Montana state park system to develop branding and marketing plan

The telephone rings at the head office of the state Parks Division and it’s another query about campground services at Glacier National Park.

Montana officials say there’s a steady stream of such misdirected calls, from people for whom state parks, national parks and U.S. Forest Service lands are simply a blur of public property offering recreation. That is one reason the state Parks Division wants to establish a distinctive image, with the help of an advertising agency or other consultant.

The division is seeking proposals to develop a "branding strategy" for Montana’s system of 50 parks, a network that ranges from the quiet rolling prairie of Rosebud Battlefield near Crow Agency to the geologic artistry at Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park, 33 miles from Butte.

Officials expect to award a one-year contract for about $25,000 in late February.

By SUSAN GALLAGHER of the Associated Press Writer

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