#262 Lost in Vegas

The other day we were talking about re-branding. That’s the new marketing phrase for reinventing yourself. You might say reinventing has been re-branded. The concept works like this. Company gets old and stale, company reinvents itself with new image, new buyers respond to new energy, old buyers are given new reason to buy old stuff and third world laborers stay busy on new surge of American outsourcing. Scratch that. Lots of American ingenuity stays right here. I mean, how many countries in the world have a vigorous pet vitamin industry? Take that France.
Re-branding or repositioning can be very successful. Think Madonna or Trix. Every time Madonna’s sales fell, out trotted a new and even more flagrant Madonna. When flagrancy hit the stratosphere ceiling, back bounced down-home-mom Madonna and so on. Meanwhile, contemporary Cyndi Lauper languished on the edge of the wrestling ring. She and Andy Kaufman each having made a more esoteric and ultimately non-mass market marketing move. Trix simply started adding new colors, flavors, or shapes. Does anyone even remember what the original three true colors of Trix were? For years, it was just three colors shining through. Then they realized that sales spiked every time they introduced a new color or shape and it’s been Trix-o-phrenia ever since.
So recently, our dear friends in vacationland have been reinventing—excuse me—re-branding themselves again. Las Vegas is no longer the Bring the Whole Family Vacationland. Now, What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas. Not, I’m guessing, a family friendly phrase. Unless they’re offering you the freedom to beat your kids. Or leave them in a locked hotel room while you go out and gamble all night. It’s funny, way back when they first started building roller coasters and stratosphere rides I thought it was a bit of a stretch. Does anyone go to Las Vegas because they want to be with their family? Isn’t it the self-indulgent get-away-from-your-family kind of vacation? I mean, the main drag is called the strip for gosh sakes. Try explaining that to a pubescent boy. Hey, Ralphie what say we go ride the New York New York roller coaster, then go down to the strip for some cotton candy and talk to greasy guys handing out pamphlets to topless joints. Yeah right. Not my brand of family.
Now it’s What Happens in Las Vegas stays in Vegas. Seemingly encouraging one to sin to one’s heart’s content and no one will ever be the wiser—a license to thrill, a duty free shop in the airport to heaven.
Just one question. When they say What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas do they mean along with my money?
America, ya gotta love it.