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  • Behind the Scenes: Meadowlark Hills Video Shoot

    by Kristin Brighton on August 16, 2013

    Picture the scene: I’m sitting in a darkened bar after a long day of video filming, enjoying an end-of-day chardonnay. My cohorts are telling stories, sipping drinks, gossiping and spilling dirt on one another. There’s lots of laughter; so much, in fact, that I don’t want to go...

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  • Explore, Experience and Enjoy: The Importance of Distinct City Taglines

    by Kristin Brighton on June 12, 2012

    Whenever we work with a city, we are always on the hunt for what Seth Godin calls the Purple Cow. Our job as marketing strategists is to help clients figure out what makes them distinct from the pack. And it isn’t always easy. Many Midwestern towns share many similar assets. As...

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  • Does Your State Suffer from an Inferiority Complex?

    by Kristin Brighton on June 5, 2012

    To date, most of the work we’ve done at New Boston has been done in Kansas. We’ve conducted focus groups with people living in cities all across this vast state, and those hundreds of conversations have led us to two conclusions:

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  • Remember KISS?

    by Kristin Brighton on March 29, 2012

    No, I’m not referring to Gene Simmons’ theatrical rock band. I was referring to the old adage: Keep It Simple, Stupid. This is a lesson that I’ve learned the hard way over my career. As a big-idea person, I have a tendency to make things too complicated and detailed, so I have...

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  • Grieving Through Basketball

    by Kristin Brighton on March 2, 2012

    My dad passed away on November 9, 2011, from throat cancer that spread to his liver. (No, he was not a smoker…ironically, he was a health nut.) Good people sometimes suffer terrible things. He grew to accept that and to help the rest of us accept it, too. But this blog isn’t...

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  • Visit Greensburg

    by Kristin Brighton on February 29, 2012

    On our way home from Garden City last week, Lisa and I made a detour so I could see the rebuilt town of Greensburg. I’d read online about these amazing LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)-certified buildings that had been built to demonstrate the community’s...

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  • Principal Brighton? My Day at MHS West

    by Kristin Brighton on November 23, 2011

    What a difference two decades make! Last Thursday, as a member of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, I returned to my high school alma mater to participate in the first ever Principal for the Day event. This was a partnership between USD 383 and business...

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  • Don’t Miss an Opportunity to Make Me Feel Like I Owe You!

    by Kristin Brighton on September 27, 2011

    There’s nothing more exciting than an unexpected gift (at least for me…maybe I lead a boring life). Occasionally, I get unsolicited and amusing mailings from vendors or job seekers, so I love it when an unusual package is waiting for me at the office. A few days ago, I received...

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  • A Great-Wolf Approach to Community Marketing

    by Kristin Brighton on August 15, 2011

    With the kids now running amok until school starts, three of my high school girlfriends and I took our families last week for a three-day vacation get-together at Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City, Kan. Because I’ve been spending much of my time lately working closely with cities...

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  • Think Before You Send Out Your Next RFP (or, Why RFPs Are Bad for Business)

    by Kristin Brighton on July 18, 2011

    As a state-wide creative marketing and communications business, we get approximately 20 requests for proposal (RFPs) a year from local, state, and federal governmental agencies, universities, associations, chambers of commerce, nonprofits and private businesses. For governmental...

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