# Paradise Advertising & Marketing

> Paradise Advertising & Marketing is a privately held, woman-owned agency founded in 2002 and based in St. Petersburg, Florida. It specializes in tourism, hospitality and destination brands, combining research, brand strategy, creative, paid media, digital work, social media, public relations and measurement. Its pitch is unusually concrete for an ad agency: do not stop at making a destination look desirable; connect marketing to bookings, visitation, tax collections and local economic activity.

- **Founded:** 2002
- **Headquarters:** St. Petersburg, United States
- **Founders:** Cedar Hames (Founder)
- **Products:** Destination brand strategy, Omnichannel creative and media, Digital experiences, Public relations and communications, Tourism planning and stewardship
- **Notable:** Nearly 500 industry awards reported at the March 2024 launch of the Partner for Good brand., Eleven 2023 HSMAI Adrian Awards across client work., Nine 2024 Adrian Awards announced for campaigns serving seven destination and attraction clients, including two Best of Category wins.

## Products & services

- **Destination brand strategy** — Research, positioning, identity systems and campaign platforms for destinations, hotels, resorts and attractions.
- **Omnichannel creative and media** — Creative development, branded content, media planning and buying, paid advertising, social media and campaign distribution.
- **Digital experiences** — Websites, mobile-first experiences, search marketing, analytics, accessibility and conversion-oriented digital work.
- **Public relations and communications** — Media relations, press visits, executive thought leadership, reputation management, content development and strategic counsel, expanded through the 2025 acquisition of Laurie Rowe Communications.
- **Tourism planning and stewardship** — Tourism business plans, community and stakeholder engagement, sustainability programs and destination development strategy.
- **Measurement and insights** — Campaign analytics, audience targeting, attribution, dashboards and reporting tied to bookings, visitation and economic impact.

## Achievements

- Nearly 500 industry awards reported at the March 2024 launch of the Partner for Good brand.
- Eleven 2023 HSMAI Adrian Awards across client work.
- Nine 2024 Adrian Awards announced for campaigns serving seven destination and attraction clients, including two Best of Category wins.
- Florida's Paradise Coast case study reports $44 million in tourist-tax collections, 10% year-over-year visitation growth and 17% ADR growth.
- Visit Hendersonville case study reports a 15:1 OTA campaign return on ad spend and nearly $1 million in attributed direct bookings.
- Columbia County case study reports 6.4 million targeted digital impressions, $175,000 in direct economic impact and $54,000-plus in gross bookings at 5.9 ROAS.
- Acquired Laurie Rowe Communications in 2025, adding a stand-alone PR division, four professionals and a portfolio of 30 destination organizations.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Paradise was selected to lead public relations for The Vinoy Resort & Golf Club in St. Petersburg.
- **2026-07** — Discover Crystal River selected Paradise to create a digital resource hub for its Eco Compliant Partner Program, with a planned September 2026 launch.
- **2025-12** — Visit Pleasant Hill chose Paradise for marketing strategy, creative, media planning and buying, and public relations ahead of major 2026 Bay Area events.
- **2025-09** — Paradise acquired Laurie Rowe Communications; financial terms were not disclosed.
- **2025-08** — Mark Jaronski became CEO, while Barbara Karasek moved into the CMO role and Tony Karasek became Chief Growth Officer.
- **2025-07** — Wrangell Cooperative Association selected Paradise to develop a three-year tourism business strategy.

## Links

- Website: https://paradiseadv.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/paradiseadvertising/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/paradiseagency
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ParadiseAdvertising
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paradiseadvertising/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParadiseAdv/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/paradise-advertising-and-marketing
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-24