Beyond The Vegas Strip With Arnie DiGeorge

1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,540
I don't think people really understand that this thing really permission,

2
00:00:10,345 --> 00:00:10,645
you know?

3
00:00:11,265 --> 00:00:15,435
Bottle of champagne or, or, or some insane dinner or whatever.

4
00:00:15,435 --> 00:00:18,435
I mean, kind of everything shot up, you know, after that.

5
00:00:18,465 --> 00:00:20,384
'cause you had this kind of extra permission

6
00:00:20,390 --> 00:00:22,455
that you, that you didn't have before.

7
00:00:22,605 --> 00:00:24,615
And the other thing is, one of the reasons it happened is

8
00:00:24,615 --> 00:00:26,775
you really talk to people and what their fantasies are.

9
00:00:27,134 --> 00:00:29,415
Everyone had a different fantasy about.

10
00:00:29,875 --> 00:00:31,855
They were gonna be in Vegas and what they were gonna do, or

11
00:00:31,855 --> 00:00:35,155
what they were, you know, what their, their end goal was.

12
00:00:36,115 --> 00:00:37,885
So how do you put that in an ad? You can't put

13
00:00:37,885 --> 00:00:40,375
everybody's fantasy in an ad. It's, it's not possible.

14
00:00:40,735 --> 00:00:44,095
So that kind of led us down to that world and let them imagine it.

15
00:00:44,875 --> 00:00:47,185
Welcome to, we built this brand where we talk to the

16
00:00:47,185 --> 00:00:49,910
creators and collaborators behind your favorite brands.

17
00:00:50,449 --> 00:00:53,660
It has been said that what happens in Vegas stays in

18
00:00:53,660 --> 00:00:57,650
Vegas, and today I get to find out exactly why that is.

19
00:00:57,949 --> 00:01:01,040
You see in this episode I'm talking with Arne DeGeorge,

20
00:01:01,220 --> 00:01:04,729
executive Vice President and r and R Partners, and one of the key

21
00:01:04,729 --> 00:01:07,759
people involved in the famous, what happens in Vegas campaign.

22
00:01:08,145 --> 00:01:10,605
We'll walk through how Arnie found his way into r and r

23
00:01:10,605 --> 00:01:14,385
Partners, and how this famous campaign got its start, as well

24
00:01:14,385 --> 00:01:17,595
as the long lasting impacts it's had on the city of Las Vegas.

25
00:01:17,865 --> 00:01:21,015
So join me now as we cruise down the Vegas strip

26
00:01:21,015 --> 00:01:23,955
and into my conversation with Arnie de George.

27
00:01:28,065 --> 00:01:30,225
Arnie, welcome to We Built This Brand.

28
00:01:30,945 --> 00:01:31,725
Hi Chris.

29
00:01:31,845 --> 00:01:33,585
Thank you so much for having me.

30
00:01:34,095 --> 00:01:35,024
Yeah, it's a pleasure.

31
00:01:35,024 --> 00:01:38,384
I'm excited to have you with us today to, um, talk about the

32
00:01:38,384 --> 00:01:43,695
great city of Las Vegas and all of your work at r and r, um, over

33
00:01:43,695 --> 00:01:47,145
the years and, um, yeah, there's just a lot to get into today.

34
00:01:47,145 --> 00:01:49,215
I'm, I'm actually really excited about this 'cause

35
00:01:49,215 --> 00:01:52,455
I've been to Vegas just a handful of times, but, um.

36
00:01:52,675 --> 00:01:53,515
I love the city.

37
00:01:53,515 --> 00:01:55,075
It's, it's a fun place to come visit.

38
00:01:55,555 --> 00:01:57,865
And, um, and yeah, just there's a lot.

39
00:01:57,865 --> 00:02:02,155
So, um, typically how we start these off, uh, is I like to get to

40
00:02:02,155 --> 00:02:04,525
know you a little bit better, a little bit about your background.

41
00:02:04,525 --> 00:02:07,855
So, um, if you don't mind, just doesn't have to be in

42
00:02:07,855 --> 00:02:11,125
depth, but, you know, where did you get your start, um,

43
00:02:11,485 --> 00:02:13,885
and how did you find your way to r and r to begin with?

44
00:02:14,519 --> 00:02:18,780
So I have a really weird way into advertising, you know, where most people go

45
00:02:18,780 --> 00:02:22,859
to the big, you know, the book schools and all that stuff, portfolio centers.

46
00:02:23,519 --> 00:02:26,820
I started with a background of journalism slash advertising,

47
00:02:27,359 --> 00:02:30,359
which they had back in the day in, in, in Reno, Nevada.

48
00:02:30,359 --> 00:02:33,600
And then I went to work at a, a very, very small office with.

49
00:02:34,549 --> 00:02:35,390
Five people in it.

50
00:02:35,390 --> 00:02:38,750
And so I ended up, I, I thought I was gonna be creative.

51
00:02:38,750 --> 00:02:39,829
I ended up doing everything.

52
00:02:39,829 --> 00:02:42,560
I mean, I did, I was an account executive at times.

53
00:02:42,560 --> 00:02:43,250
I was a runner.

54
00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:48,049
I wrote, I, I laid stuff out with the big camera and everything.

55
00:02:48,109 --> 00:02:51,740
Um, I did, I did pretty, I even bought media.

56
00:02:52,125 --> 00:02:54,405
Rudimentary media somehow.

57
00:02:54,885 --> 00:02:57,375
I mean, it did everything you could, you could do, which was great.

58
00:02:57,375 --> 00:03:00,285
I learned a, I learned a lot about, about the business and everything.

59
00:03:00,285 --> 00:03:04,695
Then I went to work for a place that was going after New York.

60
00:03:04,695 --> 00:03:05,055
New York.

61
00:03:05,084 --> 00:03:05,834
Not New York.

62
00:03:05,834 --> 00:03:06,165
New York.

63
00:03:06,165 --> 00:03:06,914
The city, New York.

64
00:03:06,915 --> 00:03:07,935
New York, the hotel.

65
00:03:08,625 --> 00:03:09,465
It's here in Las Vegas.

66
00:03:09,645 --> 00:03:13,275
At the time was, was opening and uh, we tried to get that account.

67
00:03:13,275 --> 00:03:14,055
We were pitching the account.

68
00:03:14,055 --> 00:03:18,105
I remember driving around in a, uh, uh, uh, my Volkswagen Jetta

69
00:03:18,105 --> 00:03:22,095
with a Statue of Liberty impersonator, uh, uh, in the car.

70
00:03:22,155 --> 00:03:22,335
No.

71
00:03:22,335 --> 00:03:26,055
Number one Statue of Liberty impersonator in the world.

72
00:03:26,175 --> 00:03:26,535
I don't know.

73
00:03:26,535 --> 00:03:27,045
I don't know.

74
00:03:27,810 --> 00:03:28,830
I don't know how you get that title.

75
00:03:29,160 --> 00:03:29,910
I, I don't either.

76
00:03:29,910 --> 00:03:33,060
I've, I've been to New York City and seen the impersonators though.

77
00:03:33,060 --> 00:03:34,110
Was it someone like that?

78
00:03:35,010 --> 00:03:37,080
Yeah, it was, it was supposedly the best one.

79
00:03:37,140 --> 00:03:37,590
We found.

80
00:03:37,590 --> 00:03:38,220
The best one.

81
00:03:39,390 --> 00:03:39,930
That's awesome.

82
00:03:40,410 --> 00:03:42,870
And I had to, and I had to drive her around for the day and

83
00:03:42,870 --> 00:03:45,120
try and help her with her lines, which she failed miserably.

84
00:03:45,120 --> 00:03:45,990
We did not get it.

85
00:03:47,130 --> 00:03:49,620
And, um, don't say it probably the.

86
00:03:56,415 --> 00:04:00,435
To try and get a, a job after the agency, you know, had, had failed.

87
00:04:00,440 --> 00:04:04,695
And, and they, they shut down and, um, he didn't get the job.

88
00:04:04,695 --> 00:04:06,585
They didn't like his art direction, but they liked the writing.

89
00:04:06,915 --> 00:04:09,105
And that's how I got the job 29 years ago.

90
00:04:09,105 --> 00:04:13,425
And, uh, and then I just, uh, worked really hard after that

91
00:04:13,425 --> 00:04:15,615
and ended up running the creative department at some point.

92
00:04:16,335 --> 00:04:17,055
That's exciting.

93
00:04:17,055 --> 00:04:19,125
So, so you've been with r and r for quite a while?

94
00:04:19,635 --> 00:04:21,795
Yeah, uh, around 29.

95
00:04:21,885 --> 00:04:22,875
Around 29 years.

96
00:04:22,875 --> 00:04:25,125
I think I get these notices every once in

97
00:04:25,125 --> 00:04:26,925
a while, and I think the last one said 29.

98
00:04:28,185 --> 00:04:28,695
That's awesome.

99
00:04:28,695 --> 00:04:33,765
So coming up on a big one there, um, 30 coming up, but that's, that's exciting.

100
00:04:33,765 --> 00:04:37,395
So, so you've done a lot in your career, I would imagine working with r and r.

101
00:04:37,635 --> 00:04:39,465
Looks like, you know, from everything I've seen

102
00:04:39,465 --> 00:04:41,295
of them, you know, they've been around a while.

103
00:04:41,295 --> 00:04:43,335
How long has r and r been around by the way I.

104
00:04:44,344 --> 00:04:49,775
50 years, we just had our 50 year anniversary and, uh, this is the 50th year.

105
00:04:49,775 --> 00:04:52,145
And so, uh, it's been pretty exciting.

106
00:04:52,145 --> 00:04:54,784
We, we did a lot of celebrating and a lot of talking about

107
00:04:54,784 --> 00:04:57,184
the past and, and a lot of talking about the future, so, yeah.

108
00:04:57,934 --> 00:04:58,265
Nice.

109
00:04:58,354 --> 00:05:00,395
And what does r and r stand for, by the way?

110
00:05:00,994 --> 00:05:04,895
Yeah, that's, that's a question that everyone has been trying to answer.

111
00:05:05,315 --> 00:05:07,655
Even the people who started it there.

112
00:05:07,684 --> 00:05:11,614
Uh, uh, there was one, um, guy who started long ago named Sig Roge.

113
00:05:12,765 --> 00:05:16,065
And, um, so he was one of the Rs and nobody could understand the other.

114
00:05:16,065 --> 00:05:19,575
RR It's funny because we have a wall somewhere in the place that

115
00:05:19,665 --> 00:05:24,705
just goes over rest and relaxation, rowdy and this all the different

116
00:05:24,705 --> 00:05:28,515
things you can RR because it's still, it's still sort of a weird.

117
00:05:29,550 --> 00:05:31,170
Mystery as to what it is.

118
00:05:31,170 --> 00:05:33,510
And I think somebody might have told me the, the real

119
00:05:33,510 --> 00:05:35,790
story at some point, but I've, I've since forgotten it.

120
00:05:35,825 --> 00:05:37,620
I, I think I like the fact that it could be anything.

121
00:05:38,610 --> 00:05:39,000
Yeah.

122
00:05:39,045 --> 00:05:41,790
It, it allows you to put your own vision of what it could be

123
00:05:41,790 --> 00:05:44,910
and with you all doing a lot of looks like, you know, travel

124
00:05:44,910 --> 00:05:48,270
and resorts and things like that, like, it's just, it fits

125
00:05:48,300 --> 00:05:52,140
for the industry that I see you all interacting in a lot.

126
00:05:52,140 --> 00:05:53,670
So that's pretty cool.

127
00:05:53,940 --> 00:05:54,360
Okay.

128
00:05:54,810 --> 00:05:55,200
Yeah.

129
00:05:55,290 --> 00:05:55,890
Um.

130
00:05:56,385 --> 00:05:57,375
So it could be anything,

131
00:05:57,674 --> 00:05:58,994
anything that starts with an R.

132
00:05:59,145 --> 00:05:59,565
Yes.

133
00:05:59,924 --> 00:06:04,065
Anything that starts with an R and an R. Um, but that's awesome.

134
00:06:04,094 --> 00:06:06,914
So, so then, so then moving on to the city.

135
00:06:07,005 --> 00:06:11,205
Um, so y'all are based in Las Vegas and, um, I know

136
00:06:11,205 --> 00:06:13,275
you've, you've had a lot of experience with Vegas.

137
00:06:13,275 --> 00:06:15,794
Part of the reason why Vegas is exciting to me and fun to me

138
00:06:15,794 --> 00:06:18,705
outside of just the fun of, you know, coming to Las Vegas and

139
00:06:18,705 --> 00:06:21,885
experiencing shows and things like that, which is a fun side note.

140
00:06:21,914 --> 00:06:24,135
I have never been to Las Vegas for fun.

141
00:06:24,135 --> 00:06:25,275
It's always been for work.

142
00:06:25,840 --> 00:06:30,159
Always been for business, you know, meetings, conferences, things like that.

143
00:06:30,250 --> 00:06:33,520
But, um, still manages to be a really cool experience.

144
00:06:33,549 --> 00:06:37,299
And, um, I've really enjoyed, like I said, the time I've had there.

145
00:06:37,299 --> 00:06:40,570
But also where I live is back in Knoxville, Tennessee, and we're right next to

146
00:06:40,570 --> 00:06:45,250
the Great Smokey Mountains, and so we're next to another very big touristy area.

147
00:06:45,250 --> 00:06:49,179
Um, a lot of the same flashiness and you

148
00:06:49,179 --> 00:06:51,849
know, at times Giness and, and you know, just.

149
00:06:52,545 --> 00:06:54,165
A lot of the same similarities.

150
00:06:54,165 --> 00:06:55,425
I think there kind of apply.

151
00:06:55,425 --> 00:06:58,845
I think at one time, one of the bragging points to Gatlinburg, Tennessee

152
00:06:58,845 --> 00:07:03,285
was we were number two per capita for wedding chapels behind Las Vegas.

153
00:07:03,795 --> 00:07:04,425
So.

154
00:07:04,875 --> 00:07:07,784
You know, we've, we've had a lot of, we've had a lot of similarities in

155
00:07:07,784 --> 00:07:11,235
that respect over the years, so to, you know, and I, I've learned a lot over

156
00:07:11,235 --> 00:07:13,875
the years about the, um, the branding of this area and things like that.

157
00:07:13,875 --> 00:07:16,965
So to learn about Vegas and learn about the, the branding and how that

158
00:07:16,965 --> 00:07:20,985
came about, um, I think it'd be really fascinating to talk about today.

159
00:07:20,985 --> 00:07:22,755
And so that's, that's what I'm excited to

160
00:07:22,784 --> 00:07:25,185
dive into with you and to learn more about.

161
00:07:25,185 --> 00:07:29,175
So how did, how did this, how did the Las Vegas project start?

162
00:07:29,820 --> 00:07:30,630
Let's just start there.

163
00:07:31,409 --> 00:07:38,820
So I think the, the really, really fun stuff started when we, when

164
00:07:38,820 --> 00:07:42,570
we started with the positioning of adult freedom and we worked from

165
00:07:42,570 --> 00:07:46,200
there and, and one of the, one of the early campaigns, even before

166
00:07:46,200 --> 00:07:48,809
what happens here, stays here, you know, was all based on freedom.

167
00:07:48,809 --> 00:07:52,799
We had an ad freedom from reality and, uh.

168
00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:58,130
Really, really nice pieces and uh, and we thought we were gonna

169
00:07:58,130 --> 00:08:00,950
go down that direction and then, and then something happened.

170
00:08:00,950 --> 00:08:05,300
I think nine 11 happened or something, something else disrupt you.

171
00:08:05,300 --> 00:08:10,400
And we're very much like when, when something like that happens, you know,

172
00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:13,400
we kind of stop everything because we know people don't really wanna.

173
00:08:13,770 --> 00:08:16,740
People don't really wanna, you know, live the advertising world.

174
00:08:16,740 --> 00:08:19,110
They wanna, they want a more comfortable world.

175
00:08:19,110 --> 00:08:21,960
So we, you know, we, we do something different.

176
00:08:21,960 --> 00:08:24,930
And that made us basically kind of take a look at it again.

177
00:08:24,930 --> 00:08:27,420
And then, then we started going down the road

178
00:08:27,420 --> 00:08:29,700
of, uh, of what happens here, stays here.

179
00:08:29,700 --> 00:08:32,580
And, uh, and, and so it, for us.

180
00:08:33,135 --> 00:08:36,735
Was a very, very, it was a very good thing because what happens

181
00:08:36,735 --> 00:08:40,934
here, stays here, um, allowed you to do things that no other

182
00:08:40,934 --> 00:08:44,145
tourism campaign had ever done by, by, by a wide margin.

183
00:08:44,145 --> 00:08:46,875
And, um, we can get into that.

184
00:08:48,105 --> 00:08:50,865
It basically allowed you to not show the destination.

185
00:08:51,345 --> 00:08:53,505
You know, it allowed you to use your imagination

186
00:08:53,505 --> 00:08:55,995
as to what your experience was gonna be.

187
00:08:56,595 --> 00:08:57,135
What happens here?

188
00:08:57,135 --> 00:08:58,365
Stacy, we didn't tell you what happens,

189
00:08:59,055 --> 00:08:59,564
right?

190
00:08:59,564 --> 00:08:59,954
Right.

191
00:09:01,185 --> 00:09:03,705
So you could be, what happens to you, could be

192
00:09:04,005 --> 00:09:06,585
anything you can come up with in your, in your head.

193
00:09:07,425 --> 00:09:10,545
And so that was the magic of that campaign in the beginning.

194
00:09:10,545 --> 00:09:13,485
And, and eventually we started to show some of the destination.

195
00:09:13,995 --> 00:09:17,385
And when we did, it was great because then we showed it in a way I.

196
00:09:18,165 --> 00:09:21,765
That showed the, the kind of tricks and games and fun you could

197
00:09:21,765 --> 00:09:25,965
have being somebody else or, or doing something couldn't do at home.

198
00:09:25,965 --> 00:09:29,715
And so, so we expanded it down the line and, uh, you know,

199
00:09:29,715 --> 00:09:32,895
we, we made it last for a long time by really, really kind of

200
00:09:33,015 --> 00:09:35,175
just bringing it along, bringing it along, bringing it along.

201
00:09:35,600 --> 00:09:37,520
Pretty much as far as we can bring it.

202
00:09:37,850 --> 00:09:37,970
Yeah.

203
00:09:37,970 --> 00:09:41,450
So a place where you can achieve what you wanna achieve or do

204
00:09:41,450 --> 00:09:43,820
do that crazy thing you've always wanted to do, which has been

205
00:09:43,820 --> 00:09:48,410
perpetuated by Hollywood and, um, culture just over the years too.

206
00:09:48,500 --> 00:09:51,740
I mean, what happens here, stay here is ubiquitous with the city now.

207
00:09:52,130 --> 00:09:54,530
Like I, that's what I think of when I think of Vegas.

208
00:09:54,890 --> 00:09:59,180
Well, it, it's in, you know, even before we, we kind of took

209
00:09:59,180 --> 00:10:01,820
ownership of it, it was in people's heads as far as traveling went.

210
00:10:02,445 --> 00:10:04,515
What stay, what happens on the road, stays on the road.

211
00:10:04,515 --> 00:10:08,955
You know, we just knew that it was perfect, that it was a perfect truth for us.

212
00:10:08,955 --> 00:10:11,925
And truth's super important in, in advertising because

213
00:10:11,925 --> 00:10:14,565
you gotta get in there and inside people and everything.

214
00:10:14,565 --> 00:10:18,015
And so, so they, they, you know, they, they bought

215
00:10:18,015 --> 00:10:20,805
into that because, 'cause they knew it anyways and they

216
00:10:20,835 --> 00:10:22,875
knew that it, there was no better place than Vegas for.

217
00:10:24,710 --> 00:10:24,980
Yeah.

218
00:10:24,980 --> 00:10:27,560
That's how it really, really took off and it became part of,

219
00:10:27,855 --> 00:10:31,100
of, of what everybody thinks about Vegas and part of the city

220
00:10:31,100 --> 00:10:35,240
and, and part of the culture, which is pretty incredible.

221
00:10:35,845 --> 00:10:38,510
You, you mentioned, you mentioned getting inside of people's heads.

222
00:10:38,630 --> 00:10:39,560
Tell me more about that.

223
00:10:39,560 --> 00:10:44,750
Like how do you, what was that approach like to come up with this, this slogan?

224
00:10:45,650 --> 00:10:46,939
Well, I.

225
00:10:50,175 --> 00:10:53,295
Uh, you know, we have two writers came up with the, with the

226
00:10:53,295 --> 00:10:55,935
actual slogan that we're working for us at the, at the time.

227
00:10:56,565 --> 00:10:59,355
And, uh, they wouldn't say which one actually

228
00:10:59,355 --> 00:11:01,395
came up with it, so that was the best part.

229
00:11:01,400 --> 00:11:02,205
They, they kept it.

230
00:11:03,345 --> 00:11:04,275
Uh, but

231
00:11:04,395 --> 00:11:06,975
what happens to the writer's room stays in the writer's room, right?

232
00:11:07,125 --> 00:11:08,295
Yes, exactly.

233
00:11:08,300 --> 00:11:08,650
Exactly.

234
00:11:09,690 --> 00:11:12,945
I think that if you don't have some, if you don't have some truth.

235
00:11:13,345 --> 00:11:16,795
Some universal truth in, in inside, um, what you're doing.

236
00:11:17,275 --> 00:11:20,185
People are not gonna relate to it and it's not gonna catch on with them.

237
00:11:20,905 --> 00:11:24,745
Um, I think most of marketing and advertising, if it doesn't have

238
00:11:24,745 --> 00:11:28,435
that, um, if it doesn't have that in its positioning and doesn't

239
00:11:28,435 --> 00:11:30,985
have that in its communication, it's really not gonna work.

240
00:11:30,985 --> 00:11:33,355
And 'cause you need to grab the emotions of people,

241
00:11:37,600 --> 00:11:37,900
you know.

242
00:11:39,525 --> 00:11:42,495
You know, they where they, where they're like going, why did you do that?

243
00:11:42,495 --> 00:11:43,455
Sometimes That's great.

244
00:11:45,855 --> 00:11:51,645
Know, it's like, I remember, I'll you very, very, very early on.

245
00:11:52,425 --> 00:11:55,425
Um, did an ad for a community college.

246
00:11:55,425 --> 00:11:56,415
It was a billboard.

247
00:11:56,475 --> 00:11:58,995
It had an arrow pointing at the community college and an arrow

248
00:11:58,995 --> 00:12:02,385
pointing at the McDonald's across the street and the arrow point

249
00:12:02,385 --> 00:12:06,015
at the community college, uh, or the arrow pointing at the,

250
00:12:06,015 --> 00:12:10,515
uh, uh, at McDonald's, said Million burger served, whatever.

251
00:12:10,515 --> 00:12:13,155
You know, that line was, they had a time, and then the airplane at

252
00:12:13,155 --> 00:12:16,215
the community college was how to, how to avoid a life of serving them.

253
00:12:18,435 --> 00:12:21,945
There was a crazy outcry from people who worked at McDonald's

254
00:12:21,945 --> 00:12:24,525
and lawyers at McDonald's and everything else, which was great.

255
00:12:24,645 --> 00:12:25,155
You want that?

256
00:12:25,450 --> 00:12:25,870
Mm-hmm.

257
00:12:26,565 --> 00:12:29,655
You know, at the time the agency was like, do we want that?

258
00:12:29,655 --> 00:12:32,895
But then, then they found out they really did want it, you

259
00:12:32,895 --> 00:12:34,725
know, it ended up in Time Magazine and everything else.

260
00:12:34,725 --> 00:12:38,775
So, I mean, I think that grabbing people's emotions is, is.

261
00:12:39,240 --> 00:12:41,010
It's kind of the most important thing really.

262
00:12:42,060 --> 00:12:43,350
I'm sure you've talked to a lot of people

263
00:12:43,350 --> 00:12:45,240
about this and they, they say the same thing.

264
00:12:45,870 --> 00:12:46,199
Yeah.

265
00:12:46,199 --> 00:12:48,719
I mean, emotion is always something key when you're, when you're

266
00:12:48,719 --> 00:12:53,400
talking about, you know, trying to, trying to get someone to make a

267
00:12:53,400 --> 00:12:58,079
purchase, make a decision, um, you know, just attract attention to you.

268
00:12:58,079 --> 00:12:59,040
You want emotion.

269
00:12:59,040 --> 00:13:00,449
I mean, art is emotion.

270
00:13:00,839 --> 00:13:03,060
So, so you want that, um.

271
00:13:03,645 --> 00:13:05,805
You know, I think that's important to have as part of

272
00:13:05,805 --> 00:13:08,655
what you're doing with the creative sphere anymore.

273
00:13:08,775 --> 00:13:11,085
You know, with where we're at today, a lot of it can

274
00:13:11,085 --> 00:13:15,314
be just, um, odd, weird, just attracts your attention

275
00:13:15,314 --> 00:13:18,675
in some strange way, even, um, as we're finding now.

276
00:13:18,675 --> 00:13:22,875
But yeah, I like the, um, that that cleverness to what you're saying.

277
00:13:22,935 --> 00:13:23,505
Um.

278
00:13:24,075 --> 00:13:26,025
With the, um, with the college piece and everything.

279
00:13:26,025 --> 00:13:27,255
I think that's really fascinating.

280
00:13:27,825 --> 00:13:31,515
Um, so you, so you did that, you got that, you got that emotion.

281
00:13:31,725 --> 00:13:35,115
What was the reaction when, when you first pitched this to the city?

282
00:13:35,115 --> 00:13:37,455
Because I'm sure that was, uh, probably a bit

283
00:13:37,455 --> 00:13:39,585
edgy at the time to even bring to the city.

284
00:13:39,585 --> 00:13:41,505
I. Even though it is Vegas.

285
00:13:42,105 --> 00:13:44,295
It was, it was very, it was very edgy.

286
00:13:44,295 --> 00:13:49,065
And, and you know, the great thing about our agency is, you know, we,

287
00:13:49,095 --> 00:13:53,325
we are, we are not just advertising, you know, we, we have a government

288
00:13:53,325 --> 00:13:57,735
affairs division and we, and we have PR division and we have, you

289
00:13:57,735 --> 00:14:00,195
know, all of these community relations people and everything else.

290
00:14:00,195 --> 00:14:03,885
So, so we, we really knew it was gonna be that way.

291
00:14:03,885 --> 00:14:05,385
So we did the work behind the scenes.

292
00:14:06,880 --> 00:14:10,725
I mean, we, we went, I mean the L-V-C-V-A is, is all the hotels on the

293
00:14:10,725 --> 00:14:14,745
strip and, you know, there's a big, there, they're a commission and, and,

294
00:14:14,745 --> 00:14:18,795
uh, you know, they are a board and they all kind of decide these things.

295
00:14:18,795 --> 00:14:22,160
And so we went from person to person to person and, and,

296
00:14:22,425 --> 00:14:24,525
you know, did the behind the scenes work and did the

297
00:14:24,525 --> 00:14:27,555
testing and, and everything else to, to, to get it through.

298
00:14:27,555 --> 00:14:29,295
You know, we didn't just go in and go, Hey.

299
00:14:32,415 --> 00:14:34,635
It wouldn't have gone well,

300
00:14:36,405 --> 00:14:40,214
so, so you took time, you worked through the right people, you got it

301
00:14:40,214 --> 00:14:43,724
approved little by little, and then finally got it all signed off on.

302
00:14:44,775 --> 00:14:48,255
Yeah, it's the same thing that we, we, we do with a lot of the stuff.

303
00:14:48,255 --> 00:14:49,035
I mean, it's the same thing.

304
00:14:49,035 --> 00:14:52,035
We got the way we got the help get, um, Allegiant

305
00:14:52,035 --> 00:14:54,074
on and get the Raiders and everything else.

306
00:14:54,074 --> 00:14:55,875
I mean, all of those things require a whole

307
00:14:55,875 --> 00:14:58,275
community and votes and all of this kind of stuff.

308
00:14:58,275 --> 00:15:01,035
And so, you know, we go out and bring those stakeholders

309
00:15:01,035 --> 00:15:03,915
together and that's what other agencies really.

310
00:15:04,505 --> 00:15:06,695
Have a hard time doing if they can even try it.

311
00:15:07,085 --> 00:15:09,275
Yeah, I mean, you bring up a good point because stakeholders are

312
00:15:09,275 --> 00:15:11,945
very important when you're thinking about marketing and branding.

313
00:15:11,945 --> 00:15:12,425
Anything.

314
00:15:12,425 --> 00:15:16,145
If you just come up with a fun idea, it might be fun and clever and edgy, but

315
00:15:16,145 --> 00:15:21,035
it may not, um, you know, it may not resonate with them, it may not be a fit.

316
00:15:21,185 --> 00:15:21,515
Right.

317
00:15:22,445 --> 00:15:25,535
Well, yeah, and, and as you know from most of.

318
00:15:25,964 --> 00:15:29,235
You know, if you go all the way back to Apple's, um, um, brave New

319
00:15:29,235 --> 00:15:33,735
World ad and if you saw the testing for that, how, how that went over

320
00:15:33,735 --> 00:15:36,584
and everything else, it's like a lot of times the really, really big

321
00:15:36,584 --> 00:15:39,795
ideas, people don't realize them because they're, they're ahead of their

322
00:15:39,795 --> 00:15:43,964
time and so they're very hard to grab onto until they're out there.

323
00:15:44,745 --> 00:15:46,545
And then when they're out there, you see, oh my, you

324
00:15:46,545 --> 00:15:49,515
know, we really were onto something, but all of our.

325
00:15:51,840 --> 00:15:55,439
You know, managers of these things and protectors said, don't do that.

326
00:15:56,189 --> 00:15:58,590
And so it's tough, you know, because you wanna get something

327
00:15:58,590 --> 00:16:01,170
out there that really grabs them and really, and really

328
00:16:01,170 --> 00:16:04,110
sets it in motion and, but sometimes that's a scary thing.

329
00:16:04,830 --> 00:16:05,250
Oh yeah.

330
00:16:05,910 --> 00:16:06,180
Yeah.

331
00:16:06,510 --> 00:16:08,490
Was there anybody out there that was opposed

332
00:16:08,490 --> 00:16:11,130
to you all running this, this slogan?

333
00:16:12,270 --> 00:16:13,950
Oh, I'm, I'm, I'm sure there were,

334
00:16:14,220 --> 00:16:15,689
not by name of course, but.

335
00:16:17,085 --> 00:16:17,925
I'm sure there were.

336
00:16:17,925 --> 00:16:21,525
I mean, I mean, I, I can't, you know, it's been a long, it's been a

337
00:16:21,525 --> 00:16:24,705
long time, but I know there were some, there were some voices that

338
00:16:24,705 --> 00:16:29,595
were, you know, that wondered and, and you know, hey, we wondered.

339
00:16:29,865 --> 00:16:32,175
We, we liked it, but, you know, we wanted

340
00:16:32,175 --> 00:16:33,465
to go out there and talk to people about it.

341
00:16:33,465 --> 00:16:36,675
And I think we talked a lot to a lot of people about this

342
00:16:36,675 --> 00:16:39,375
before we, before we went forward with it, because we wanted

343
00:16:39,375 --> 00:16:43,245
to make sure we weren't, you know, making some, some mistake.

344
00:16:43,245 --> 00:16:45,555
But, you know, we did the work and.

345
00:16:47,385 --> 00:16:47,805
It worked.

346
00:16:48,194 --> 00:16:50,175
Going back to something you said earlier, 'cause I'm,

347
00:16:50,175 --> 00:16:52,515
I'm thinking now about like the initial launch of the

348
00:16:52,515 --> 00:16:54,824
campaign, getting it out there, get it, spreading it.

349
00:16:55,125 --> 00:16:58,214
You said you, you really focused on the people and not the place.

350
00:16:58,214 --> 00:17:02,295
What, what benefit did that, I mean, I can understand the benefit of that, but

351
00:17:02,295 --> 00:17:06,825
like what, um, what other benefits did that have, like maybe from a production

352
00:17:06,825 --> 00:17:11,504
perspective or a creative perspective on the initial ads that you came out with?

353
00:17:12,285 --> 00:17:14,685
I think later on when you're really trying to shoot

354
00:17:14,685 --> 00:17:17,415
the town, you see how much that, how much better that.

355
00:17:22,095 --> 00:17:22,815
You're done.

356
00:17:22,815 --> 00:17:23,175
You know?

357
00:17:23,175 --> 00:17:24,855
And then, then when you go out and you try and shoot

358
00:17:24,855 --> 00:17:27,045
something in town, you have to have all the extras and you

359
00:17:27,045 --> 00:17:29,295
have to shoot in all the different locations and everything.

360
00:17:29,295 --> 00:17:31,995
And, you know, it's, it's a lot, it's a lot tougher.

361
00:17:31,995 --> 00:17:34,275
So production wise, it, it was great.

362
00:17:34,395 --> 00:17:38,715
Um, I think the other thing is though, I, I don't think people really

363
00:17:38,715 --> 00:17:42,585
understand that this thing really gave you permission to be and things

364
00:17:45,435 --> 00:17:48,315
that's buying some crazy, you know.

365
00:17:48,705 --> 00:17:52,875
Bottle of champagne or, or, or some insane dinner or whatever.

366
00:17:52,875 --> 00:17:55,875
I mean, kind of everything shot up, you know, after that.

367
00:17:55,875 --> 00:17:57,795
'cause you had this kind of extra permission

368
00:17:57,800 --> 00:17:59,895
that you, that you didn't have before.

369
00:18:00,045 --> 00:18:02,055
And the other thing is, one of the reasons it happened is

370
00:18:02,055 --> 00:18:04,185
you really talk to people and what their fantasies are.

371
00:18:04,575 --> 00:18:06,855
Everyone had a different fantasy about.

372
00:18:07,875 --> 00:18:09,615
In Vegas and what they were gonna do or what they

373
00:18:09,615 --> 00:18:12,615
were, you know, what their, their end goal was.

374
00:18:13,545 --> 00:18:15,975
So how do you put that in an ad? You can't put everybody's ind.

375
00:18:18,165 --> 00:18:20,415
So that led us down to that world.

376
00:18:20,475 --> 00:18:22,545
Let them imagine set in.

377
00:18:24,240 --> 00:18:24,510
Yeah.

378
00:18:24,750 --> 00:18:24,930
Yeah.

379
00:18:24,930 --> 00:18:27,240
Allow them to put themselves in that position and think

380
00:18:27,240 --> 00:18:29,670
about what it could be that they do when they come.

381
00:18:30,750 --> 00:18:30,870
Yeah.

382
00:18:32,010 --> 00:18:34,110
Want to launch a podcast without the hassle?

383
00:18:34,260 --> 00:18:37,650
Humble pod makes podcasting easy from concept to launch.

384
00:18:37,860 --> 00:18:40,470
We'll help you create a professional engaging show.

385
00:18:40,470 --> 00:18:42,255
I. Already have a podcast.

386
00:18:42,465 --> 00:18:46,245
We handle editing, show notes, transcriptions, and even video production

387
00:18:46,425 --> 00:18:50,685
so you can focus on your content With our tailored services, you get high

388
00:18:50,685 --> 00:18:55,845
quality production, seamless publishing, and expert support at every step.

389
00:18:55,935 --> 00:18:59,055
Whether you're starting fresh or leveling up, humble pod ensures

390
00:18:59,055 --> 00:19:02,265
your podcast sounds amazing and reaches the right audience.

391
00:19:02,505 --> 00:19:05,475
Visit humble pod.com to get started today.

392
00:19:12,720 --> 00:19:14,970
And then as it's grown over time, so like what

393
00:19:14,970 --> 00:19:16,380
did that, what did that mean for the city?

394
00:19:16,380 --> 00:19:19,530
I mean, obviously this comes out, it was, it was a great campaign.

395
00:19:19,530 --> 00:19:20,730
I mean, everybody remembers it.

396
00:19:20,730 --> 00:19:21,540
So like what?

397
00:19:22,050 --> 00:19:25,425
Um, I. Maybe what was the city's response?

398
00:19:25,455 --> 00:19:30,075
Did you actually, were you able to track any ROI for the city on the campaign?

399
00:19:30,075 --> 00:19:30,795
How did that work?

400
00:19:31,515 --> 00:19:32,055
Oh, yeah.

401
00:19:32,475 --> 00:19:35,295
I mean, there's, there's numerous studies

402
00:19:35,295 --> 00:19:36,825
that we've done and people have done it.

403
00:19:37,725 --> 00:19:39,405
It, it really.

404
00:19:39,854 --> 00:19:44,235
Not only, you know, brought in visitors, but, uh, again, it, it helped with

405
00:19:44,235 --> 00:19:47,504
spending and everything else and, and it helped with a DR and the whole

406
00:19:47,504 --> 00:19:52,544
thing, ADRs average daily rate of, of, uh, that they pay in the hotels.

407
00:19:52,544 --> 00:19:58,034
And, and so for a long time it really, it, it did in, it did incredibly well

408
00:19:58,034 --> 00:20:02,879
for the city and I. I, I believe it's a, it was a precursor to everything

409
00:20:02,879 --> 00:20:05,939
that is now happening to the city with the sports and everything else.

410
00:20:05,939 --> 00:20:10,350
It allowed us to, it allowed us to, to open everything up.

411
00:20:11,070 --> 00:20:11,790
You know what I mean?

412
00:20:11,790 --> 00:20:13,304
It's like so many people knew about.

413
00:20:14,055 --> 00:20:17,835
You know, the tagline in the city and what you could do here and, and it

414
00:20:17,835 --> 00:20:21,045
just, you know, set the imagination free as to what the city could become.

415
00:20:21,195 --> 00:20:22,575
You mentioned the sports scene.

416
00:20:22,575 --> 00:20:25,335
One of my, my first trip to Vegas was actually with the National

417
00:20:25,335 --> 00:20:29,445
Sports Forum, and that was like a great primer for Vegas because

418
00:20:29,445 --> 00:20:33,345
I actually got to, got to see the, um, the, the Las Vegas Knights.

419
00:20:34,574 --> 00:20:36,284
Ring the ice hockey ring.

420
00:20:36,705 --> 00:20:39,735
Um, they were talking, this was right before the Raiders

421
00:20:39,735 --> 00:20:41,925
came in, so they were talking about the Raiders coming.

422
00:20:41,925 --> 00:20:44,385
They were talking about the branding for that, the marketing for that.

423
00:20:44,895 --> 00:20:47,895
I got to see the speedway, we got to see a lot of the sports stuff in

424
00:20:47,895 --> 00:20:53,024
town and I didn't realize how big sports really were to Vegas at the time.

425
00:20:53,475 --> 00:20:54,135
Um.

426
00:20:54,340 --> 00:20:56,950
You know, I, I'd always thought of it more as a, okay, you come here

427
00:20:56,950 --> 00:21:00,670
for vacation, you come here to, you know, see shows or, you know,

428
00:21:00,670 --> 00:21:05,320
gamble or live your wildest fear in loathing in Las Vegas, fantasy

429
00:21:05,320 --> 00:21:09,190
out, you know, whatever it may be, you know, adventures in Vegas.

430
00:21:09,190 --> 00:21:11,320
I mean, love the cars, love things like that.

431
00:21:11,320 --> 00:21:15,010
Like my, my Dream Vegas vacation is like coming there and

432
00:21:15,010 --> 00:21:18,370
seeing Formula One and seeing the Vegas race because that, that

433
00:21:18,370 --> 00:21:21,070
is something that was, people were real skeptical about it.

434
00:21:21,085 --> 00:21:24,445
First, and it just turned into this, like it's,

435
00:21:24,445 --> 00:21:26,575
it's become one of the best races of the season.

436
00:21:27,025 --> 00:21:29,965
Um, and so I'm, you know, big, big F1 fan.

437
00:21:29,965 --> 00:21:33,145
So that for me is probably the biggest thing, but just getting to be

438
00:21:33,145 --> 00:21:36,775
there, be around the city itself, um, it's just a fascinating place.

439
00:21:37,554 --> 00:21:39,235
Easy, easy, easy to get lost.

440
00:21:39,235 --> 00:21:41,245
And I learned that the hard way too in my time there.

441
00:21:41,635 --> 00:21:43,735
Um, but yeah, yeah.

442
00:21:44,034 --> 00:21:45,504
Can't say enough about that.

443
00:21:45,504 --> 00:21:47,514
But yeah, drug fueled, not so much.

444
00:21:49,284 --> 00:21:50,304
I did for some reason.

445
00:21:50,304 --> 00:21:51,235
I didn't think so, Chris.

446
00:21:51,235 --> 00:21:52,465
But I, I had to ask.

447
00:21:52,825 --> 00:21:53,455
Oh yeah.

448
00:21:53,460 --> 00:21:54,175
No, no, no, no.

449
00:21:54,175 --> 00:21:54,595
For sure.

450
00:21:54,655 --> 00:21:56,814
So you could see just from your, just from your

451
00:21:56,814 --> 00:21:58,554
fantasy of Las Vegas, you can see how hard it.

452
00:22:01,835 --> 00:22:05,045
Everybody's fancy and you got your own, you got your own thing that, that

453
00:22:05,045 --> 00:22:08,465
you wanna do, and, and everybody's got their own thing that they wanna

454
00:22:08,465 --> 00:22:11,765
do, you know, and, and sometimes it's sitting at the slot machine until

455
00:22:11,765 --> 00:22:15,365
4:00 AM and other times it's, you know, I wanna be at the F1 race and

456
00:22:15,365 --> 00:22:18,215
then I want to go out to the track and drive my own car around the track.

457
00:22:18,215 --> 00:22:19,055
You know, that kind of stuff.

458
00:22:19,055 --> 00:22:19,325
So.

459
00:22:19,520 --> 00:22:19,850
Yeah.

460
00:22:19,970 --> 00:22:20,330
Yeah.

461
00:22:20,360 --> 00:22:23,870
Last time I was in Vegas, we did get to go out to one of the car, those

462
00:22:23,870 --> 00:22:27,710
places where they have like, um, like I think we were in a Dodge Hellcat and

463
00:22:27,710 --> 00:22:32,450
we did drifting around a track and things like that as part of our project.

464
00:22:32,540 --> 00:22:33,800
Um, that was a lot of fun.

465
00:22:34,100 --> 00:22:37,790
But yeah, Vegas is a, you can do a lot there, like you said.

466
00:22:37,790 --> 00:22:39,980
I mean, that's, that's the whole point of your, your ads and

467
00:22:39,980 --> 00:22:43,370
I think it, um, yeah, really proves true in a lot of respects.

468
00:22:43,370 --> 00:22:43,490
So.

469
00:22:44,235 --> 00:22:44,835
That's cool.

470
00:22:45,075 --> 00:22:47,985
So, so as, as we move our way into the future, I think that's a good tie in.

471
00:22:48,014 --> 00:22:50,325
'cause you know, we're talking about sports and things like that, and it looks

472
00:22:50,325 --> 00:22:55,455
like the newer, the newest campaign you all have is Las Vegas Go All Out.

473
00:22:56,355 --> 00:22:58,095
Tell me, tell me about the evolution.

474
00:22:58,350 --> 00:23:06,014
Yeah, so I, I, I think again, you know, showing all of the sports and showing

475
00:23:06,014 --> 00:23:11,475
all of the, the, all of that stuff is, is a lot, is a lot tougher and, um.

476
00:23:12,975 --> 00:23:14,865
It doesn't really give you the feeling of

477
00:23:14,865 --> 00:23:16,875
emotion from the fans, you know what I mean?

478
00:23:17,385 --> 00:23:19,635
And in Vegas, because you can be a little

479
00:23:19,635 --> 00:23:21,735
bit more than you can be anywhere else.

480
00:23:22,425 --> 00:23:22,755
You know?

481
00:23:22,755 --> 00:23:25,425
We just took that to the next, to the next level.

482
00:23:25,995 --> 00:23:26,475
You know what I mean?

483
00:23:26,475 --> 00:23:30,075
It's like you get to see how the fans really react when they're in a city.

484
00:23:30,720 --> 00:23:35,160
Is this, you know, freeing and this open that they, you

485
00:23:35,160 --> 00:23:37,560
know, they do go all out and it gets, it gets even a

486
00:23:37,560 --> 00:23:41,940
little bit more crazy than it would at, at another stadium.

487
00:23:41,940 --> 00:23:45,000
And so I, I think that's the, that's the, that's the

488
00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:47,700
point of the ad and, and a lot of the stuff we do just

489
00:23:47,700 --> 00:23:50,940
basically says, shows how we amplify that experience.

490
00:23:51,570 --> 00:23:54,810
We amplify the sports experience, we amplify the restaurant experience, the.

491
00:23:59,445 --> 00:24:01,215
I've had the good fortune to go to a Wolf King

492
00:24:01,215 --> 00:24:06,375
puck restaurant there, and man, incredible

493
00:24:08,385 --> 00:24:08,925
amplified.

494
00:24:11,910 --> 00:24:12,810
Oh, yeah, yeah.

495
00:24:12,815 --> 00:24:15,450
I, I even got the, uh, the smoked whiskey with, like,

496
00:24:15,510 --> 00:24:17,850
they bring it out and they actually smoke it for you.

497
00:24:17,850 --> 00:24:20,370
And the, the wood that they use is from the

498
00:24:20,370 --> 00:24:22,500
barrel that the whiskey was originally in.

499
00:24:22,500 --> 00:24:23,730
And all the, it was just insane.

500
00:24:23,910 --> 00:24:24,540
It was insane.

501
00:24:25,140 --> 00:24:27,330
Um, but yeah, that was a great experience.

502
00:24:27,360 --> 00:24:30,060
Um, but yeah, I noticed that amplification too.

503
00:24:30,060 --> 00:24:32,820
And the sports thing particularly struck home to me because.

504
00:24:33,264 --> 00:24:35,605
Last time I was in Vegas, there was a, um,

505
00:24:35,785 --> 00:24:37,735
I think it was near the, the NFL playoffs.

506
00:24:37,735 --> 00:24:41,425
It was in November, and there was like Kansas City there playing the Raiders.

507
00:24:41,815 --> 00:24:46,585
Um, and I just remember going through the airport, like le leaving and coming.

508
00:24:46,585 --> 00:24:50,785
It was people in Kansas City gear and um, you

509
00:24:50,785 --> 00:24:52,435
know, and in Raiders gear and stuff like that.

510
00:24:52,435 --> 00:24:53,545
And I just, the it

511
00:24:53,545 --> 00:24:54,385
Did you go to the game?

512
00:24:54,745 --> 00:24:55,675
I did not, no.

513
00:24:55,675 --> 00:24:58,225
I was, I was there for a conference, unfortunately,

514
00:24:58,225 --> 00:25:00,565
so I was there for the Amazon Reinvent conference.

515
00:25:01,040 --> 00:25:05,630
Um, which in itself is a, like wild world of an experience.

516
00:25:05,690 --> 00:25:08,840
Um, just with how big and how many people are there and how

517
00:25:08,840 --> 00:25:12,500
much money just goes into turning basically Las Vegas into an

518
00:25:12,500 --> 00:25:17,120
Amazon billboard and tech billboards, um, for that time period.

519
00:25:17,360 --> 00:25:21,080
But yeah, it was, but the crazy thing was like, that ad felt very much

520
00:25:21,080 --> 00:25:25,040
like the experience I had going to and from the hotel of just seeing

521
00:25:25,040 --> 00:25:27,710
the fans and stuff there, it was like, oh yeah, I've, I've been there.

522
00:25:27,710 --> 00:25:29,210
That's Vegas, that this, this.

523
00:25:29,535 --> 00:25:30,405
Fits the bill.

524
00:25:30,735 --> 00:25:35,175
Well, if you were into the game, you'd probably see a, a more, more, um,

525
00:25:35,235 --> 00:25:38,955
Kansas City fans than you would think you would see at a, at a Raider game.

526
00:25:39,645 --> 00:25:40,155
You know what I mean?

527
00:25:40,155 --> 00:25:43,605
That's the kind of the, the difference in Vegas is that, is that

528
00:25:43,605 --> 00:25:47,865
the fans, that a lot of the fans are from the other, are from the

529
00:25:47,865 --> 00:25:51,585
other team because they wanna come and, and see the game here.

530
00:25:52,455 --> 00:25:56,625
And so it's a, it's a super interesting, uh, uh, experience.

531
00:25:56,625 --> 00:25:56,835
Yeah.

532
00:25:57,554 --> 00:25:58,485
It's a spectacle.

533
00:25:58,544 --> 00:25:59,504
It truly is.

534
00:25:59,504 --> 00:25:59,564
Yeah.

535
00:26:00,044 --> 00:26:03,980
Spectacles exactly what exactly what we call it a lot.

536
00:26:04,090 --> 00:26:04,379
Yeah.

537
00:26:05,175 --> 00:26:08,985
So yeah, it's, I mean this, this campaign has had huge influence,

538
00:26:09,014 --> 00:26:12,735
um, over the years and yeah, I've just found it fascinating.

539
00:26:12,735 --> 00:26:15,225
So thank you for taking the time to talk to me about that today.

540
00:26:15,225 --> 00:26:17,024
I think there's a lot there.

541
00:26:17,024 --> 00:26:19,455
Is there anything else from the campaign over the years where you're like,

542
00:26:19,455 --> 00:26:22,125
Hey, this was my favorite part, or, this is one thing that I think has

543
00:26:22,125 --> 00:26:25,695
been one of the biggest, most impactful things for me during this time.

544
00:26:25,695 --> 00:26:25,754
I.

545
00:26:26,580 --> 00:26:30,240
So, uh, one of the things that, you know, we, we, we can talk about is that

546
00:26:30,240 --> 00:26:33,510
Vegas has, you know, has gone through some really, really tough times too.

547
00:26:33,630 --> 00:26:37,800
You know, we had the one October shooting and, um, we had, uh, and you

548
00:26:37,800 --> 00:26:40,440
know, we had the pandemic where the whole town closed down and everything.

549
00:26:40,440 --> 00:26:43,110
And our, um, you know, r and r is.

550
00:26:44,360 --> 00:26:47,420
Involved in all that stuff, you know, um, during the one

551
00:26:47,420 --> 00:26:52,100
October shooting, we, we kind of became a, a, a control room

552
00:26:52,100 --> 00:26:56,105
for, for what was going on message wise in the city and, and

553
00:26:56,360 --> 00:26:58,970
logistics and a lot of different, a lot of different things.

554
00:26:59,180 --> 00:27:01,700
Same thing for the, when the pandemic was going on.

555
00:27:01,700 --> 00:27:04,879
And so, you know, we took a big part in that stuff and so I.

556
00:27:08,430 --> 00:27:12,210
I, I, I love it when, you know, we do the shock emotion

557
00:27:12,215 --> 00:27:14,070
and the, and the, those that really guide you that way.

558
00:27:14,070 --> 00:27:17,250
But I also, you know, we did a lot of emotional stuff during one

559
00:27:17,250 --> 00:27:21,600
October, um, you know, with Andre Agassi and, uh, and a kind of

560
00:27:21,600 --> 00:27:24,060
a manifesto about Vegas Strong that went out and everything else.

561
00:27:24,060 --> 00:27:28,175
And so, and so we, you know, we, we go both sides of the, of

562
00:27:28,175 --> 00:27:31,050
the, of the thing here in protecting, in protecting the city.

563
00:27:31,050 --> 00:27:34,710
And, uh, and so a lot of people don't realize

564
00:27:35,520 --> 00:27:38,250
really what goes into to keeping this hole.

565
00:27:38,280 --> 00:27:38,340
I.

566
00:27:46,125 --> 00:27:49,905
You know, you all are doing more than just always being fun and happy, right?

567
00:27:49,905 --> 00:27:53,805
Like, there, there are some serious parts to r and r where it's

568
00:27:53,805 --> 00:27:57,465
like, hey, we, we have a relationship to maintain with the city,

569
00:27:57,465 --> 00:28:01,785
and we're helping them communicate to their, you know, their cons.

570
00:28:02,235 --> 00:28:04,005
I would say constituents, that's not the right word.

571
00:28:04,305 --> 00:28:05,505
Um, citizens.

572
00:28:05,745 --> 00:28:07,275
Well, the city, the city has a voice.

573
00:28:07,280 --> 00:28:09,960
The, the visitors, um, the people that live here.

574
00:28:10,740 --> 00:28:13,230
All of the, all of the sports things that we've

575
00:28:13,230 --> 00:28:15,450
done, we've needed to bring in the stakeholders.

576
00:28:15,450 --> 00:28:18,150
We've needed to work with all of the people in the city, but

577
00:28:18,150 --> 00:28:21,270
we've also needed to get the messaging out to, to people.

578
00:28:21,270 --> 00:28:23,460
We've needed to get votes, we needed to do all that stuff.

579
00:28:23,490 --> 00:28:27,900
And so, you know, we, we we're constantly doing that, that, that kind of stuff.

580
00:28:28,020 --> 00:28:30,150
So, and whenever something goes wrong, you

581
00:28:30,150 --> 00:28:33,330
know, we're doing crisis management, you.

582
00:28:37,149 --> 00:28:39,940
Besides just the marketing advertising part, you know,

583
00:28:39,970 --> 00:28:44,050
which, which is the, is the fun part that everybody sees.

584
00:28:44,230 --> 00:28:47,470
You know, what goes on behind the scenes with, with, with our client and,

585
00:28:47,555 --> 00:28:50,800
and everything else is a, is a whole different, whole different story.

586
00:28:50,830 --> 00:28:55,389
Although I will say any, ask anybody around here, I'm super happy all the time.

587
00:28:57,705 --> 00:28:58,334
That's good.

588
00:28:59,054 --> 00:28:59,594
That's good.

589
00:29:00,195 --> 00:29:00,495
Yeah.

590
00:29:00,524 --> 00:29:02,865
But you still have to have those serious moments from time to time.

591
00:29:02,895 --> 00:29:03,495
I get that.

592
00:29:04,155 --> 00:29:04,574
Yeah.

593
00:29:04,875 --> 00:29:05,685
That's, that's neat.

594
00:29:05,774 --> 00:29:07,995
Um, so what about the future?

595
00:29:08,024 --> 00:29:10,365
What, what, what's the future for, for Vegas?

596
00:29:10,365 --> 00:29:13,334
Is there anything that you see coming, that you all are doing that

597
00:29:13,334 --> 00:29:15,705
you're like, Hey, this is really exciting and I can let you in on it?

598
00:29:15,705 --> 00:29:18,044
Or, it's okay if not, but just curious.

599
00:29:18,375 --> 00:29:24,044
So, you know, we, we do, we do have a new campaign that's gonna come out soon.

600
00:29:24,659 --> 00:29:27,780
Uh, uh, and it's not, you know, based in what happens here,

601
00:29:27,780 --> 00:29:30,719
states, or I can't tell you what it's based in, but it promises

602
00:29:30,719 --> 00:29:35,100
to be, um, super fun, cool campaign that, that we're gonna do.

603
00:29:35,100 --> 00:29:38,790
We also, we just had Vegas' 120th.

604
00:29:38,985 --> 00:29:40,725
You know, birthday party.

605
00:29:41,054 --> 00:29:41,175
Oh, wow.

606
00:29:42,074 --> 00:29:45,405
And, um, and one of the things that we talk about in it is that,

607
00:29:45,615 --> 00:29:48,824
that Vegas has really not even close to reaching its potential.

608
00:29:49,304 --> 00:29:49,365
Hmm.

609
00:29:49,604 --> 00:29:51,104
I mean, this is this kind of city.

610
00:29:51,104 --> 00:29:54,615
I, so, so who knows, you know, what's next?

611
00:29:54,615 --> 00:29:56,895
I mean, I probably shouldn't even tell the story, but I'm gonna tell it.

612
00:29:56,955 --> 00:29:57,314
I don't care.

613
00:29:58,245 --> 00:30:05,054
Um, so on April Fools, uh, a few years ago, um, we were gonna put out this.

614
00:30:05,370 --> 00:30:09,300
This website and this piece that said that a hotel was gonna be built

615
00:30:09,300 --> 00:30:12,659
here called the the subterranean, and that it was, and that it was

616
00:30:12,659 --> 00:30:17,760
gonna be built underground, so many miles close to the magma of the

617
00:30:17,760 --> 00:30:21,540
earth, where you would have a magma spa and all this stuff, right?

618
00:30:22,500 --> 00:30:25,050
And so we thought this was really fun for, for

619
00:30:25,050 --> 00:30:28,050
April Fools, but there were people who said.

620
00:30:29,880 --> 00:30:33,225
No, we, I mean, not only will it be believable,

621
00:30:33,255 --> 00:30:34,905
maybe somebody's already planning it.

622
00:30:37,905 --> 00:30:42,885
That's the city, you know, you can barely even do an April Fools on this

623
00:30:42,885 --> 00:30:46,065
city because you, you never know what they're going to do or what they're

624
00:30:46,065 --> 00:30:50,925
going to try or what plans are in the, or in the hopper, which is, which is.

625
00:30:51,570 --> 00:30:52,230
Fantastic.

626
00:30:52,950 --> 00:30:55,110
Well, I mean, I could see underground working well for a city

627
00:30:55,110 --> 00:30:59,490
like Las Vegas where it's so hot all the time and, um, you know,

628
00:30:59,670 --> 00:31:02,040
see, you were already totally, completely believing it.

629
00:31:02,065 --> 00:31:05,670
You would've, you would've, you would've, you would've bought right into it.

630
00:31:05,970 --> 00:31:06,720
I know.

631
00:31:06,930 --> 00:31:08,365
I would've bought it hook, line, and sinker.

632
00:31:10,465 --> 00:31:11,245
That's great.

633
00:31:11,505 --> 00:31:12,245
That's exciting.

634
00:31:12,785 --> 00:31:13,005
Um.

635
00:31:14,010 --> 00:31:16,440
Well, yeah, that's, that is, um, that's fascinating.

636
00:31:16,440 --> 00:31:18,000
So I, I can't wait for that to come out.

637
00:31:18,060 --> 00:31:20,310
Um, when, when will we be seeing that get released?

638
00:31:20,310 --> 00:31:21,960
Do you have any idea?

639
00:31:21,960 --> 00:31:24,240
Just so listeners, viewers can know?

640
00:31:24,570 --> 00:31:25,980
I don't know the exact date, but soon.

641
00:31:26,670 --> 00:31:27,180
Very soon.

642
00:31:27,840 --> 00:31:28,110
Okay.

643
00:31:28,590 --> 00:31:28,950
Cool.

644
00:31:29,760 --> 00:31:30,210
Awesome.

645
00:31:30,690 --> 00:31:32,430
Well, Arnie, thank you for your time today.

646
00:31:32,430 --> 00:31:34,470
This has, this has been really cool just

647
00:31:34,470 --> 00:31:36,660
to dive into Vegas and learn more about it.

648
00:31:37,020 --> 00:31:40,740
Um, you know, as we wrap up, I always like to ask the question,

649
00:31:41,010 --> 00:31:44,010
you know, what brand do you admire the most right now?

650
00:31:44,010 --> 00:31:45,960
And be curious to get your input on that.

651
00:31:47,280 --> 00:31:49,560
Well, you're gonna, you're gonna find this weird,

652
00:31:49,560 --> 00:31:52,500
but my favorite brand right now is Nathan Fielder.

653
00:31:53,159 --> 00:31:55,350
Oh my gosh, yes.

654
00:31:55,620 --> 00:31:56,429
I've been watching.

655
00:31:56,429 --> 00:31:56,760
Yeah.

656
00:31:56,879 --> 00:31:57,000
Mm-hmm.

657
00:31:57,570 --> 00:31:59,610
Have you watched the latest version of the rehearsal?

658
00:31:59,699 --> 00:32:01,409
Yes, I've seen every episode.

659
00:32:01,649 --> 00:32:01,860
Yeah.

660
00:32:02,054 --> 00:32:02,345
Yeah.

661
00:32:02,429 --> 00:32:06,240
So he's trying to, he's, he's, he's trying to help stop plane

662
00:32:06,240 --> 00:32:11,370
crashes by bringing pilots and their copilots together in the

663
00:32:11,370 --> 00:32:15,030
weirdest, most entertaining, most sometimes cringe worthy.

664
00:32:15,630 --> 00:32:21,060
Roundabout insane way, but it's the most creative thing I've, I've seen in a

665
00:32:21,060 --> 00:32:25,920
long, long time, and his brand has been that way and building to this moment.

666
00:32:25,920 --> 00:32:29,610
So he's, he's, he's my favorite brand in the world right now.

667
00:32:29,615 --> 00:32:33,810
I, I, I just have not seen anything that creative in a, in a long time.

668
00:32:34,605 --> 00:32:40,575
Yeah, he's, he is definitely, um, yeah, he's definitely fascinating to me.

669
00:32:40,575 --> 00:32:43,905
'cause like I've, I've been spending time like digging into it on Reddit.

670
00:32:43,905 --> 00:32:45,435
'cause I'm like, how much this is real?

671
00:32:45,465 --> 00:32:46,335
How much this is fake?

672
00:32:46,335 --> 00:32:48,135
What do people think, what do people observe?

673
00:32:48,615 --> 00:32:51,015
And it's like, it, it almost doesn't matter.

674
00:32:51,015 --> 00:32:52,425
Like, you, you should really just throw

675
00:32:52,455 --> 00:32:55,395
out any just assumption of it being like.

676
00:32:55,935 --> 00:32:59,205
Oh, these people are a hundred percent real, or these people are fake.

677
00:32:59,205 --> 00:33:02,295
And just, just just live in the moment and enjoy the story.

678
00:33:02,325 --> 00:33:04,695
'cause it's, it's, you're right, it's cringe-worthy, but it's

679
00:33:04,695 --> 00:33:09,825
also like at times, like laugh out loud, funny, um, in tears.

680
00:33:09,855 --> 00:33:10,605
So yeah.

681
00:33:10,605 --> 00:33:15,045
I, I, yeah, the, the, um, the rehearsal is what it's called.

682
00:33:15,645 --> 00:33:17,235
The rehearsal has just been fantastic.

683
00:33:17,325 --> 00:33:19,305
I would, I would agree that's a great brand.

684
00:33:19,665 --> 00:33:22,065
His brand in general though, if you watch his

685
00:33:22,065 --> 00:33:24,870
arc. Where he started and everything else.

686
00:33:24,870 --> 00:33:28,500
And how he ended up there is, is, is pretty amazing.

687
00:33:28,530 --> 00:33:32,429
I mean, he really hasn't, he hasn't done any backtracking, you know what I mean?

688
00:33:32,429 --> 00:33:33,209
Mm-hmm.

689
00:33:33,870 --> 00:33:37,379
He is moving forward and I don't know where he's going next.

690
00:33:37,379 --> 00:33:39,419
Uh, you know, I like to, I like to look at Vegas

691
00:33:39,419 --> 00:33:41,040
that way, that we're always kind of moving forward.

692
00:33:41,100 --> 00:33:42,330
You never know where we're gonna end up.

693
00:33:42,540 --> 00:33:45,330
And he's, uh, uh, very much that brand.

694
00:33:46,139 --> 00:33:46,439
Yeah.

695
00:33:47,370 --> 00:33:49,530
Well, it's what, it's what makes him fascinating

696
00:33:49,530 --> 00:33:51,689
and I, I think it's fair to call him a brand 'cause.

697
00:33:52,155 --> 00:33:55,725
One of the refrains I see often on my research

698
00:33:55,725 --> 00:33:58,665
on the internet is, you know, Nathan is Nathan.

699
00:33:58,695 --> 00:34:00,135
He's not going to change.

700
00:34:00,225 --> 00:34:02,145
That's the thing you have to understand about him.

701
00:34:02,655 --> 00:34:05,895
And once you get that, you can get the jokes a little bit better and why he

702
00:34:05,895 --> 00:34:08,594
always kind of makes himself the butt of the joke by the end of the series.

703
00:34:08,955 --> 00:34:11,085
Yeah, and it's fun to see people get riled up about it too.

704
00:34:11,114 --> 00:34:13,005
'cause he does some edgy stuff.

705
00:34:17,170 --> 00:34:17,590
He does.

706
00:34:19,005 --> 00:34:20,205
I mean, the giant, yeah.

707
00:34:20,205 --> 00:34:22,995
I, I, let's not get into it, but the, the episode,

708
00:34:24,765 --> 00:34:26,265
the solely episode, right?

709
00:34:27,345 --> 00:34:27,795
Yeah.

710
00:34:27,795 --> 00:34:27,855
Yeah.

711
00:34:27,860 --> 00:34:28,230
Mm-hmm.

712
00:34:28,575 --> 00:34:29,985
I laughed so hard at that.

713
00:34:30,180 --> 00:34:30,470
Yeah.

714
00:34:30,470 --> 00:34:30,990
It's the best.

715
00:34:31,340 --> 00:34:32,670
Yeah, it's the best.

716
00:34:32,980 --> 00:34:33,270
Yeah.

717
00:34:33,490 --> 00:34:35,055
That's, I, I would agree.

718
00:34:35,055 --> 00:34:38,325
I think he's, he's doing a great job and, um, yeah.

719
00:34:38,325 --> 00:34:39,615
It's just, it's a fun show.

720
00:34:39,675 --> 00:34:40,035
Yeah.

721
00:34:40,095 --> 00:34:40,365
So.

722
00:34:40,425 --> 00:34:40,905
Awesome.

723
00:34:40,965 --> 00:34:41,505
Well, cool.

724
00:34:41,505 --> 00:34:42,855
Well, Nathan Fielder is.

725
00:34:43,464 --> 00:34:44,574
Definitely on the list.

726
00:34:44,634 --> 00:34:47,034
Um, for those who haven't seen it, should definitely check it out.

727
00:34:47,065 --> 00:34:51,864
Um, I mean, it's like, it, it's every, I guess this is what's

728
00:34:51,864 --> 00:34:54,565
coming in the back of my head is like he, he's literally like

729
00:34:54,594 --> 00:34:59,154
every marketer's, like worst impulse and he just does it.

730
00:34:59,694 --> 00:35:01,855
It's like if you've ever had a bad idea and you

731
00:35:01,855 --> 00:35:04,375
want to pitch it and see it happen, he's done it.

732
00:35:04,965 --> 00:35:08,055
Um, and brought it to life, and I love that about him.

733
00:35:08,235 --> 00:35:11,745
This whole thing, this whole thing of building this fake world that he

734
00:35:11,955 --> 00:35:19,215
builds is, is just amazing with this blank paycheck from HBO where he builds

735
00:35:19,215 --> 00:35:22,725
the whole airport and he builds the community and he builds everything.

736
00:35:22,725 --> 00:35:26,235
It's just like, and you don't know what you're, you know what you're watching.

737
00:35:26,235 --> 00:35:26,715
It's, it's.

738
00:35:29,205 --> 00:35:29,985
I like the way he put it.

739
00:35:29,985 --> 00:35:32,685
He said, I've got a blank check as long as I don't go over budget.

740
00:35:33,650 --> 00:35:33,690
Yeah.

741
00:35:34,310 --> 00:35:34,930
So, yeah.

742
00:35:35,685 --> 00:35:37,365
It's so, it's so good.

743
00:35:37,515 --> 00:35:38,505
Um, so good.

744
00:35:38,505 --> 00:35:40,155
But yeah, people should definitely check that out.

745
00:35:40,155 --> 00:35:41,145
That's, that's a good one.

746
00:35:41,595 --> 00:35:43,485
Um, all right, well, where can people connect with you?

747
00:35:43,485 --> 00:35:45,435
Where can people learn more about r and r if they

748
00:35:45,435 --> 00:35:48,885
want to get, um, more information on, on your agency?

749
00:35:55,890 --> 00:35:59,730
Yeah, and I'll, I'll send them to the right person if they,

750
00:35:59,730 --> 00:36:02,970
if I can't answer their questions, which is often the case.

751
00:36:04,860 --> 00:36:05,460
Well, that's great.

752
00:36:05,460 --> 00:36:06,690
Well, Arnie, thank you so much.

753
00:36:06,690 --> 00:36:08,400
This has been a pleasure talking to you today.

754
00:36:09,270 --> 00:36:10,050
Lemme say that again.

755
00:36:10,740 --> 00:36:11,970
Got my words a little mixed up there.

756
00:36:12,390 --> 00:36:13,020
All right, Arnie.

757
00:36:13,350 --> 00:36:15,090
Well it's been a pleasure talking to you today.

758
00:36:15,090 --> 00:36:16,710
Thank you so much for coming on the show.

759
00:36:17,385 --> 00:36:18,045
Thanks for having me.

760
00:36:18,045 --> 00:36:18,675
It was super fun.

761
00:36:18,975 --> 00:36:19,305
Thank you.

762
00:36:19,545 --> 00:36:20,145
Absolutely.

763
00:36:20,445 --> 00:36:20,895
Take care.

764
00:36:21,795 --> 00:36:24,285
Thanks for checking out this episode of We Built This Brand.

765
00:36:24,495 --> 00:36:27,255
Don't forget to like and subscribe on your player of choice.

766
00:36:27,315 --> 00:36:31,125
You can also keep up with the podcast on we built this brand.com.

767
00:36:31,425 --> 00:36:34,275
If you like this episode, please give the podcast a five

768
00:36:34,275 --> 00:36:37,035
star review and make sure to tell all your friends about it.

769
00:36:37,100 --> 00:36:39,380
So we can continue to build this brand.