INTERVIEW
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MIKE MUNT
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BRANDING THAT SPEAKS VOLUMES MONTENEGRO PROVIDED THE PERFECT SETTING FOR MIKE MUNT TO EXPLAIN HIS VISION FOR A NEW BRAND TO HIS CLIENT RACHEL BOWERS. A BOAT TRIP, A NAPKIN AND SOME CREATIVITY AND TALĀZ WAS BORN!
My name is Mike Munt and I have had the great pleasure of helping visionary experiential accommodation enterprises by designing brands to connect with their market. Having worked with Under Canvas since their inception I have had a front-row seat over many developments in this arena.
Talāz has a missional vision on how to create positive outcomes for the environment, those that visit and the locality through nature based hospitality. In needing to communicate this picture, the challenge for Rachel at the start was not knowing if there was a process that could bring it all together.
In early 2023 I met Rachel Bowers, who is also an Eco Resort Network member.
Knowing that building a new operation takes a great deal of effort, the process of shaping the brand had to not create additional challenges. We needed to create a vehicle to hang the ideas onto to bring along the relevant stakeholders and investors. This same vehicle can then be used to attract guests.
When I discovered that Rachel was going to be at the network excursion to Montenegro I realised it was the ideal opportunity to meet in person. Rachel develops eco hotels and is the founder of TALĀZ, an eco camping experience. The mission at Talāz is to provide a unique and eco-friendly concept that focuses on the most important aspects of life: mental and physical wellness, reconnection, and the environment. Rachel had done a great deal of background work on the business model and purpose behind the project but was at the beginning phase of putting together a brand. Now there needed to be something that would tie it together and explain it from the ground up.
I initiated the process by digging into the vision, drawing out the underlying brand themes, and progressing towards the development of core ideas. The aim was to tell a compelling story about why this new venture was of benefit. Rachel shared that of key importance to the enterprise was operating on properties that were around water. Being around bodies of water evokes play, rest and a way of truly immersing oneself in nature.
