r partners type private industry advertising marketing government affairs founded 1974 headquarters las vegas us number of locations 9 area served global key people billy vassiliadis partner ceo mary ann mele partner president cbo randy snow partner cso jim king partner cfo pete ernaut partner president of gov. affairs bob henrie partner website official website r & r partners is an american advertising marketing public relations and public affairs firm based in las vegas nevada . 1 they are best known for creating the ad campaign what happens here stays here for the las vegas convention and visitors authority lvcva . 2 other major clients have included boeing busch gardens caesars entertainment re max mgm resorts international the partnership for drug free kids 3 western digital norwegian cruise lines and many more . 4 r & r maintains domestic and international clients through its headquarters in las vegas and eight locations in austin texas ; denver colorado ; los angeles california ; phoenix arizona ; reno nevada ; salt lake city utah ; and washington d.c. ; mexico mexico city . 5 6 in 2013 adweek named r & r partners the top marketing agency in the state of nevada . 5 it was also named one of the best places to work in marketing and media by advertising age . 7 contents 1 history 1.1 1974 1994 rogich and r & r advertising 1.2 1994 2002 change of hands post rogich 1.3 2003 what happens here stays here 1.4 2004 present after what happens and expansion 2 major clients 3 recognition and awards 4 references 5 external links history edit 1974 1994 rogich and r & r advertising edit r & r partners was founded in 1974 as r & r advertising by sig rogich in las vegas nevada . 8 the firm offered advertising marketing and government affairs even in its earliest iteration . rogich is known to have handled numerous aspects of political campaigns including speechwriting advertising and direct mail . in a single election year he reportedly managed 17 political campaigns in nevada all victorious . 9 in the 1980s rogich and r & r advertising drove several political campaigns on a national level while also managing advertising and marketing for the las vegas convention and visitors authority lvcva . rogich was a part of then president ronald reagan s tuesday team a collection of advertising professionals including hal riney and phil dusenberry that helped reagan win the 1984 presidential election . 9 rogich also led george h.w. bush s campaign during the 1988 presidential election helping devise a numerous ads for the bush campaign 10 including the infamous tank ad which outlined democratic contender michael dukakis s policies on military spending and used footage of dukakis riding in a tank . 9 in 2014 politico released a documentary about the ad and its importance in determining the outcome of the election . 11 1994 2002 change of hands post rogich edit in 1994 rogich left the firm to focus exclusively on campaign management . billy vassiliadis who had been hired by rogich in 1982 purchased the firm along with salt lake city political consultant bob henrie . vassiliadis became r & r s president ceo and majority owner . 12 mary ann mele bob henrie and jim king also became co owners . 1 in 1997 r & r was continuing to oversee the 33.5 million marketing budget of the lvcva . 13 to promote tourism to the city the agency produced ad campaigns like the american way to play the resort bargain of the world and las vegas open 24 hours . 14 throughout the 1990s r & r offered advisory services to political figures and corporations alike . clients included politicians on both sides of the political aisle including harry reid orrin hatch and john ensign . r & r also lobbied for the nevada resort association which represented many of the casinos on the las vegas strip . they advised corporations like pepsico and procter & gamble helping the latter introduce the fat free ingredient olean . r & r has designed marketing campaigns for numerous casinos and has represented special events such as the national finals rodeo and the miss universe pageant . 1 in 1998 the firm officially changed its name to r & r partners to reflect its services beyond advertising . 15 2003 what happens here stays here edit in late 2001 r & r partners sought to create a new branding campaign for the lvcva to emphasize the emotional connection that visitors have to the las vegas brand . r & r copywriters jeff candido and jason hoff devised the vegas stories campaign with the tagline what happens here stays here . the commercials featured often unseen but implied exploits of a person or group of people in las vegas . 2 for instance one ad depicted a group of women laughing about an unknown incident while riding in the back of a limousine . another depicted a couple who had lost their luggage because they hadn t officially checked into their hotel . 14 in virtually every case the tone of the ad attempted to convey some excitement and mystique about the vegas experience . 16 the first commercial known as mistress of disguise was meant to debut during super bowl xxxvii . however the nfl refused to allow it in the commercial line up due to the las vegas destination s association with gambling . the nfl s refusal inadvertently caused this first what happens here stays here spot to achieve greater interest than if it had run during the game . the campaign was also r & r s most market tested because of its potential for backfire . many interested parties including vassiliadis himself were concerned that the campaign was too edgy and might alienate a certain segment of the audience . 2 when the what happens here stays here ads debuted in february 2003 they became an almost instant cultural phenomenon according to advertising age . 16 the phrase was referenced by numerous pop culture mainstays including saturday night live meet the press jeopardy wheel of fortune 2 the academy awards and others . 16 two years after the campaign debuted then first lady laura bush used the tagline in a discussion with jay leno on the tonight show . 2 a survey in usa today called the campaign the most effective of 2003 . 16 the lvcva renewed r & r s 5 year contract without hearing any other bids and a record 35 million tourists came to las vegas the year the campaign was launched . 14 the legacy of the campaign exists to the present day . it served as the partial inspiration for films like what happens in vegas starring cameron diaz and ashton kutcher and the hangover film series starring bradley cooper zach galifianakis ed helms and ken jeong . 2 the tagline also earned a spot on the madison avenue walk of fame in new york city . 17 2004 present after what happens and expansion edit in 2004 r & r had a free rein with the lvcva s 65 million marketing budget . the company had 220 employees and billed out over 200 million yearly . the headquarters moved to the western las vegas suburb known as summerlin nevada after constructing a 70 000 square foot purpose built facility . 14 after the success of the what happens here stays here campaign the firm continued providing political and commercial consultation and advertising services . they lobby on behalf of nv energy and the nevada resort association . they consulted with political candidates senator harry reid senator orrin hatch and current nevada governor brian sandoval . 18 in 2005 r & r announced on behalf of the agassi foundation that former tennis star andre agassi would not run for a seat in the united states congress . 19 in 2006 the lvcva attempted to sell the rights to the what happens here stays here slogan to r & r for only one dollar . this was done as a measure to allow r & r to seek lawsuits against any entity that unlawfully used or profited off of the slogan . a federal judge nullified the trademark sale in 2006 . a lawsuit against a california businesswoman who had used a variation of the slogan was successful for the lvcva and r & r. 20 21 also in 2006 r & r began creating lgbt inclusive ads for paris las vegas and the lvcva . 22 in 2008 the lvcva and r & r were the subjects of an independent nevada policy research institute npri investigation . the investigation revealed that the lvcva breached contract agreements by allowing r & r to make expenditures over 500 without lvcva review . the lvcva also allowed an r & r subsidiary to overbill by 43 % on a 1999 project . 23 24 25 some have criticized the npri investigation because the agency receives funding from the las vegas sands corp. a private competitor of the tax funded lvcva . 26 27 in 2009 r & r signed a new three year 270 million contract with the lvcva with an option for 3 additional years beyond that . 18 the previous contract had been for 5 years and 325 million . 28 between 2010 and 2011 r & r partners expanded to six different locations including los angeles . 4 in 2012 r & r added austin texas and denver colorado to their list of markets . 29 30 the what happens here stays here ads were briefly pulled in 2012 in order to make room for the lvcva s push to market lasvegas.com . the ads returned to the airwaves at the end of 2013 . 31 in 2014 r & r opened their first international location in mexico city bringing their total number of locations to nine eight in the united states . 6 in 2015 they again signed on to continue as the chief marketing organization for the lvcva . 32 major clients edit r & r partners has worked with many notable clients including 5 33 34 35 las vegas convention and visitors authority nv energy allegiant travel company warner brothers cox communications southern nevada water authority at & t xerox american medical response aps boeing caesars entertainment wynn resorts aaa barrick gold corporation recognition and awards edit r & r partners has won numerous awards for both the business itself and the ad campaigns it has created . its what happens here stays here campaign was called the most effective ad campaign in 2003 by a survey in usa today . 16 the campaign also earned r & r and the lvcva the honor of being named brandweek grand marketer of the year in 2004 . 36 in 2008 the firm won an effie award for a television ad it created for the southern nevada water authority . 37 in 2010 advertising age named r & r one of the best places to work in marketing and media . 7 the firm won another effie award in 2012 for a commercial it created to promote the valley metro the public transportation authority in the phoenix arizona area . 38 also in 2012 r & r won the internet advertising competition award for outstanding achievement in internet advertising for their ad campaign for boeing s new airplane . 39 in 2013 the firm was named the top marketing agency in nevada by adweek . 5 references edit a b c voight joan 12 june 2000 . stiriptease r & r partners sells the vegas dream . adweek . retrieved 15 august 2015 . a b c d e f katsilometes john 29 september 2011 . a look back at the advertising magic of what happens here stays here . las vegas weekly .