Montana Branding Initiative 2007-08
Uncovering Montana's Brand
In the spring of 2006, Governor Schweitzer challenged the Tourism Advisory Council (TAC) to develop a brand for Montana. During that meeting the Governor noted that the moniker "Treasure State" originally referenced our resources below the ground but today's Montana has a host of treasures above the ground as well.
Based on this recommendation from the Governor and as part of Montana's statewide Tourism and Recreation 5-Year Strategic Plan the TAC formally accepted the Governor's challenge during the October 2006 TAC Meeting and directed the Montana Office of Tourism of the Department of Commerce to implement a brand development process.
The Montana Office of Tourism officially embarked on this brand process in the summer of 2007. The purpose: to uncover the essence of Montana.
There are a lot of organizations promoting Montana as a vacation destination. And a lot of money is attached to those efforts: to the tune of $76 million, according to Montana's Tourism & Recreation Strategic Plan. The budget of the state tourism promotion office, Montana Office of Tourism, makes up 12 percent of that. And while tourism is the state's second-largest industry, its marketing budget continues to lose ground not only in nationwide rankings, but among its chief competing states (states of the Rocky Mountain west).
It's an increasingly competitive marketplace. We have less money but need to do more. We've got to leverage our resources. The more promotional dollars we can get to speak the same message, the more powerful our message will be.
It is through Governor Schweitzer's request that this process is taking an active role in unifying our state, local, private and tribal marketing partners to strengthen Montana's image.
Agreeing on what that message should be was the hard part. It must make Montana uniquely special from any other destination—not just in the United States, but across the globe. A great deal of research has been conducted and countless hours have been spent collecting stakeholder input.
The goal was to produce a brand for Montana—one that speaks for Montana as a vacation destination. However, it's likely that elements of this brand will go beyond tourism—and the lessons we learn may have the potential to serve a wide range of Montana industries.
We're appreciative of Governor Schweitzer's initiative and the statewide community involvement we've received throughout this process: we believe we've created a brand that's strong and true.
While you're here, you're invited to learn more about this project. Final Brand Platform, focus group observations, and project timeline are posted below.BRAND TOOLS
Discovering the Montana Brand FINAL - May 2009
Using the Montana Brand FINAL - May 2009
BRANDING UPDATES & FEATURES
Final Brand Platform Presentation (PDF file)
Final Brand Platform Presentation (Power Point Download- Contains Authors Notes)
Branding Presentation to Governor Schweitzer – September 2008 (PDF file)
Branding Update - July 2007 (PDF file)
Branding Update - September/October 2007 (PDF file)
Focus Group Research Observations – October 2007
Branding Workshop Presentation - November 2007 (PDF file)
Branding Workshop Schedule & Locations
Branding Project Timeline
For more information on this branding project, contact Katy Peterson, Consumer Marketing Manager, 406-841-2870 or kapeterson@mt.gov.
