Jan 11 2007

Living in a Brand Name

by Megan Edwards
Las Vegas Headline
Las Vegas, second only to Google

I just read (in this article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal) that “Las Vegas” was second only to “Google” as a top brand name last year. Las Vegas is the only city among the top ten. But of course it’s not three-dimensional reality that landed Sin City its spot between Google and the NFL. It’s image — the same phenomenon that brings panic-stricken email to my inbox every so often. “Help! I just found out my husband is being transferred to Las Vegas, and I’m terrified! Do normal people actually live there?” Unlike all the other brands on the Top 10 list, Las Vegas is not only a groovy, emotion-inducing label, it’s a place nearly 2 million people call home. And what those people think when they hear and say “Las Vegas” is not exactly the same as what a bride in New Jersey thinks, or a Canadian bull rider, or even Paris Hilton.

Top Brands

I love this difference the most when I’m traveling. I can’t think of a more delightful answer to the “Where are you from?” question than “Las Vegas.” Maybe “Antarctica” would be as good, or “Reykjavik,” but I’m not sure. “Las Vegas” isn’t off the beaten path, after all, and it isn’t exotic. It just has the power to evoke something in just about everybody. Whether they love it or hate it, they are never without opinion. This gets even better outside the U.S. I’m happy to say I’m an American, but if I mention Las Vegas, it’s as though I’m suddenly from another universe. I doubt that saying I work for Google or the NFL could spark a more entertaining conversation.

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