MILES CITY, Mont., — Today, Gov. Greg Gianforte joined the Montana Department of Commerce at the World Famous Miles City Bucking Horse Sale to unveil Montana’s new brand.

The new brand is inspired by and created to represent Montanans by promoting the entire state, attracting and dispersing travel, celebrating and marketing Montana’s businesses, welcoming new businesses, uplifting rural communities and their stories and celebrating Montana’s heritage and character.

“For the first time in 16 years we’re reintroducing Montana to the world,” said Gov. Greg Gianforte. “And we’re doing it by shining a spotlight on the people who make this place what it is. Because the strength of our state isn’t found in slogans or logos, it’s found in our people.”

The Montana Department of Commerce will utilize the new brand for tourism marketing, business attraction, international trade and exports, the Made in Montana program and other economic development activities across the state.

“The new brand fills the role of Montana’s lead brand representing our state,” said Mitch Staley, chief marketing officer at the Montana Department of Commerce. “By promoting our state’s economy, existing and new businesses and showcasing Montana as a place to visit, the new brand features Montanans sharing their stories in ways they can be proud of.”

Montana’s new brand represents a shift from the marketing efforts of the past 16 years. The change enables Commerce to promote Montana’s stories and implement legislative direction for how the department uses lodging tax funds to promote the state for economic benefit.

By featuring residents and amplifying community-led storytelling, the new brand is made for Montana by Montanans. Foundational brand components include:

• The people. This isn't a brand about a place you visit. It's a brand about the people who live it every day. 
• The place. Montana isn't something you pose in front of. It's something you step into. 
• The stories. A good Montana story isn't just about what happened. It's about what it meant.

The new brand logo was made to represent Montanans, with custom letterforms that echo the geography: wide open, rugged and built to last. Brand colors represent the landscapes, from river bends and burnt skies to lodgepole shade and wheatfield glare. The topographic lines mark elevation, memory and movement – a subtle thread between past and present, charting where we’ve been and where we’re headed.

Elements of the new brand include a newly designed website focused on improving the travel planning experience for both visitors and residents, future highway welcome signs, updated official highway map, wordmark, logo, colors and suite of creative elements.

As part of the brand launch, Commerce is kicking off a new campaign encouraging residents to explore lesser-known destinations across their state this summer, with the call to action, “Go somewhere season.”

Tourism plays a critical role in Montana’s economy, with nonresident visitors contributing a total of $6.1 billion to the state’s economy in 2024, according to the  Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research at the University of Montana.

To help Montana residents learn about the new brand and have the opportunity to interact first-hand with the new brand, the state will be going on tour and stopping in each tourism region at the following locations with more being added in coming weeks:

• June 11: Livingston Farmers Market
• June 20: Old Salt Festival in Helmville
• June 22: Missoula Summer MADE Fair
• June 28: Fort Benton Summer Celebration
• July 11: North American Indian Days in Browning
• July 12: Montana Governor's Cup Walleye Tournament

The public is encouraged to attend tour events to learn about the new brand and connect with representatives from the Montana Department of Commerce, regional destination marketing organizations, tribal nations and local community organizations. Tour stops will also feature opportunities for Montanans to share their stories for use in future marketing efforts.

Event attendees will have the opportunity to participate in demonstrations and see how they can be a part of their state’s new brand strategy.

The state conducted extensive research to ensure the new brand aligns with both resident and visitor feedback. Multiple state and regional competitive analyses helped guide the initial research, along with different phases of creative testing. More than 1,600 Montanans and out-of-state residents were surveyed, three rounds of focus groups were conducted and leaders from tribal nations in Montana shared feedback to help shape the final brand.

The new brand was unveiled on a 1968 Chevrolet C-10 ahead of the annual World Famous Miles City Bucking Horse Sale. While Montana’s new brand will live on long after the truck is parked, the Montana Truck represents the classic, genuine nature of Montana and features new campaign creative elements painted on the side of the vehicle, along with the new Montana wordmark on the back tailgate that will help introduce the brand to Montanans. 

Get to know the new Montana brand and the people, places and stories at its heart by going to visitmt.com and exploring the brand overview. The website also features detailed trip-planning and event information that can be used by residents and visitors.

MEDIA PACKAGE: Photo and video assets from the brand launch event can be found online. (Credit, Montana Department of Commerce)