture and a remarkable example of wink-and-a-nod messaging. Don't worry, the subtext implies, we will cover your ass. In what other city does one
leave feeling almost guilty if you didn't cross some line somewhere? I generally don't feel like a priss in my everyday life, in which I don't drink, carouse or gamble. Not surprisingly, then, the
only time I go to Vegas is for professional conferences, since there really is no other attraction for me. By the time I leave I feel like the Church Lady.
So it is curious that Vegas.com
comes into the municipal branding fray with a new campaign that highlights people's transparent tall tales about coming to Vegas. Two national TV spots are dropping for the tourist site with the
tagline "everyone knows something about Vegas." In one, a braggart insists there are no watches or clocks allowed in Vegas. In another a whippet-like fellow tries to impress his elevator mates with
his "European sunbathing" in Sin City. There will be several more spots along the same lines throughout the year. It is accompanied by an online series featuring local experts at various Vegas trades
sharing secrets. A "flair bartender" (think Tom Cruise in "Cocktail") gives lessons in the first bi-weekly installment. This actually seems like an
interesting series that might be more effective than the TV spots.
Vegas.com says that the effort is aimed at "humorous misconceptions" about traveling to the city. The spots are
mildly funny, I guess, and the company is planning a series of six to eight total for the major feeder markets like L.A., San Francisco, Houston, Dallas and Chicago. But does Las Vegas really want to
demystify itself? Worse, does it want to call attention to the fact that all too many Vegas visitors adopt a laughable faux cool when they hit the casino, usually dressed too loudly and convinced they
know how to play Black Jack better than the other loudly dressed rube who is also pretending to revel in "Sin City?"
Arguably, Vegas.com's approach to the city mythology is a tad more honest
than the original tagline. Why not move even further to truth in advertising and give the city the branding it merits. "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas...because what you said happened
in Vegas, probably didn't."