Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte stopped by the World Famous Miles City Bucking Horse Sale on Friday to present the state’s new brand, which, according to the Department of Commerce, is aimed at “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.”

This is the first full Montana rebrand since 2009, when the state tourism board unveiled the widely celebrated “There’s Nothing Here” campaign. The agency spent millions of dollars to emblazon the slogan on breathtaking scenery in glossy magazines and on billboards in major U.S. cities to lure people to Big Sky Country.

The campaign worked. In fact, some might say it worked too well. Visitation to both Yellowstone and Glacier national parks broke records the following year. And over the next decade, as numbers continued to increase, the conversation shifted from how to attract more tourists to Montana to how to manage and spread out the throngs of people visiting each year.

By 2022, locals who viewed tourism negatively reached a two-decade high, according the University of Montana Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research. The shift was especially pronounced in Glacier Country, where 58% said their community, specifically in the summer season, had become overcrowded.

With the new branding campaign’s broader focus, the state seems to be acknowledging that it no longer needs to convince people to visit, especially in the regions surrounding Montana’s national parks.

“For the first time in 16 years we’re reintroducing Montana to the world,” Gianforte said. “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 new brand was unveiled on a 1968 Chevrolet C-10 (pictured above) and, according to the Department of Commerce, was created after “extensive research” to ensure it “aligns with both resident and visitor feedback.” As part of the brand launch, the agency is kicking off a campaign to steer residents to lesser-known destinations across the state this summer. The effort is dubbed, “Go somewhere season.”

I’m Kellyn Brown. Let’s go to the rest of the Daily Roundup by catching up on other news from northwest Montana and beyond.

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