LAD Communications Seizes Watershed Moment and Re-brands itself as Watershed
Portland, OR (10/9/09) – Portland, OR-based LAD communications announced it has re-branded and is now Watershed Communications (www.watershedcom.com).
“With instant communication tools such as Twitter and smart phones at everyone's fingertips, Public Relations 2.0 is more about being the media rather than pitching the media,” says Watershed Founder, Lisa Donoughe. “Our name change is reflective of how the agency is evolving with the times. It also seems appropriate as we mark the end of our first decade," says Donoughe, who founded the agency in 1999.
Twenty years ago, the consumer goods public relations function was a linear process devised primarily to create news with key media gatekeepers and have that buzz trickle down to target audiences. Today, citizen journalists can sometimes have more influence than a major media outlet. It’s the navigation of these uncharted waters and strategic, efficient use of the technology that Watershed provides for clients.
In fact, Watershed’s capabilities now include in-house video production, blog strategy, twitter campaign development and management, among other digital media strategies. “We’ve taken the role of editor, producer and narrative story development in-house, which allows us to build campaigns for clients that break through the clutter of the web and generate immediate results,” says Donoughe.
Watershed Communications is an independently-owned, strategic editorial services and event production company specializing in food, drink and hospitality. With locations in Portland and New York City, the agency is known for its ability to focus national media attention on its clients – many of which are Oregon's homegrown culinary success stories.
“When I first came to Portland from Manhattan in 1998, I was immediately impressed by the level of integrity in the cooking and ingredients, and had the privilege of representing culinary visionaries such as Cory Schreiber. Together, we helped define Northwest Cuisine,” says Donoughe, who has represented Wildwood Restaurant & Bar in Portland for 10 years.
From launching small start-ups like House Spirits – makers of Aviation Gin – to growing established regional brands – such as Deschutes Brewery, Nancy’s Yogurt and Erath Vineyards – Watershed takes pride in its cost-effective campaigns designed to promote the best of the Northwest.
“I started working with Watershed when we began planning to build our Oregon winery. As an established winemaker, I understood the importance of building a solid foundation for our brand and knew that Lisa and the Watershed team would blend their wine expertise with creative, yet practical ideas,” says Lynn Penner-Ash of Penner-Ash Wine Cellars. “With their strategic approach and coveted national media relationships, we’ve become an integral part of the Oregon wine country experience, creating a sense of place that attracts visitors both nationally and locally.”
In addition to the firm’s food, spirits, beer, and destination expertise, Donoughe and her team of seven technology-savvy narrative marketing experts, also run a small non-profit focused on building a national audience for Oregon’s craft winemakers. “My goal for the past ten years has been to create economic development opportunities for the local food artisans and crafts persons who define this region. When I founded the Indie Wine Festival in 2004, we set out to help small producers find an audience in order to stay in business. Today, the festival continues to grow in popularity and we are looking to expand by introducing our first winemaker scholarship in 2010,” says Donoughe. For more information on the artisan wine foundation, visit www.indiewinefestival.com.
“The agency’s growth dictated a thoughtful re-brand, so we worked with New Zealand firm Ocean Design, who created a family of four transformative logos that speak to our areas of expertise,” says Donoughe. In addition to the new brand, Watershed unveiled a new interactive website, created by Donoughe Design in San Mateo, California. The website includes features like a blog, updated client press releases, video and more, all emphasizing the firm’s ‘content provider’ approach to PR.
From a one woman business to a team of seven, Lisa Donoughe leads the Watershed team as Principal, while Lota LaMontagne acts as Watershed’s Senior Account Supervisor, Stephanie Selk as Account Supervisor, Jackie Zeider as Senior Account Executive, Katie Burnett as Account Executive, Michael Phillips as Research Associate and Ashley Kordestani as Communications Coordinator for the Indie Wine Foundation.
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Contact:
Jackie Zeider
Watershed Communications
503.827.6564
Jackie@watershedcom.com
