‘What happens here’ may soon stay on famous walk

R&R Partners is about to try again.

For at least three years, its "What happens here, stays here" slogan has been on the ballot for inclusion in the Advertising Walk of Fame on New York's Madison Avenue. So far, its vote total has come up short.

Rob Dondero, executive vice president at R&R, said the agency will fire up its social network to remind Las Vegas resorts to get out the vote. Under the rules set by the group that stages Advertising Week in New York, anybody can vote once a day online now through Sept. 30, with the two highest vote-getters out of 20 nominees winning a spot in the walk.

"It's like any hall of fame, you have to earn your way in and sometimes it takes several tries," Dondero said.

The honor was created in 2004 to complement seminars and programs during the week. Five slogans and icons were inducted in the first year, with two more of each added annually since then.

The Advertising Week voting site is http://www.advertisingweek.com/stg/content.php?secc=awf_7, should you want to cast a ballot.

In trying to draw votes, R&R is up against some slogans have been around much longer and have accounted for much more airtime, such as "Don't leave home without it," "Be all that you can be," "Just do it," and "Got milk?"

Las Vegas's now-famous slogan formally defined the city as never before, Dondero recalled. Before late 2002, when the slogan first appeared in ads, R&R had designed several different campaigns for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, but there was no predominant theme.

"What happens here" gained wide cachet, even being placed in movie scripts, after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks had delivered a body blow to the visitor industry and the attempt to make the city family-oriented was fizzling.

The slogan caught on, he said, with the help of being refused a commercial spot during the 2003 Super Bowl .

Last year "What happens ..." lost out to the much less risqué "Virginia is for lovers" and the venerable "Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.''

Contact reporter Tim O'Reiley at toreiley@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290.