The team at Brand Tasmania, they set out to solve a cultural and a strategic problem. The cultural problem is a lack of confidence. Tasmania is, historically, Australia’s poorest state. It’s isolated, underestimated, and misunderstood. For generations, mainland Australians mocked Tasmanians for being unsophisticated. There were few outlets for a ‘Tasmanian voice,’ and challenges with low levels of aspiration in its young people.

Yet tourism to Tasmania has increased exponentially in the last decades. They have a private ‘museum of sex and death’ that attracts attention around the world. Small businesses have created an artisanal economy and culture. Battles for the environment launched the global green political movement from Tasmania. They have the cleanest air in the world, the purest water. They’re self-sufficient in renewable electricity.

But they don’t know how to talk about any of this. In the past, they traded in cliches like “clean and green” and “explore the possibilities.” Businesses, local councils, and artists had no shared language to rally behind, and the state government had no brand trends for decision – making.