What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas: New Sin City slogan to be revealed in Grammys ad

Ed Komenda | Reno Gazette Journal

Show Caption Hide Caption VIDEO: Las Vegas' new tourism slogan will be launched at the Grammys A 60-second commercial revealing Sin City’s new tourism slogan will be aired during the Grammys.

LAS VEGAS – A 60-second commercial revealing Sin City’s new tourism slogan will air during the Grammys 2020 on Jan. 26.

After almost two decades, the iconic “What happens here, stays here” – a catch phrase that's deeply rooted in the American tourism vernacular – will get an update, reports the Reno Gazette Journal, which is part of the USA TODAY Network.

While tourism authorities have been mum on officially confirming what the new slogan will be, an official hashtag attached to the music awards show offers a hint: #OnlyVegas.

R&R Partners, the advertising agency behind the new slogan, deployed more than 100 people over several years to assemble the campaign.

'What happens here, only happens here.'

“One of the things we’ve have known for years in Las Vegas is there’s a feeling people only get here,” Billy Vassiliadis, R&R CEO, told the USA TODAY Network. “That feeling is tied to an experience that is unique and they can’t get anyplace else.”

The 60-second ad set for the Grammys Sunday will air around the time Aerosmith takes the stage for a live performance.

Aerosmith last year participated in what appeared to be a top secret campaign to roll out the new slogan surprise on Jan. 26.

In November, singer Steven Tyler introduced to a concert crowd what many speculate is the city’s new mantra: “When I say, ‘What happens here,’” Tyler told the audience, “you say, ‘only happens here!’”

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What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas: A travel mantra for the ages

For almost two decades, "What happens here, stays here" has served as this city's mantra of excess.

Rarely has an official tourism slogan been so widely recognized, with Las Vegas travelers often reciting "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas."

The catchy and controversial one-liner encouraged and empowered tourists to behave in ways they would have never dared back home – a wink to the naughty.

The slogan surfaced as an effort to inspire travel to Las Vegas after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks froze travel plans across the country and visitation numbers dropped in this vacation mecca that had seen nothing but growth for many years.

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With the “What happens here” launch came a series of 30-second television ads about the kind of ribald behavior that's possible when your secrets stay safe.

One ad featured a man explaining the freedom that comes with a trip to Vegas.

“We’re like the Huns,” he said to a friend. “This is all for the taking … all for the pillaging.”

The ad campaign carried a long shelf life – a concept that’s rare in a city known to implode the old to make way for the new time and time again.

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A new slogan takes flight

The new commercial set for takeoff at the Grammys is one of two 60-second spots the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority will launch in the coming months, according to Vassiliadis.

The 2020 Grammy Awards will broadcast live from Los Angeles' Staples Center on Sunday, Jan. 26. It airs on CBS at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, and USA TODAY will have full coverage on usatoday.com.

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Ed Komenda writes about Las Vegas for the Reno Gazette Journal and USA TODAY Network.