Nevada publisher and real estate developer Greenspun Media Group named kirshenbaum bond & partners west, San Francisco, as its advertising agency of record on an integrated $6.5 million campaign for Vegas.com.
Kirshenbaum west is the first agency of record for Vegas.com, relying on networking to clinch the business. There was no formal review, though Greenspun did shop around for an agency.
“The client is very focused on getting results, so the campaign has to have a very measured response to it,” said Jeff Musser, creative director and managing partner at kirshenbaum west. “The client is going to measure us over whether or not the phone rings.”
The agency's responsibilities include television, print and online ads, and media planning and buying. It also will handle guerrilla marketing and promotions for Vegas.com along with PJ Inc., the Glen Ridge, NJ, shop that does public relations for the site.
Vegas.com is an online hub for Las Vegas, offering show tickets and deals on hotels, air travel, car rentals, packages, golf and tours. Begun in 1998, the site also carries information on dining, spas, gaming and other activities.
Site owner Greenspun, Henderson, NV, publishes titles such as Las Vegas Life, InBusiness, VegasGolfer, Ralston Report/Flash, Las Vegas Weekly and Showbiz. It also is the state's largest real estate developer.
Kirshenbaum west's experience with travel and technology clients like Wyndham Hotels and Resorts and Cisco helped win Vegas.com. The 5-year-old, privately held agency has clients like Cisco, BBC America and Carvel Ice Cream.
The Vegas.com campaign begins in January with print and TV ads in Las Vegas and feeder markets like Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Francisco. The humorous creative will invite viewers and readers to visit the site or dial the toll-free number.
Though comScore Media Metrix ranks Vegas.com highest in page views among city sites worldwide, the company does not want the lead to narrow.
“The challenge is to establish themselves as the Vegas Web site,” Musser said. “There are some competitors coming on the scene, and we want to make sure that we don't lose anything to them.
“We're getting some incredible traffic, and so the challenge is to increase that traffic and make Vegas.com the only place you'd go to book travel to Vegas,” he said.
