We recently wrapped up a rebranding project for the Utah Department of Recreation. The trick here was to build off the existing Utah DNR branding to create marks for each of the primary programs that can stand alone or as a group.

We worked with the internal team to understand the goals of the office, who they are serving, and how best to communicate to their audience. During our exploration we identified the trail sign and the trail itself as a consistent visual tying their programs together. The trail sign is the unique identifier for the Recreation office within the DNR and we wanted to build that out to tell the bigger story of their varied programs.

Each program icon was then designed with the frame of the trail sign as the structure, but we intentionally wanted to expand beyond to communicate a sense of the scale of the natural world and what this office does to support it.

The final tying element was to bring the human element to each mark. With the exception of the child in the “Every Kid Outdoors” program mark, we stayed away from using literal humans, but rather showing the way we engage with these environments - trails. Trails are our guiding lines bringing us into the visuals and creating a sense of connectedness.

We thrive on the opportunity to pull out those details of the value our clients bring and identifying ways to communicate that value. There are so many individuals, groups, and organizations out there working to improve the human experience through the outdoors. Our job is to help you tell your story.

We are privileged to work with some of the best brands in the world. And that usually means the best people work there. Here are a few testimonials we have received from clients highlighting our relationship and projects we have been able to accomplish.

“I have no concern whatsoever with recommending Dustin Butcher and his team at Stay Gold Marketing for overall branding, VBL (visual brand language), online marketing, packaging design, website design and other creative projects.

“Stay Gold has been a key member of the G3 marketing team for the past 6 years and the look, feel, and overall presentation of the brand has improved significantly under their management. I’ve been asked for a lot of references over the years, but I don’t recall giving kudos to a supplier for delivering consistently on their budgets and spending our money like it was their own.

“This has been an overall great experience working with Stay Gold and they have earned a lot of trust within the G3 team for always showing up with their A-game.”

Oliver Steffen
President & Owner
G3

“I have had the pleasure of working with Dustin Butcher and his agency, Stay Gold Marketing & Media, on a broad range of marketing, promotion, and branding projects. Across several types of projects, from small to large, they have elevated brands and found unique ways to speak the language of the final customer. They have demonstrated a gift for listening, deciphering, and producing results that were better than what our internal marketing/communication teams originally imagined. They approach projects by defining the need and understanding what successful results look like, then collect multiple opinions and angles, before adding the magic of their creative vision to the formula. I have grown to trust this process and innovation as I have worked with them.”

John Pieper
Managing Director, Professional Division
Petzl America

“In early 2019 we began the revamping of the Bivy brand. Dustin and the Stay Gold team helped us go through the necessary steps to establish our voice, our mission, our customer and the look and feel of all of our assets. With Bivy having many different touch points with our customer, including web, mobile app, product packaging, events, and more, it was important that we were consistent and attractive across all of them. We needed a brand that was easily transferrable and recognizable through all those interactions. Stay Gold helped us navigate through all the scenarios and uses of our brand. They were extremely patient as we went back and forth on our preferences and priorities through the entire process.”

Pitt Grewe
Director of the Office of Outdoor Recreation
Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development
*Former Marketing Director at Bivy

“I have been in my line of work for nearly 20 years. There are a lot of ways to “do it.” A little over 2 years ago I decided to take my experience and start my own company. When I started meeting with Stay Gold I already knew their passion for creation and giving their work the right look, feel and voice. My look, feel and voice was in my head, but I had no idea how to get it out. They asked questions and helped me expound on what was inside. They listened and guided the experience without trying to force it.

“In the end, I occasionally question the choices and direction by which I should lead my company. I do not, however, doubt that I know exactly who we are and that my brand represents me perfectly. Having that definition brings confidence and pride to everything that we do. That is directly related to Stay Gold helping me capture the look, feel and voice that was inside.”

Andrew Kent
Owner, Principal Agent
Rooted & Co.

Just a quick little showcase of some of the logos we have designed over the past few years. Our process starts with understanding the brand and then exploring ways to communicate that brand with a visual mark.

Brand first. Always.

Petzl came to us looking for a creative way to showcase the modularity of their crampon system in stores. They wanted to illustrate the idea of swapping toes, heels, and bindings to accomplish different objectives in the mountains... without having to buy entirely different sets of crampons for every ascent.

Inspired by the children's books that allow a reader to flip different parts of the pages to see different versions of a story, we developed a book that engages customers with its clever design while also educating them about the system and how they can use it in their mountain pursuits.

A SMALL BRAND FOCUSED ON A NICHE MARKET.
HOW CAN G3 CREATE CONTENT THAT RESONATES?

In 2015 we wanted to re-evaluate what G3 content is and what it could be. Up to that point they had been creating content based on the same model that is used by much bigger companies. They would release a few lifestyle-based mini ski webisodes per year based on the athlete team.  These would get a little bit of excitement when launched, but would quickly fall off the radar of the ski community due to the sheer amount of similar content being launched by other brands.

What could G3 do that showcases the brand, the team, the partners, and their collective expertise? How could we use the smaller company size and core backcountry focus to our advantage in the content delivered?

This is how the idea for G3 University was sparked. While studying the market we found that 68% of people prefer content that informs or educates them over just 18% who said they prefer content that entertains or inspires. We had an opportunity here. G3's team of engineers, athletes, professional guide partners and testers, and partnerships with organizations like Avalanche Canada, ACMG, AMGA, etc. allowed us to create a platform for high level backcountry-specific educational content to be shared with the world.

G3 University: www.genuineguidegear.com/g3u

Much of the backcountry ski lifestyle is passed along from one user to another. Your new ski partner may teach you a more efficient way to transition to ski mode while you may show them how you cut a skin track. G3U simply makes that more of an open platform where anyone can learn how to be a better backcountry traveler and realize the value of getting educated, hiring a guide, or simply trying new things. Nothing in G3U is meant to replace proper backcountry training and education in the field with professional instructors. Instead, it is meant to wet the viewer's appetite for this stuff and get them excited about that next level of training.

We launched G3 University in the fall of 2016 with a catalogue of about 50 videos. We did this with the same amount of budget G3 had been using for the webisode program the year before. Each video was between 1 to 4 minutes long and ranged in topic from efficient kick turns while skinning to understanding the different styles of ski profiles. Content views grew by 500% that year and engagement (likes, shares, comments) grew even more than that. G3 University content doubled in views and engagement again the following year. No single video is getting massive amounts of views, but the catalogue together appeals to every type of backcountry skier - whether you are just starting to venture beyond the gates at the resort or if you are a seasoned veteran having done this your entire life.

The ski community has embraced the new content platform and really engaged with this evergreen content. None of this content dates itself a year after launching. Every video is just as relevant now as it was when it was released. This helps with continual engagement as well as long term SEO. The G3U content library continues to grow with more videos, blog posts, graphics, events, and more.

Nothing in G3U is directed as a hard sell of G3 product. It is all meant to improve the viewer's backcountry experience. That is why it is free to anyone who wants it. G3’s mission is to amplify the outdoor experience - and that is exactly what G3U sets out to do. We use strong branding in every piece of content, but then let the user learn and engage with what is being taught. Ultimately, we want people to associate the G3 brand with the feeling they get when they have their best outdoor experiences. 

There are opportunities for engaging content for brands of all sizes. You don’t have to be a giant brand with massive budgets to get recognized in your industry and space. The key is to look at what your brand can do that is special and unique to you. Don’t get stuck trying to compete using the same tired model. Do something different.