Montana Branding Initiative 2007-08
Uncovering Montana’s Brand
In the summer of 2007, Travel Montana embarked on a brand discovery process. 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, Travel Montana, 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.
Agreeing on what that message should be is 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 will be conducted and countless hours will be spent collecting stakeholder input.
The goal is 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.
That’s why we’re inviting any and all interested people to be a part of this project: it’ll help create a brand that’s strong and true. Join us for one of seven engaging statewide workshops (scheduled for November 2007) designed to get Montanans’ perspectives on what makes our state special. Workshop Schedule & Locations are listed online. Workshops are free and open to the public. No need to RSVP.
While you’re here, you’re invited to learn more about this project. Project timeline, updates, and early observations are posted below.
Click Here to see the Branding Project Timeline
Click Here for the Branding Workshop Schedule & Locations
BRANDING UPDATES & FEATURES
Final Brand Platform Presentation (PDF file)
Final Brand Platform Presentation (Power Point Download- Contains Authors Notes)
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)
For more information on this branding project, contact Katy Peterson, Consumer Marketing Manager, 406-841-2870 or kapeterson@mt.gov.
