By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
The National Football League would like those who want to promote Las Vegas in TV ads as a tourist destination — ahem, the LVCVA and its media buyer R & R Partners — that it’s perfectly fine to include iconic Vegas images like aerial shots of the Strip or hotels like the Bellagio, Caesars, Venetian or Mandalay Bay in the TV commercials during NFL games.
Even an image of someone playing blackjack is OK in a tourism ad promoting Las Vegas is fine, an NFL spokesman said.
But what’s off-limits in the Las Vegas tourism ads are any shots showing sportsbooks or someone involved in sports betting. Outside of that, all of Las Vegas is fine to show in TV spots promoting Las Vegas.
The NFL wanted to explain its Las Vegas tourism ad policy because the LVCVA’s media buyer led people to believe that images of the Strip were not allowed in commercial spots, but that it is incorrect. Everything is fair game in Las Vegas in TV ads promoting Las Vegas except images of sportsbooks and people involved in sports betting activities
With Las Vegas hosting the NFL Draft April 23-25 on the Strip at the Bellagio fountains and on a stage near Caesars Forum, naturally images of the Strip will be clearly part of the TV coverage and promos. This is the NFL’s own artwork.
The NFL’s own renderings show the Bellagio and its world-famous fountains, which will be part of the red carpet experience for the players during the NFL Draft event.
In other sports marketing news:
With the newly-minted Las Vegas Raiders officially re-named, the licensed Raiders logo gear won’t be available until NFL Draft time. But workers at Lids sports caps retail stores in Las Vegas are embroidering “Las Vegas” on Raiders hats to show Las Vegas on the cap. Fans are asking retailers all around Las Vegas about when the Las Vegas Raiders merchandise will be ready, But you’ll have to wait a few more months to buy a Raiders item with “Las Vegas” in front of Raiders.
Speaking of sports caps, look at this UNLV beauty. This cap at a Lids store shows the “new” logo that was eventually shelved. But here and there, you’ll see caps and shirts showing this UNLV Rebels logo. There aren’t too many of these, so even though the logo didn’t go over well the limited number of items that show them might actually be valuable — or not.
The NHL All-Star game on NBC Saturday showed lots of virtual ads on the boards and also circles on the ice where the player with the puck was skating.
The Green Day music performance was fun and it was good to see the NHL trying to appeal to younger fans with the mid-game entertainment. But Green Day dropped so many F-bombs that the NBC censor was busier than the goaltenders in the three-on-three goal-scoring competition. There were more F-bombs than a Dana White press conference.
Las Vegas had its presence at the NHL game besides Golden Knights forward Max Pacioretty playing in the exhibition game in St. Louis. The LVCVA and MGM Resorts International both had promotional sports in the virtual TV ads along the boards during the game. Speaking of the Golden Knights, the re-branding of the Wolfgang Puck Players Locker restaurant is done, with Puck’s restaurant enjoying partners VGK players Deryk Engelland, William Karlsson, Shea Theodore, Reilly Smith and Alex Tuch.
Tuch dropped by Saturday and even took a selfie with VGK fans enjoying his restaurant.
With the Golden Knights not in Las Vegas for road games, the All-Star game and a week off, UNLV’s men’s basketball team has a chance to re-claim some of the fans’ attention in Las Vegas with a Sunday 1 p.m. game against number four in the country San Diego State, a Mountain West Conference rival. LVSportsBiz.com will be at the game at Thomas & Mack Center.
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