“Get a Little Out There” Brand Strategy & Campaign
Travel Nevada needed to expose the world to the wonder of Nevada. Its remote outskirts. Hidden gems. Its beauties. This was done through an integrated brand campaign designed to convey the delightful contrasts and surprising contradictions of the Silver State. From lyrical copywriting, inspired by Nevada’s cowboy poetry, to artfully crafted design, each and every campaign touchpoint delivered on and proved the brand line and mantra.
Encouraging Visitors to Explore the Heart of Nevada
The goal of the new brand platform and visual identity was to shift perceptions of the state away from “just desert and Las Vegas” toward a place of excitement and curious contradictions. All of this was done to support Travel Nevada’s mission to generate awareness and increase tourism for the state’s overlooked and under-booked destinations — the Nevada beyond Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas and Reno.
Three Key Opportunities
Change the perceptions that Nevada is just Las Vegas, Reno and desert.
Elevate the brand to stand apart from competing DMOs, such as Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.
Create a brand that is an evolution, not a revolution — careful to keep valuable brand equity and recognizable elements, like the logo, in place.
Highlights
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+10
pts
Destination Awareness
-
+155
%
Number of Trips to Nevada
3.1 trips vs. 2.0 trips by those who didn’t see the campaign
-
+4.3
Nights in Nevada
vs. 3.5 nights from those who didn’t see the campaign
A Curiously Uncommon Approach
The work started by developing and testing Travel Nevada’s evolved platform. An integrated brand strategy that united the Travel Nevada organization and Nevada-as-a-destination under one overarching brand platform designed to drive external interest as well as internal cohesion.
Following the pandemic, the Travel Nevada brand demanded new energy to represent the state’s vibrancy. The new brand platform defined the organization’s Purpose, Principles, Personality, Promise and Vision, which led to a need for everything from new colors to new icons and patterns, while still respecting the integrity of the existing logo.
The platform created strategic guardrails that ensured that no matter the campaign touchpoint, the work positioned Nevada as vast and varied, curiously uncommon and wild at heart.
Noble Studios, in collaboration with Travel Nevada, worked to create a brand that captured the spirit of the traveler audience personas. Our team did a ton of research. We looked at the MRI-Simmons Audience Profile to gain deep insights into the inclinations and desires of potential Nevada visitors and utilized custom research conducted by Future Partners and Wiser Insights. From the research, we developed the brand position that Nevada is a little out there, both literally and figuratively.
Off-Beat Solutions for an Off-Beat State
With the brand platform firmly in place, the “Get a Little Out There” brand line was born. This line speaks to the number one goal of getting people out of the cities to explore the heart of Nevada. It’s an invitation, encouragement and call to action to seek our uncommon variety, curious contradictions, and to go do and explore.
From there, the work took on a life of its own as Noble Studios put together a new color palette, typography, iconography, photography and a robust brand guide. We created social and print ads using lyrical copywriting inspired by Nevada’s cowboy poetry. Noble developed a mantra video and a YouTube video series, traveling 2,300+ miles and visiting over 24 locations to showcase all the Silver State has to offer. We also refreshed the website design to reflect the “Get a Little Out There” brand.
Nevada is a see-it-to-believe-it place, and photos are the next best thing to actually being here. As such, they’re the most powerful tools in Travel Nevada’s backpacks. From bold lifestyle shots to ruggedly beautiful landscapes, the photos always represent the brand’s personality elements. They also reflect sustainable practices and include a diverse set of people, from race to age to gender, while remaining true to the destination’s demographics.
The “Get a Little Out There” campaign launched in-state on Nevada Day 2023. We showcased the new brand at the Nevada Day Celebration in Carson City with a swag table, a wrapped car for the Lt. Governor’s parade and even a branded beer at a local brewery. We also employed various paid media marketing channels to broadcast the state’s rejuvenated brand, including in-stream video, paid social media, email and online display to reach targeted audiences and attract potential visitors.
The campaign transcended language barriers through the creation of Spanish print ads, social ads and display ads. The campaign also included creating a Spanish version of the “Get a Little Out There” mantra video and a 30-second video spot. This allowed Travel Nevada to encourage target audiences in Mexico as well as U.S.-based Spanish speakers to discover Nevada’s hidden gems.
Over the course of 2024, Travel Nevada showcased the “Get a Little Out There” campaign through several different activations. These activations helped bring the brand to life and encouraged people to get out and explore the heart of Nevada.
Black & Silver Saloon Activation
At Las Vegas Raiders games, Travel Nevada created the Black and Silver Saloon, turning tailgating into an authentic Nevada experience. The custom-built space was made with real wood and brass detailing, featuring calf-roping games and the state’s signature Picon Punch while promoting the state’s Sagebrush Saloon passport program. LED screens showcased stunning footage of rural Nevada, showing stadium visitors the adventures awaiting them beyond Las Vegas.
The first Black & Silver Saloon was held on Nevada Day weekend, followed by one in November and December 2024.
Chicago Dark Skies Activation
In Chicago, you can only see 35 stars with the naked eye. But in Nevada, you can see thousands.
Travel Nevada partnered with the Adler Planetarium to bring Nevada’s dark skies to downtown Chicago. A custom VR tent installation invited visitors to experience an eight-minute journey through Nevada’s heart, featuring 360-degree footage of Great Basin’s star-studded skies, Cathedral Gorge and Valley of Fire. Outside the tent, brand ambassadors engaged visitors with Nevada-themed games while collecting newsletter signups for a stargazing trip giveaway.
The experience extended throughout Chicago with transit takeovers and animated billboards. At Adler Planetarium, Travel Nevada’s content played during sky shows and a VIP launch event projected Nevada’s wonders onto the planetarium’s domes. The activation transformed Nevada’s remote landscapes from abstract possibilities into immediate, compelling experiences.
Outcomes
The “Get a Little Out There” campaign stands as a testament to the power of strategic marketing, comprehensive research and creative storytelling. In 2024, campaign awareness reached 52% among target audiences, 10 points higher than the previous year. Campaign-aware travelers took more trips (3.1 vs. 2.0), stayed longer (4.3 vs. 3.5 nights) and spent significantly more ($6,304 vs. $3,970). Brand perception metrics showed marked improvement, with “excited about adventures” increasing by 18 points. In addition, 53% of people exposed to the “Get a Little Out There Campaign” said they would consider a Nevada vacation.
-
52
%
Awareness among the target audience
-
+18
pts
Excited about adventures
-
53
%
Of people exposed to the campaign said they would consider a Nevada vacation
Awards
- 2024 AAF District American Advertising Awards Silver
- 2024 AAF Reno American Advertising Awards Gold
- 2024 AAF Reno American Advertising Awards Gold
- 2025 AAF District American Advertising Awards Gold
- 2025 AAF Reno American Advertising Awards Gold
- 2025 AAF Reno American Advertising Awards Gold, Best of Show
- 2025 AAF District American Advertising Awards Gold
Lets make this year your best yet.
