Campaign simplifies rec choices

North Lake Tahoe is using business-to-business marketing tools to attract vacationers who want to forget all about business this autumn.

A campaign developed by The Abbi Agency in Reno uses e-books, instructional videos on YouTube and a fresh new infographic to draw visitors for what the campaign has dubbed “Human Powered Sports.”

With a tone that’s lightly tongue-in-cheek, the campaign provides an introduction to traditional sports such as road biking and hiking along with new activities such as yoga performed atop a stand-up paddleboard and routines in aerial fabrics.

Abbi Whitaker, owner and president of the Abbi Agency, says the campaign is designed to help visitors sort through the sometimes overwhelming outdoor sports choices at Lake Tahoe.

“Take mountain biking for example,” Whitaker says. “For a newbie in North Tahoe on vacation, the process of getting on the trail can seem prohibitive. Bike rentals, trail locations and gear are all question marks that can keep a visitor from experiencing the splendor of North Tahoe singletrack.”

The e-book and YouTube tools are supported by social-media content that supports human-powered activities at Lake Tahoe.

A key piece of the campaign is an infographic that includes statistics such as the number of people who have completed the full 165-mile Tahoe Rim trail. (It’s 1,600.)

“Infographics get shared more than anything and go viral,” says Whitaker.

The campaign, which is just launching in an effort to drive autumn visitors to the lake, was financed by a $10,000 grant from the Nevada Commission on Tourism with matching funds from visitors bureaus at Incline Village and Crystal Bay.