North Lake Tahoe Marketing Cooperative (NLTMC) and its agency of record, Augustine Agency, today announced being honored with the 2022 Visit California Poppy Award for Best Overall Destination Brand Identity. The award recognizes the California destination that showcases its unique attributes to help drive visitors to lodging properties, businesses and key attractions. The Visit California biennial celebration held February 15 in San Francisco recognizes excellence in California’s tourism marketing and honored eight overall categories. NLTMC partners with Augustine for all creative marketing and advertising services. The two collaborated on the strategic development of the destination’s brand, bringing to life a treasured gem in the Northern California/Nevada region.
“It has been an honor to develop a brand that captures the true essence of such a majestic and premier destination,” said Debbie Augustine, founder and executive creative director, Augustine Agency. “Our goal was to not only create a brand platform that would entice visitation, but to ensure the residence in the area felt well represented. Much of our messaging centers around education, responsible travel, and the importance of sustainability. We took an existing logo and created a complete story, capturing the character of a truly unique and breathtaking region.”
Augustine’s methodical approach to building North Lake Tahoe’s brand has helped the destination become a leader in California tourism promotion. The focus has been to position North Lake Tahoe as a four-season destination with new experiences and year-round adventures, while placing an emphasis on slower visitation periods of spring and fall. The organizations also place a significant amount of effort on sustainability messaging, working to educate potential visitors before, during and after their time in the region. A key element of North Lake Tahoe’s identity is emphasizing the importance of sustainability and driving responsible travel. The goal is to create awareness and increase visitation while finding new ways to contribute to the communities within the destination.
“It was a dynamic and successful collaboration between our two organizations,” added Andy Chapman, President and CEO of Incline Village Crystal Bay Visitors Bureau. “We wanted to engage both locals and visitors with a brand that would be authentic in showcasing the tremendous beauty and assets North Lake Tahoe has to offer. A world-class destination deserves a world-class brand identity. We couldn’t be more pleased with this recognition.”
“The evolution of our iconic brand was a labor of love combining a tremendous number of resources during such a challenging time for our industry,” said Amber Burke, marketing director, North Lake Tahoe Resort Association. “Augustine has been a great partner and really embraced our vision bringing it to life in a way even we couldn’t imagine.”
