Renewing 'Choose Montana' with a Focus on Storytelling

As the Director of Communications & Public Affairs for the Montana Department of Commerce, one of the projects I took on was to give fresh life to the Choose Montana brand, which originally launched back in 2014. First created as a marketing tool to promote Montana to both job seekers and businesses, Choose did not do a good job online of pitching Montana.

In 2018, I led the content and website redesign for Choose Montana. Our message is simple: Montana is the best place to live, work and play. The stories told across the simple site reflect what makes Montana such an enticing and unique place to call home.

But what does it mean to be the best place live, work and play? That's where my job began - to turn those words into ideas the reader will want to experience.

LIVE: Affordable and vibrant communities for all Montanans.

By building affordable and vibrant communities where people want to live, we’re also creating places people want to visit. Strengthening our communities is at the core of Montana’s economic challenge and opportunity. To support a growing economy, hardworking Montanans need an affordable place to live, and a vibrant Main Street to experience.

WORK: Montana is where ideas grow into opportunities.

Montana’s spectacular unspoiled nature and unparalleled access to public lands make for a one-of-a-kind backdrop to build and grow a business. Montana truly is an incubator for innovation.

PLAY: Montana's spectacular, unspoiled nature and charming towns fuel business growth.

Montana's number one resource is our spectacular, unspoiled nature. It's what brings visitors here, and fuels business growth. Visitors add billions to Montana's economy, which directly benefits Main Street businesses.

But don't take my word for it, the renewed Choose Montana website leans on first-person storytelling, compelling data, and resources to start the journey.