Jason Hoff's "What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas" campaign included television advertisements featuring a woman rethinking her postcard message, two people striving to come to grips with an impulsive marriage and a memorable limousine ride.

By Luke Graham

When a popular cartoon character reeled off the line, "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas," Jason Hoff ('00), co-creator of the slogan, stamped his mark on the world of creative advertising.

"When I saw it on 'The Simpsons,' I knew I had made it big time," Hoff said.

Hoff experienced early success in the advertising industry while still at the School. He entered the prestigious One Show in New York and was one of 28 finalists in one of the competitions. It was a sign of things to come.

To date, Hoff's professional career has taken him from the Big Apple to Sin City and back again. After graduating, he went to work for DeVito Verdi in New York City, then left to work for R&R Partners in Las Vegas.

While in Nevada, Hoff was asked to come up with a new advertising slogan for the city. Prior to coming up with the "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" slogan, the city had seen a drop in tourist income. Previous campaigns focused on advertising Las Vegas as a family destination.

Hoff and partner Jeff Candido collaborated and found they had similar ideas for the phrase.

We wanted to find a way to tell the story without showing it," he said. "Las Vegas is the one place in the world where you can go and be whoever and do whatever you want."

When the ad came out, Las Vegas saw an immediate increase in tourist action, and the ad began to have a life of its own. It gained national attention and has been parodied and mentioned on numerous media outlets including, "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," "Saturday Night Live" and, of course, "The Simpsons."

Hoff's success brought him back to the East Coast, where he now works for BBDO New York on Pepsi, GE and eBay ads.

Jason Hoff in Cannes.

Recently, Hoff and co-worker Sherrod Melvin entered the "Team USA" competition put on by USA TODAY and Greenberg Kirshenbaum. In it, agencies were asked to pick a team of two young creatives to develop an ad for 1-866-SPEAK-UP, a national hotline for students to anonymously report weapon threats at school. Each had one week to complete the ad, then professionals from around the nation selected the winners. Hoff and Melvin took second place and were chosen to represent the United States at the 2004 Cannes Festival Young Creative Competition in France.

While Hoff did not win in Cannes, he said it was gratifying to meet the best creative advertisers from around the world. He also said it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and he hopes to go back again.

"It was probably the coolest experience in advertising that I have ever had," Hoff said. "I got to meet people from all over the world."

Hoff said his experiences in competitions and at other agencies have made working at BBDO New York enjoyable. He added that he is not sure if he could do anything but the creative side of advertising because of the gratification it gives him.

"I still get a rush coming up with new ideas," he said. "Getting the opportunity to have your ideas and thoughts come into fruition is a great feeling."

As with any job, there are downsides to Hoff's job at BBDO. Hoff said he does not like the politics of advertising or having to plod through long projects. He also said he has had to learn to accept rejection and not to get attached to his work – something he said any prospective creative advertising student must learn.

Hoff said he believes he has succeeded in a business that is tough to get into because he really cares about what he is doing. He said he has always worked harder than the other person, and that allows him to stay on top of the industry.

"I keep working hard and am always thinking that I can do better," Hoff said.
He said that often in the creative advertising industry, the people who succeed are the ones who have opinions and a distinct vision.

Hoff said that Associate Professor Brett Robbs and adjunct instructor Jonathan Shoenberg were instrumental in his development. He said Shoenberg always held him to a high standard and provided him great direction in his career, while Robbs always inspired him to do more.

"Jason's ability to come up with fresh ideas is rare enough," Robbs said. "But he's also a terrific writer. And that's even rarer. That I can still remember his wonderful, long copy ads for John Deere, when I can't remember anything anymore, says it all about his talent as a writer."

Although Hoff enjoys his job at BBDO, he said he "likes moving around" and misses playing in the mountains of Colorado. One day, he said he hopes to become the head creative director at a big firm and ultimately wants to open his own advertising agency.

He said advertising has become increasingly intrusive into people's lives, and that makes his job both fun and difficult at the same time.

"When I make an ad now, I have to make sure it's damn good," he said.

In spite of that, Hoff said, advertising and the public work together. Just as "The Simpsons" continually adapts to the changing world, he said, advertising does the same thing.

"In the end, I think advertising moves culture along," he said. jasonhoff@hotmail.com