Nevadans show love for their state with submitted slogans

By Richard N. Velotta

Monday, Feb. 14, 2011 | 3 a.m.

A few weeks ago, I issued a challenge: Try to come up with a marketing plan for Nevada, recognizing that our state isn’t just about casinos, entertainment and night life, but also full of scenic destinations in every corner.

The column was inspired by the Nevada Tourism Commission, which recently announced it wants proposals for a professional agency to develop Nevada’s brand identity.

Being a team player who would love to save the state a little money, I forwarded the challenge to readers — and you didn’t disappoint.

So, this week, as we celebrate Valentine’s Day, here are readers showing a little love for Nevada.

Arizonans, by the way, corner the market for loving their state on Valentine’s Day — Feb. 14 is Arizona statehood day.

There were 57 proposals submitted to boost Nevada, 56 of which are worthwhile submissions that I will forward to Carson City for review. (There’s always at least one cynic in the crowd who wants to give the person with a black eye a bloody nose, too.)

Many of you put a lot of thought and work into this, and it shows. There’s a lot of pride in the Silver State.

Your ideas for marketing Nevada are varied:

• Some loved to create dandy tag lines: “Love it! Live it! Visit! Nevada, as diverse as you are.” “Not just a desert. Nevada rocks!” “Nevada: Wild Card of the West!” “Nevada: Aces. Faces. Places. Wide-open spaces.” “Nevada: We Have It All!” “See Nevada. Inside and Out.” “Nevada, It’s All Here.” “Nevada: Kickass Good Times.” “Nevada! The World’s Playground.” “Nevada — Simply your next destination.” “Have It All; Get Away From It All.” “Nevada: The place to be, like no other.” “You name it. Nevada’s got it!” “Nevada, the all-American World Destination.” “Imagine the possibility.” “Variety is the spice of life. Come to Nevada and get your zest on.” “Nevada — It’s like coming home … even if it’s your first visit.” “Nevada: America’s Playground. Inside Out.” “Got a week? Discover the real Nevada.” “Nevada — A little bit country, a little bit rock & roll. Saddle up today, go crazy tonight.” “A state of commitment: Committed to fun and business.” “Nevada, where no boundaries exist.” “Come visit Nevada … Open all year. Families and pets welcome.” “Nevada: Your Western Desert Oasis.” “Nevada — Simply your next destination.”

• Some love slogans that are short and sweet: “True West.” “Nevada: Wild. Life.” “America’s Playground.”

• Some love capitalizing on the state’s postal abbreviation: “The NV of All the Rest!” And “The NV of the world.”

• One marketer suggested using a huge capital N in front of other words that begin with that letter: Natural beauty. Neighborly. Night life. Naughty. Neon. Nervy. Newsworthy. And No-brainer.

• Playing off the proper pronunciation of our state: “Nevada … Not halfbadda.”

• Some of our amateur marketers had to explain the concept: “Nevada: Time to Put on Your ‘Fun’ Hat (the advertising can show people putting on different hats … rodeo cowboy hats, chef hats, NASCAR hats, boating, hiking and hunting hats, players’ hats, tiaras, top hats)” “Be Here, Do That (as opposed to the common saying ‘been there, done that.’)” “Nevada: What’s it to YOU? (the emphasis is on YOU and the message conveys that Nevada has everything to offer and you can make it your own)” (By the way, the “What’s it to you? Guy designed three pages of ads to illustrate his concept!)

• One guy got a little dirty: “What’s your dirty pleasure?” (He said he was talking about dirt, as in the outdoors).

• One submitter sent a picture of a historic sign that came from the Lake Tahoe area and he suggested that its message would attract people, probably to live in Nevada. The sign says, “Nevada State Line. No income tax. No sales tax. No inheritance tax. No corporation tax. No gift tax. A debt-free state welcomes you.” (I did say historic … times have changed.)

• One marketer believes the state should capitalize on the mystique of Area 51 and the Extraterrestrial Highway. On a recent trip to Italy, she said, her companions on a train were fascinated by the place and would go on a bus trip to see it.

• Some loved the idea of using the state’s casino culture to sell other aspects of the state: “Deal me in, Vegas for amazing food, fabulous shopping and outstanding entertainment. Deal me in, Vegas, for majestic mountains, hiking, biking and skiing.” “Come to Nevada. It’s no gamble!” “Get lucky in Nevada” (At least, I think he was referring to the gambling …) “Silver State, golden opportunities: From the mountain tops to the casino floor. Are you game?” “We bet you don’t know Nevada.” “Nevada — A sure bet for the best times of your life!”

• Where have I heard this before? “Nevada: We treat you right.”

• One submitter wanted to get the words just right, so he sent several variations on the same theme: “Nevada — Perfect for you; perfect for business;” “Nevada — Just right for you; just right for business;” “Nevada — The world’s indoor and outdoor adventureland;” “Nevada — The world’s indoor and outdoor wonderland;” “Nevada — America’s indoor and outdoor adventureland;” “Nevada — America’s indoor and outdoor wonderland;” “Nevada — Always open for business and adventure;” and “Nevada — Always open for business and pleasure.”

• Some not only offered their campaigns, but also advice: “Advertise the new low rates for first-class entertainment along the Strip. Of course, lower the rates first! … Until casino gaming rates come back down to where they were during the mid- to late ’80s, selling anyone on Vegas gaming is impossible.” Some other advice from a different submitter: Don’t focus on the places people already go to … promote the places in Nevada people haven’t heard of: “I lived here most of my life and I never knew Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge even existed and that there were two lakes there. That’s only an hour or two away and I didn’t know it was even there!”

• One submitter is tired of sexual innuendo: “Get the ‘sin’ out of Sin City. It is off-putting and a very poor epithet for this wonderful city of Las Vegas-Henderson.”

• OK, I’ll admit that I was scratching my head on a few of these: “Look at the State you’re In!” “You won’t want to leave.” “Experience the highs and lows of Nevada.” “Nevada: Land of the Setting Sun.” “Nevada: A good place to get lost in (the submitter noted that it best should be taken figuratively, not literally). “Nevada, Don’t You Want to Go?!” “Nevada: What you want ‘IT’ to be!” “Nevada hits your ‘G’ spot: Great food, great entertainment, great shopping, great outdoors.” “If you’re gonna do it … Do it in Nevada: World-class dining, shopping, entertainment, golf, hiking, camping, fishing.”

• Finally, one of my favorites, submitted eight verses of poetry. Somewhere in this, there’s got to be a theme song. An excerpt from the poem: “Enjoy the outdoors on designer golf courses, Enjoy the indoors and bet on the horses, Shop in the malls or see NASCAR races, You’ve got the time? We’ve got the places! Stars on marquees or stars in the sky, The lights of Nevada will light up your eyes, Park your RV in an old mining town, Explore in a cave or just drive around, Horses run free here and mountain goats too, Come see Nevada and enjoy nature’s zoo.”

FAA reauthorization

For more than three years, the Federal Aviation Administration funding authorization has been put on hold by Congress. Lawmakers approved temporary extensions 18 times since 2007 so that basic expenses could be paid.

Now, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has cleared a path for reauthorization to be considered early in the 112th Congress.

Officials at McCarran International Airport are urging residents to contact senators and congressmen to approve the FAA reauthorization bill, which would begin the process of upgrading the nation’s World War II-era air traffic control system.

The airline industry considers the reauthorization a no-brainer because it would enable the technological upgrades that would make the air traffic control system more efficient. Not only would the added efficiencies make the skies safer, but it also would improve the routing of flights to make them kinder to our ecology. Better routes equal less fuel burn.

A more efficient air traffic control system is crucial to Southern Nevada’s tourism economy.

Randall Walker, director of the Clark County Aviation Department, which operates McCarran, has noted that Southern Nevadans would benefit more from the FAA reauthorization and improvements to the air traffic control system than many other places.

“A modern and efficient McCarran International Airport is the cornerstone of the Las Vegas economy,” a McCarran release says. “In Las Vegas, nearly 110,000 passengers pass through McCarran on a daily basis. It’s the nation’s seventh-busiest airport, serving as a gateway to close to half of the nearly 40 million travelers who visit here each year.

“Nearly 18,000 people are directly employed at the airport, though hundreds of thousands of other local workers and their employers directly and indirectly benefit from the billions of dollars air travelers spend here each year.”

After years of delay, it’s crucial lawmakers take up the FAA reauthorization as soon as they can.