There is a big difference between tradition and “that's how we've always done it.”
I've been thinking about that a lot lately through my work with rodeos, agricultural organizations, festivals and associations.
Some things absolutely deserve protecting.
The history. The people. The community. The annual rituals. The things that make someone say, “This is ours.”
But the clunky registration system? The communication method nobody reads anymore? The process invented in 1997 because that's what the technology allowed?
Maybe not. 😉
My latest Western Insights Media article explores a framework I've started using:
Preserve the ritual. Modernize the delivery.
Because the goal isn't to make a 100-year-old organization look young.
It's to make sure it has a reason to exist for the next 100.
This article explores leadership, legacy, and community-building lessons drawn from the 100th anniversary convention of the Dude Ranchers Association. Milestone events like a centennial celebration are more than moments of reflection. They are opportunities to assess relevance, trust, and alignment within an organization.
Drawing on firsthand experience supporting this historic event, the piece examines what it truly takes to gather ranchers and operators who run 24/7 businesses rooted in land, livestock, hospitality, and people. Leaving a ranch to attend a convention requires meaningful programming, thoughtful curation, and a deep respect for members’ time and responsibilities.
The article also addresses one of the most complex challenges facing guest ranches and Western businesses today: succession planning. When a brand is deeply tied to its people, separating identity from operations becomes essential for long-term sustainability.
Through insights on leadership, strategy, and storytelling, this piece offers perspective for organizations navigating growth, transition, and the responsibility of carrying a legacy forward.
Companies aren’t just looking for marketers anymore — they’re looking for storytellers. As traditional media declines and audiences crave authenticity, storytelling has become a strategic business advantage, especially in Western, agricultural, and event-based industries where culture and community drive connection.
Nothing will boost your creator confidence like a Meta rep opening a call with: “So… how did you crack the code?” In this behind-the-scenes recap, I break down what Meta shared about the Edits app, trending Reels, real-time analytics, captions and “safe zones,” and why their best practice mirrors my own Instagram Trials Theory: test first, learn fast, and only then scale what works—without burning out or begging for likes.
Discover how Western Insights Media helped the Oregon Jamboree create a lasting legacy through the Pacific Northwest Stompeders - a fan engagement campaign for the 30th Anniversary that turned into a five-state movement and a blueprint for building community through events.
As a digital marketer, my obsession with Pinterest continues to grow as I continue to incorporate the platform into the strategy of many of my clients whose main digital focus' have been OTT, geofencing, blogging, influencers, commercials, print mediums, Meta Platforms, X, and TikTok. This might be the key that you've been looking for in your business strategy.
A fractional chief marketing office (CMO) is an outsourced marketing executive who performs the function of a CMO without your company having to commit to a full-time, in-house marketing leader. Western Insights Media prides themselves on being one of the leaders in western based events regarding out-of-the-box marketing combined with the utilization of traditional marketing methods to reach both your current and new audience demographic.
When it comes to finding your audience where they are, it can be a bit of hard work but the rewards for that work will provide an efficiency and return on investment that social media oftentimes fails to create. Let’s dive into a case example for a country music festival where we stepped through a series of surveys to find a new-age demographic for the event post the COVID-19 pandemic to find young country music enthusiasts and curate experiential marketing around their interests.
