Proven Results. Recognized Excellence.
Case Studies
Great strategy is about outcomes. Here’s a sample of the results I’ve delivered:
The Challenge Destination marketing has a sameness problem. Across the industry, ads often look and sound interchangeable—beautiful landscapes, smiling visitors, generic taglines, and familiar language promising that every place is “unique” without actually showing how. In this environment, true differentiation is everything. Cleverness, quirk, and unexpected humor aren’t just creative choices; they become [...]
The Challenge Across industries, audiences consistently reveal a truth brands often overlook: people connect more deeply with a relatable human than with a polished logo. Traditional marketing—scripts, slogans, staged visuals—struggles to compete with real-time authenticity, humor, and emotional presence. Many destinations and organizations face the same barriers: High noise and limited budgets Audiences [...]
The Challenge By 2017, Winona’s destination identity was visually and strategically outdated. The long-running “torn parchment” aesthetic—originally created by an outside agency—hadn't changed for almost 10 years. It seemed safe, predictable, and disconnected from younger travelers. Data confirmed the issue: A commissioned perception survey showed Winona ranked significantly lower among every demographic of [...]
The Challenge For more than a decade, Visit Winona’s annual Visitor Guide was developed within a partnership department that had no formal marketing or editorial experience. While well-intentioned, the structure left one of the city’s most visible brand assets without the creative direction, design leadership, or strategic oversight needed to function as an [...]
The Challenge Post-pandemic tourism came roaring back with one dominant theme: noise. Destinations everywhere were pumping out inspirational ads, recovery messages, and big-budget campaigns—yet audiences were burnt out, emotionally depleted, and scrolling past most of it. Winona faced the same landscape with a fraction of the budget. To compete, our team needed an [...]
The Challenge Merrimack Canoes holds a rare place in American craft history. Founded in 1954, it was the first canoe maker to pair wooden ribs with a composite hull—creating heirloom boats cherished for both beauty and performance. When the brand went dormant, owners held onto their Merrimacks like family artifacts. Years later, when [...]
The Challenge As digital behavior continued to evolve, it became increasingly clear that people were growing weary of impersonal, automated online experiences. Across industries—and especially in travel planning—audiences were gravitating toward human voices, real recommendations, and authentic interaction rather than static content and search-driven interfaces. After closely analyzing Visit Winona’s website performance, audience [...]
“Cynthya transformed my business with a rebrand that included a new logo, a smart website design and a fresh social media approach. I appreciated her ability to really understand my brand goals and help me reach them. She was responsive and great to work with.“
“Cynthya, seeing the way you tackled this contest has been wonderful. None of it comes together without you, so thank you! Bigger than the money we raised is the way we have gotten to join others in celebrating a thing we love.“
“Cynthya is sure the photo shoot is about the subject, and remains focused throughout her projects. She takes the time to get to know the subject and then creates photos that capture so much more than just the event at hand. She is personable, highly professional, and fits into any circumstance, making her photos that much more genuine.“
“Cynthya’s writing and photography speak for themselves – she is very talented and really gets to the heart of her stories and photography. Cynthya is also a great mentor and editor. She is a dynamic leader and I learned a lot from working with her on a daily basis.“