Work

Tahoe South

Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority takes the plunge on a new name, a brand overhaul and fresh advertising, embracing its rep as the lake’s wild side.

At this picturesque resort area on the California-Nevada border, it’s not just about skiing (water or snow). Tahoe South is wild in many ways and at all times. Crisp new name, new ID, website, social media strategy and whimsical ad campaign — with art by cult-hero illustrator Kustaa Saski — brings the delightful truth to life.

Where most travel spots are merely animated postcards of the view, these actually animated spots go deeper, promising the wild side of Tahoe South will engage the wild side of you, even restore a sense of wonder and play.

Being a driving destination, outdoor is key for Tahoe South. Most executions are site-specific (the top one, for instance, is at the crossover of I-50 and 80). Some are digital, allowing casino showrooms to highlight this week’s headliner or the amount of recent snow.

Travelers love nothing more than to chat about their travels, past, present and future. So while delivering all the destination guidance a guest could ask for, the revamped website also dynamically ties in to social media.

“Duncan Channon won our business hands down in 2009. Competitive analysis and differentiation began the process of moving Tahoe South from the middle of the pack to the front in brand development creative execution and results. Our relationship with the DC team is family-like and passionate, so sometimes we disagree, but our trust in their expertise usually wins out, and year over year our sophistication in the destination space is cutting edge and enviable.”

Carol Chapin, Tahoe South Executive director