LasVegas.com Rolls Out Ads From I-Traffic

NEW YORK I-Traffic attempts to replicate the unmistakable visual landscape that defines Las Vegas to promote a Web site that bears the city’s name.

A teaser campaign running through next week on properties such as Yahoo! and iWon seek to generate interest and awareness in LasVegas.com, a 1-year-old online destination that offers travel and hotel deals and tips on everything from gambling and weddings to nightclubs and spas. In a Flash- and audio-enabled super banner that does not carry copy or the city name, the Nevada desert serves as a backdrop to visual images, such as the Luxor and Flamingo.

“We wanted to capture the experience you have when you approach or ascend on Las Vegas,” said Heather Crosby, account director in the San Francisco office of i-Traffic, adding that the online push highlights new and old attractions to appeal to a broad 21- to 54-year-old target.

The shop, the interactive advertising subsidiary of Omnicom Group-owned Agency.com, landed the business in September after the client heard presentations a month earlier from about a half dozen other shops, sources said.

I-Traffic was invited to pitch the business, along with Avenue A in Seattle, based on their ties to LasVegas.com operators Mandalay Resort Group and Park Place Entertainment. The former handles online work for Mandalay and the latter for Park Place.

The initial effort will be followed by another flight of ads, scheduled to run from Oct. 13 to mid-November, promoting the different hotel selections and pricing points available on LasVegas.com. Later executions may highlight the shows, tours, golfing and transportation options found on the Web site, Crosby said.

A budget for the campaign was not disclosed, though nearly 40 million impressions are slated for the teaser campaign.