We decided to choose an interacting persona rather than a mute plush animal. It should be possible to directly address people and build a relationship to teenagers and grownups alike. We joined forces with a costume maker to design our own vision of a Mountie for the Bregenzerwald, a mountainous and forestry region itself. In fact, here in Austria people don't know much about the Mounties. For most people, it’s something between a scout and a friendly park ranger. We had plenty of space to build our own image.

One year after the first „Mountie sighting“, the Mountie, played by local actress Bianca Ruef, is a well known person in the region. Teenagers and grown-ups really enjoy interacting. The Mountie has it's own WhatsApp account and a lively Facebook page. The Mountie is used for all sorts of youth-centered communication, news and events around the Raiffeisenbanken. People address the Mountie as „Dear Mountie“ in Postings and the uniformed pal sure feels more like a official job than a plush costume. The clients even plans to hire one more Mountie and to extend the Mountie-experience through camps and other activities.