Love MBTX: A Homegrown Campaign with Heart
How Mont Belvieu built a brand without a big budget—and won the community’s heart
Most local governments should not try this.
A branding campaign done entirely in-house, without the help of a professional firm, is a risky move. But in Mont Belvieu, Texas, they didn’t just try it. They nailed it.
What makes this different? Two things: veteran experience and deep local roots.
Brian Ligon, the city’s Communications Director, brings years of local government storytelling savvy to the table. Abby King, Mont Belvieu’s Senior Communications Coordinator, pairs formal marketing training with something even more powerful: She grew up there. This combination of institutional knowledge and hometown instinct allowed them to launch Love MBTX, a grassroots campaign that’s a masterclass in community building.
A City of Contrasts
Mont Belvieu may not be what you'd expect. Just 33 miles east of Houston, it’s a fast-growing suburban city that’s home to over 11,000 residents and, at the same time, one of the most important hubs for natural gas liquids (NGLs) in the country. Its strategic location near the Houston Ship Channel puts it right next to one of the most industrialized regions in America, in an area known for its many heavy refineries and, well, some very distinctive odors. Locals know the jokes—Pasadena down the road is nicknamed “Stinkadena”—but Mont Belvieu proudly holds its own.
Despite the industry, or maybe because of it, there’s a unique blend of pride and practicality here. Residents boast about their access to a city-owned gigabit internet utility, a championship golf course, and one of Texas’ top-rated school districts. The city’s website touts the “unparalleled quality of life” and it’s not just fluff. It’s a place where families enjoy wave pools and farmer’s markets, all in the shadow of petrochemical plants. And yes, they love their H.E.B. grocery store.
A Campaign Born from Complaints
With rapid growth (Mont Belvieu has grown by approximately 211% since 2010) came growing pains, and growing complaints. The city was changing fast, and longtime residents weren’t sure how to feel about it. But Brian and Abby saw something in the negative chatter: love. The kind of fierce, protective love people feel when something they care about starts to look different.
“The complaint may not be a complaint,” Brian told me. “It’s a protective reaction. People care so much about this community that they react out of passion, not anger.”
So, they built a campaign that gave residents a way to express that love.
Strategy and Storytelling
The campaign had a dual purpose: Build brand equity for the city and strengthen community pride. Most residents strongly identify with Barbers Hill ISD, a great school district with deep roots. But that association often overshadowed the role of the city in their day-to-day quality of life.
Love MBTX sought to change that. Through social media campaigns, public art, and pop-up activations, the team highlighted city services like parks, public works, and Mont Belvieu’s city-owned broadband network, MB Link.
The launch last July 4 was low-budget but high-impact: red, white, and blue sidewalk stencils, stickers, and T-shirts. Success metric: they ran out of stickers that night.
They layered the message across platforms. A stencil scavenger hunt. Employee spotlight videos. A branded vocabulary list to unify messaging. And yes, even a music video (more on that song below).
📅 GGF Office Hours Feature: Love MBTX Live!
Want to hear more from Abby and Brian? Join us for the next GGF Office Hours as they share insights, lessons learned, and behind-the-scenes stories from the Love MBTX campaign.
Also joining us: Frances La Rue from Anna, Texas, whose Blippi-style video promoting their Touch A Truck event was featured in the March 21 edition of Good Government Files. She’ll share how it came together and what made it work.
🗓 Wednesday, April 16 at 11:00 AM (CT)
🔗 Register here
An Internal Rallying Cry
What started as an external branding campaign has evolved into something bigger: a unifying message for employees and leadership.
City Manager Brian Winningham regularly uses Love MBTX in staff emails and public meetings to reinforce purpose and pride. One of his mottos for the year, “What We Do For You,” was woven into campaign messaging. The campaign became part of new employee onboarding.
Staff have embraced the movement. When T-shirts first dropped, employees were lining up to get theirs. Departments now compete to have their team members featured in spotlight videos. Two employee profiles, on a solid waste driver and MB Link technician Kellon Robertson, sparked outpourings of appreciation from residents who recognized these frontline employees by name. They shared personal stories and expressed genuine love for them.
“Even better than the video was the comment section,” Brian said. “That’s why we did it.”
The rest of this newsletter dives into:
✔️ Love for the Love MBTX employee spotlight videos
✔️ Why this campaign was built for the long game
✔️ What $2,000, some street smarts, and a little AI can really do
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