Las Vegas spurs excessive celebration at Super Bowl with new campaign

Dive Brief:

• The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) has launched a Change.org petition encouraging excessive celebration during the city’s first Super Bowl, per a press release.
• The push is accompanied by a music video that features former NFL star Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, who recreates some of his iconic on-field celebrations. Soundtracked by rapper Tobe Nwigwe, the 90-second clip will be released as six-, 15- and 30-second ad spots.
• The effort, created by LVCVA agency of record R&R Partners, comes two decades after Las Vegas was banned from running Super Bowl campaigns and arrives as hype for the big game — and related ad campaigns — begins in earnest.

Dive Insight:

The “Excessive Celebration Encouraged” campaign arrives as Las Vegas prepares to host its first Super Bowl on Feb. 11, 2024, marking another milestone in how advertising around the big game has changed: For years, the city was barred from airing ads like its iconic “What Happens Here” campaign during the Super Bowl because of previous NFL restrictions around sports betting.

With Super Bowl LVIII just months away — and sports-betting increasingly a part of advertising — the LVCVA’s light-hearted petition takes aim at rules that have caused the NFL to be nicknamed the “No Fun League,” urging fans to push for excessive celebration around the game and in the desert destination.

“People come to Vegas because they know that the excitement surrounding the game is just as important as the game itself. Whether they travel to watch the game in person or at a viewing party, fans know they will be surrounded by energy that is simply unmatched anywhere else in the world. As we prepare to welcome the Super Bowl for the first time, we are determined to show the world that when it comes to celebration, Las Vegas is in a category of one,” said LVCVA president and CEO Steve Hill in the press release.

Central to the effort is a 90-second music video featuring Grammy-nominated artist Nwigwe — a former college football player and one-time NFL prospect — and Johnson, an All-Pro player known for his wild on- and off-field antics. In the ad, Johnson, who appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” to promote the campaign, recreates infamous moments like his marriage proposal and river dance touchdown celebrations. The spot premiered during the Thanksgiving Day NFL game between the Washington Commanders and Dallas Cowboys and will run in various formats.

Along with the upcoming Super Bowl, Las Vegas has increasingly been the site of marketing efforts due to the city’s push for pro sports and the launch of the eye-popping Sphere installation that has been utilized by brands including Coca-Cola and Heineken.

Meanwhile, Super Bowl broadcaster CBS has “virtually sold out” its big game ad inventory, with 30-second spots going for $6.5 million to $7 million.