A weekend in Tahoe. It's a hard job, but somebody's got to do it.

Sunny skies and perfect snow conditions made this past weekend an ideal time to escape to North Lake Tahoe.

As Agency of Record for North Lake Tahoe Visitor’s Bureau, our mission is to raise awareness of North Lake as the state’s top destination. The theme of our campaign: Escape to North Lake Tahoe.

Print ads, TV, Bart ads, and billboards call on people to bring the balance back to their lives.
And last weekend a group of the state’s top social influencers truly lived the brand when they escaped to North Lake Tahoe themselves. They blogged and tweeted their experience—and brought their thousands of followers along for the adventure.

The weekend kicked off with a welcome reception at the Ritz Carlton. Free lift tickets, good for seven different resorts, were handed out, together with invites for après-ski events happening over the weekend. Accommodations were provided at the Ritz, Resort at Squaw Creek, Hyatt Incline, and other properties.

We equipped our bloggers with a weekend handbook, providing quick links to resort, skiing and entertainment options in North Lake, as well as an insider’s guide to the best places to eat and drink in North Lake—all plotted on a Google map.

You can check out the campaign yourself—just search hashtag #EscapeToNorthTahoe. Beyond the hashtag and guide, we provided no prescription for content, preferring our writers speak with an authentic voice, keeping their opinions and observations intact.

There are challenges to this approach—we set the stage, and let the influencers tell true stories of their experiences. There’s always a risk if someone’s expectations aren’t met. A cold day on the slopes, or a disappointing hotel are potential communication points to the world at large.

Thankfully, campaign consensus was positive—the influencers tweeted loads of pics and links and anecdotes about family, scenic backdrops and friendly conversations.

What stood out is that professional bloggers, those who make income from insights to thousands of followers, are just that—“professional”. Yet, they are also human. Behind every virtual exterior there is a person beneath the pixels—and we enjoyed meeting them.

Skeptically it could be argued that positive coverage is a result of promotional sponsorship. However, we like to think that the power of North Lake Tahoe, its fresh air and infinite skies, help put life into perspective.

NEXT UP: Part 2 of our campaign is the Escape to North Tahoe photo contest. Social influencers get to announce to their followers that they too can win lift tickets.

Just go to facebook.com/LakeTahoeNorth and upload a picture of what you’re escaping from. Every day the best picture will be awarded a pair of interchangeable lift tickets—similar to those used by the influencers.