Columnist Jeff German: Keeping our sins to ourselves

Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2003 | 11:04 a.m.

For as long as I can remember, Sin City has been the unofficial marketing slogan of Las Vegas.

Topless showgirls, the mystique of the mob, 24-hour access to alcohol and legalized prostitution an hour away all have played an important role in luring millions of visitors here each year.

Recently, we have taken our image as an adult playland up a notch. We have built opulent topless clubs and allowed a proliferation of massage parlors and escort services -- all of which cater primarily to tourists.

At the same time the megaresorts have created spectacular X-rated production shows on the Strip.

This year, for the first time ever, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has launched a national advertising campaign that captures the true essence of the Las Vegas the world has always known.

The catch phrase for this $58 million campaign is "what happens here, stays here."

Just what that means is supposed to be left to the imagination of visitors, but most, I think, would view it as an open invitation to come to Las Vegas and live out their vices.

LVCVA boss Manny Cortez, who carries a big stick in local tourism circles, not only oversees the campaign, but he also is one of its biggest defenders, touting it for its brash realism.

So I naturally was astonished this week when Cortez said he was offended by a companion advertising campaign, put together by the Nevada Tourism Commission, that takes the obvious next step (in a very unassuming way) of referring to Las Vegas by its well-known nickname, Sin City.

The ad, scheduled to run in national magazines next month, is part of the Tourism Commission's new "Wide Open" advertising blitz that stresses the outdoor adventures offered here.

There's a picture of a good-looking man in a jeep superimposed over the rugged Southern Nevada terrain above a map of the outdoor hot spots around Las Vegas, such as Red Rock, Valley of Fire and Mount Charleston.

The man is thinking about a "guys' week out" and, in a memo to himself, subtly describes his "mission" as a "Double Shot of God's Country with a Sin City Chaser."

When the daytime fun is over, the ad suggests, visitors can hit the Strip at night for a different kind of adventure, the one promoted in the LVCVA campaign.

The ad isn't even close to being as racy as those put out by the LVCVA. One LVCVA television commercial features a beautiful woman appearing to get aroused by the leather seats in a limousine after a night on the town, and another one focuses on a group of conventioneers wanting to know the whereabouts of a missing buddy after a wild night of partying.

Cortez isn't offended by these spots. But when the Tourism Commission casually mentions Sin City in its ad, he goes into a tizzy -- one big enough to persuade commission officials to delete the reference in future ads.

"We're not selling sin," Cortez told me. "We're selling excitement. We're selling the Las Vegas experience."

But if that's the case, why aren't we running ads promoting the big-name entertainment, world-class dining and first-class shopping in Las Vegas?

Why are we encouraging visitors to come here to do things they wouldn't think of doing at home?

The truth is we are selling sin. We just don't want to admit it.