Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
Evolving Montana’s most vital outdoor brand
Challenge
Piggyback on an extensive vision-setting process to help an important government agency reimagine and articulate its brand for the future.
Solution
In the vernacular of the outdoors, “We created a bigger tent” for the FWP brand based on a series of listening sessions, workshops and our own passion for the outdoors.
Outcome
A brand launch that has energized FWP staff, created a strong story for legislative support, and has taken hold with the public.
CHALLENGE
Challenge
Piggyback on an extensive vision-setting process to help an important government agency reimagine and articulate its brand for the future.
SOLUTION
Solution
In the vernacular of the outdoors, “We created a bigger tent” for the FWP brand based on a series of listening sessions, workshops and our own passion for the outdoors.
RESULT
Outcome
A brand launch that has energized FWP staff, created a strong story for legislative support, and has taken hold with the public.
Our work for Montana FWP is the largest verbal brand process we’ve undertaken. And it was unique in that we co-developed the brand alongside a core group of more than 20 FWP staff, including its in-house communications and design team.
The first hurdle was to show the important role a strong brand could play in helping FWP achieve its mission. That required a series of presentations on branding to win over leaders across the state. We then helped devise an FWP-led series of listening sessions around Montana. The sessions were designed to help inform the FWP’s new vision (which it was drafting in-house), and its brand positioning, which we were tasked with developing.
Two years, a new director, and many workshops later, we unveiled the brand positioning at an all-hands event in Montana’s capital city. The FWP team spoke about the brand positioning — The outside is in us all — its focus on unity, on public trust, on keeping Montana, Montana. We gave an overview of the process. It all culminated with a new brand video and tool kit designed to inspire the staff. The room of several hundred biologists, administrators, and enforcement officers stood and cheered. It was rewarding for two key reasons. First, it impacts something we love. FWP is in many ways the future of the Montana outdoors we cherish deeply. Second, the effort was a true partnership. We led the verbal messaging, drafted the mantra, poster copy, video script and theme, while FWP’s own communications staff did the design, and edited the brand video from stock and their own footage library.
Understanding how
to tell our story
Understanding how to tell our story consistently and well is one of the most important things we can do for the future of our agency and Montana.
23
Number of years since the last time FWP drafted a public vision document.
+94M
Number of acres in Montana, most of which FWP improves through its work.
90+
Number of FWP staff participants in developing and shaping the new brand.
