What Happens Here, Stays Here (also referred to as What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas) is a slogan and advertising campaign for the city of Las Vegas, Nevada.
The original slogan was created in 2003 by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and advertising agency R&R Partners. The idea was to brand Las Vegas as more than a gambling destination,[1] promoting adult freedom and empowerment.[2]
In 2020, the campaign was updated and launched as "What Happens Here, Only Happens Here."[3]
When the "What Happens Here, Stays Here" ads debuted in February 2003, they became an almost instant "cultural phenomenon" according to Advertising Age.[4] The phrase was referenced by numerous pop culture mainstays, including Saturday Night Live, Meet the Press, Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune,[5] the Academy Awards, and others.[4] Two years after the campaign debuted, then-First Lady, Laura Bush, used the tagline in a discussion with Jay Leno on The Tonight Show.[5] A survey in USA Today called the campaign the "most effective" of 2003.[4]
The slogan became the name of the 2008 American comedy What Happens in Vegas. It also inspired a song of the same name by Usher, as well as the film series The Hangover.[1]