Making Your Marketing Feel Like an Invitation, Not an Ad | Ashley Johnson of Visit Newport Beach

Marketing Happy Hour · Sep 3, 2026 · 20m

In this episode, we sit down with Ashley Johnson, SVP and Chief Marketing Officer of Visit Newport Beach, who has spent twenty years building some of California's most beloved destination brands, including sixteen years at Visit Laguna Beach, where she became President and CEO at just thirty three years old and won an Emmy for a children's educational campaign that used storytelling to change visitor behavior. Ashley brings a perspective that translates far beyond the tourism industry: she breaks down what it actually means to sell a feeling rather than a product, why the best marketing feels…