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Ocean Shores Marketing Coalition presents 2026 plan amid community criticism about transparency
Summary
The Ocean Shores Marketing Coalition sought $245,019 in LTAC funds for a 2026 campaign focused on content production and paid placement, while residents and committee members raised concerns about transparency and business outreach.
The Ocean Shores Marketing Coalition (OSMC) presented a proposed 2026 budget and marketing plan that prioritizes content creation and paid placement targeting households along the I‑5 corridor from Everett to Olympia and the Portland area. David Robinson, OSMC president, said the coalition used 2025 to build digital infrastructure, produce video and photo assets and begin placing paid streaming and broadcast ads. He said the coalition's work generated "reach" numbers in the millions and that produced footage and creative assets are available for local businesses to use free of licensing.
The coalition proposed a 2026 LTAC request of $245,019 to cover content production, additional creative work, and paid placement across broadcast and streaming platforms. Robinson said streaming placement yielded a per-household cost roughly in the mid‑teens and that their strategy emphasized repeated impressions (an average of multiple impressions per household per day) to increase destination awareness.
Several residents and committee members criticized the coalition for an apparent lack of proactive, consistent community outreach and for perceived self-promotion. An anonymous public letter read into the record accused OSMC of highlighting certain hotels and restaurants while omitting others and demanded detailed financial reports, proof that marketing drove overnight stays and an independent audit. Committee member Shannon and other members said some local businesses reported they had not been contacted; others said restaurant listings on the coalition's site showed variable completeness and inconsistent photo coverage.
OSMC representatives acknowledged uneven participation, said they had visited more than 60 businesses and offered a contact form and QR code for businesses to submit information and assert they would provide assets to any business at no cost. Robinson said if LTAC funding is withheld the coalition would turn assets over to the city. He also said the coalition had contributed in-kind and personal funds to produce content and continued to seek grants and partnerships.
The committee asked for clearer reporting on reach and conversion metrics (book‑direct leads, cost per unique household, impressions), and for staff to verify prior-year final reports; no award decisions were made at the meeting.
