Gov. Kevin Stitt and Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell Unveil New Brand for State of Oklahoma

Gov. Kevin Stitt and Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell unveiled a new brand for the State of Oklahoma during a program at the Oklahoma City Thunder Headquarters at Chesapeake Arena. “As Secretary of Tourism and Branding, Lt. Governor Pinnell has traveled to communities across Oklahoma and personally experienced everything our state has to offer,” said Stitt. “His enthusiasm and passion for our state and people is evident, and he charged full steam ahead to pull together creatives from all over the state to form and launch this new brand for Oklahoma. With it, we will work to breathe new life into tourism, job recruitment, investors, and much more.”
The brand is a result of nine months of work by a volunteer committee consisting of more than 140 creatives, called OklaX.
“Last summer I invited more than 200 of Oklahoma’s brightest and most creative designers, marketing experts, communications professionals, videographers and photographers to join me in creating a new brand for Oklahoma,” said Pinnell, “Their task was to develop a cohesive, new brand for Oklahoma that best represents our heritage and history, our booming industry, our beautiful one of a kind vistas, and most importantly, our greatest asset – our people. The vision behind this effort is to position Oklahoma as a top-tier destination for visitors, businesses, talent and citizens.”
Joining Stitt and Pinnell on stage was business and civic leader Steve Hendrickson, government affairs director for the Boeing Company and a member of the board of directors for the Oklahoma Business Roundtable.
“As a representative in Oklahoma’s aerospace and aviation industry, I have experienced first-hand the challenges Oklahoma faces when representing our state as a top-tier destination for capital investment, expansion, relocation and recruitment of new employees,” Hendrickson said. “Together, as Oklahomans, we can reverse these perceptions of being “one of those states in the middle” and instead we will create an awareness that we are the very center of the United States.”
The unveiling of the brand was via a video created by the volunteer team. The logo design is inspired by Oklahoma’s heritage. The shapes and colors reflect the earth, sky, water, agriculture and forest. A white star in the middle of the brand is a powerful symbol of America that was on the original flag of the state. The chevrons outlining the star acknowledge Oklahoma’s military. All the elements form a circle and direct energy inward, highlighting Oklahoma as a hub at the center of America.
The tagline “Imagine that” conveys the idea behind the Oklahoma brand: a state that surprised people by defying expectations, providing countless opportunities and inviting audiences to dream of their own personal potential. 
“Based on key attributes uncovered and through a competitive audit, the OklaX team staked out an authentic emotional positioning of Oklahoma as a remarkably friendly place of people who embrace and support each other and newcomers, so everyone can thrive,” said Pinnell. “When it was all said and done, this team has donated countless valuable hours of their time, talent, studios and even staff to lead us to this historic moment.” 
The OklaX team was divided into smaller groups led by seven team captains: Brenda Jones Barwick, Public Relations; Jesse Boudiette, Marketing; Brian Byrnes, Implementation; Whitney Emerick, Verbal Identity; Mike Kouhler, Web Strategy; Dan Martel, Video and Audio Production and Sarah Sears, Visual Identity.
The office of the Lt. Gov. will oversee the new brand, in coordination with the Oklahoma Department of Commerce and the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department. A brand manager was recently hired to provide assistance and guidance for all state departments, agencies and commissions on ways to implement the brand, respond to questions, provide feedback and to share success stories about the brand.
 “We are thrilled to add Amy Blackburn to our team as our brand manager,” said Pinnell. “She brings a wealth of experience in brand management and is also passionate about our state.” 
Over the next few months, the brand rollout will continue as highway signs, tourism efforts, agency websites, programs and communications begin to implement the new brand. 
“Today marks the beginning of a transformation,” said Pinnell. “The transformation of Oklahoma’s statewide, national and international image.”