Anacortes Chamber outlines targeted tourism marketing; reports strong digital reach and persona strategy

Jessica Kaiser, president and CEO of the Anacortes Chamber of Commerce, and Chance Newman of Last Chance Productions presented the Chamber’s tourism marketing results and the 2025–26 strategy to the Anacortes City Council on Aug. 25, 2025.

The presentation, paid largely with lodging-tax funds recommended by the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee, laid out where ads ran, how many people they reached, and how the Chamber plans to use visitor “personas” to target advertising more efficiently.

Why it matters: Tourism spending generates lodging and dining revenue that supports downtown businesses and the city’s lodging-tax-funded programs. The Chamber told council it is using data and targeted digital tools to try to increase return on that investment while smoothing seasonal demand.

Newman described the campaign’s media mix and pacing, saying the program runs streaming video, display ads, airport placements and billboards. He reported the campaign is pacing ahead of its target and cited a high video-completion rate for the campaign’s spots. The team also emphasized use of a website “retargeting pixel” that lets them serve follow-up ads to users who visit the Anacortes site after seeing an ad.

Kaiser and Newman described five visitor personas the Chamber will use to shape creative and placements: the “coastal family explorer” (families seeking tide pools and ferry rides), the “Freedom Cruiser” (higher‑spend recreational boaters), the “remote escapee” (remote workers blending work and travel), the “rugged weekender” (young adventure couples) and the “cultured collector” (older travelers drawn to arts and heritage). The presenters said persona-based targeting lets the Chamber choose different platforms and messages for different audiences rather than a single broad ad.

Council members asked how the team measures whether ads bring visitors to town and whether to reintroduce advertising in British Columbia. Newman and Kaiser said they use geotargeting and retargeting to detect users from source markets (for example, Seattle-area ZIPs or targeted ferry terminals) and then track whether that group later visits the Anacortes‑geofenced area. The marketing partner added that about 60% of website visitors reached through ads are on mobile devices.

On the Canada market, Newman said placements in British Columbia were reduced earlier in the year but the campaign is adding more BC-targeted placements after seeing license plates from that market return; the team also added Denver to airport advertising after Paine Field began a nonstop flight to Denver in recent months.

Council members asked for the slides and data; Jessica Kaiser said the presentation would be included in the final meeting packet and that the Chamber will present to the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee later in the year.

Speakers quoted in this article spoke during the 6(a) Chamber presentation and the following council Q&A.

Ending: The Chamber and its marketing partner will continue persona testing and AB tests through January 2026 to refine which messages and platforms drive the best lodging and dining return, and will report back to council and the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee as allocations are considered.