MILES CITY, Mont. (May 16, 2025) — 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 inspired by the people who call the state home.
The new Montana brand was created for both residents and visitors and will be used to market the entire state, disperse travel, celebrate Montana’s businesses, welcome new businesses, uplift rural communities and celebrate Montana’s character.
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.
The brand launch event showcased the new brand, marketing direction, campaign, logo and other creative elements and kicked off the statewide tour. At tour events, attendees will have the opportunity to win prizes, create community-focused artwork and participate in local demonstrations.
PHOTO CREDIT (below): Carter County Museum, Tooke Bucking Horses Collection
WHAT: Unveiling of Montana’s new brand, direction and statewide tour
WHEN: Friday, May 16, at 1 p.m.
WHERE: Eastern Montana Fairgrounds in Miles City, 42 Garryowen Road, Miles City, MT 59301
WHO: Gov. Greg Gianforte and officials from the Montana Department of Commerce
This isn’t a brand about a place you visit. It’s a brand about the people who live it every day.
Montana isn’t something you pose in front of. It’s something you step into.
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.
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.
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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 with the truck and stopping in each tourism region at the following locations:
June 11: Livingston Farmers Market
June 20: Old Salt Festival in Helmville
June 22: Missoula 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 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.
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