The meeting was called to order at 9:00 by board chair Rep. Betsy Johnson. Board members, guests from the seafood commissions, and audience members introduced themselves.

Attendees
Board members present included Alana Audette, Barry Bushue, Orcilia Forbes, Nick Furman, Rick Gustafson, Chip Jenkins, Betsy Johnson, Tal Johnson, Michelle Liberty, Ralph Martinez, Cory Schreiber, Scott Shull, Betty Tamm, Mike Wilskey and Carol York. Staff included Debby Kennedy and Julie Curtis; and Wieden+Kennedy account executive Ken Smith also attended.

The board welcomed Dan Wieden, who gave an overview of Wieden+Kennedy's building, which took three years to complete, and serves not only as the agency's headquarters but also as a community facility for special events. Dan talked about how the Brand Oregon launch and campaign has generated a lot of interest, and how his firm—and he personally—are committed to its success. Betsy thanked Dan for his efforts, and for the involvement of his creative team.

Approval of meeting minutes
The February 27, 2004, meeting minutes were approved unanimously.

Oregon Seafood Campaign
Debby Kennedy presented an overview of the campaign, and invited the board to attend the April 27 press conference. Debby showed the billboards, played the radio spot and showed point-of-sale material. She asked Dalton Hobbs of the Oregon Department of Agriculture to elaborate on the campaign. Dalton discussed the label/POS material, and said this is the first time the four seafood commissions have worked together to leverage marketing funds for this type of promotion. He indicated that Pacific Seafood also contributed to the campaign, as did Clear Channel Communications with a significant donation of billboard and radio space. Dalton emphasized that this campaign will serve as a model for other agricultural promotions. Nancy Fitzpatrick from the Salmon Commission said her member fishermen are very excited about the effort and that they're getting some of the best prices in years for their fish (prices started at over $5/lb in March, and by late April were around $4/lb which is up significantly from $1.25 at the start of the 2003 season). Brad Pettinger of the Trawl Commission echoed his support for the campaign, as did Dungeness Crab and Albacore Tuna director Nick Furman. Nick emphasized how pleased the seafood industry is that this first in-state effort for Brand Oregon featured seafood.

The board had a discussion about the "Oregon Wild" vs. "Oregon Wild Caught" issue. The federal Agricultural Marketing Act requires that by September 2004, all seafood must have country-of-origin labeling; in addition, the federal government has recently recognized "wild" salmon as that which is caught in natural environments, even if it is hatchery-bred. This serves to distinguish wild from farm-raised salmon. Much of the discussion centered on the idea that other seafood species will be using the Oregon Wild label so it needs to be broad enough to fit more than just salmon. Board members Tal Johnson and Scott Shull suggested that "caught" be used more in explanatory text and "wild" be used in POS materials. The board's general feelings were that we have compromised, and found a workable solution, and that we need to keep the integrity of the "Oregon Wild" label for seafood. Dalton pointed out that with more than 250 Oregon agricultural commodities, there will likely be similar issues, and this campaign serves as a good test case.

Greg Robeson, a public relations consultant hired for the seafood campaign, gave an overview of the media strategy and campaign kick off events. All press materials are available on the Brand Oregon website, including seafood fact sheets and a contact list; press release; recipes provided by restaurants; graphic downloads of campaign materials; and the radio spot text. He discussed promotional tie-ins with restaurants in the Portland-Salem area, as well as the press conference on April 27. Debby commented that Greg and his associate Kelli Amico have been invaluable in working on the communications piece of the campaign.

After further discussion, Barry Bushue moved and Michelle Liberty seconded a motion to support the "Oregon Wild" label/logo, with the provision that educational materials inform the public about hatchery/wild/farm-raised differences among salmon. Motion passed unanimously.

Brand Oregon partnerships and label system
Barry Bushue shared his opinion that "Oregon Born" for produce feels to him as though the products just happen, without the care and management of farmers and growers. Ken Smith from Wieden+Kennedy explained that the labels are meant to stand out—be a little quirky—and that the goal is to have explanatory copy in POS material. Also, this system is still in process, and will be refined as more commodities come on board with the campaign. Chip Jenkins voiced his support for Oregon Born; Ralph Martinez pointed out that our goal is to create an umbrella marketing program that works for a variety of commodities and partner organizations, not to craft material that works for only one campaign. He believes that controversy is actually a good thing, as it draws people into what we are doing, and shows that the public cares enough to discuss our work.

Business recruitment presentation
Debby provided an overview of work to date with economic development interests on business recruitment. The campaign for greater Portland, being led by businessman Jim Mark, has a goal of raising $1 million per year for five years. She explained how the Brand Oregon office is working with the industry clusters identified by the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department (OECDD), and targeting those that seem to have the most immediate potential. She indicated that Brand Oregon also is working with the statewide Oregon Economic Development Association (OEDA). Debby has asked Wieden+Kennedy to research appropriate media, with a geographic overlay of California. The goal now is to raise funds to achieve enough reach with our business recruitment messages. Ron Fox of the OECDD provided an overview of how the department works with OEDA, managing the "oregon4biz.com" website, toll-free phone number and lead follow-up from advertising. He mentioned that two regional business development officers (Jill Miles and Bruce Laird) have been tapped to step up the department's recruitment efforts. Rep. Johnson asked Ron how he can assure that leads are followed up on in a timely manner; Carol York praised OECDD staff for their professionalism over the years in her region (Hood River and the Gorge). Barry Bushue said the state also needs to focus on existing businesses, particularly in the agricultural industry. Ron suggested that at the next meeting, there be a short presentation on what OECDD is doing in the area of business retention.

State agency coordination and websites
Julie Curtis presented an overview of efforts to coordinate state agency marketing. She has been working with the Oregon Department of Administrative Services on their website/e-government redesign project. Brand Oregon, working with Wieden+Kennedy and subcontractor deepplay tv, provided a graphic overlay to the existing state website structure, infusing more color and human-interest stories on state homepages. She also managed the development of the new Brand Oregon website, which was built by the OECDD in-house graphic designer/webmaster. Debby and Julie held the first state advisory board meeting on April 6, attended by approximately 20 state agency communications staff. That meeting was extremely helpful to Brand Oregon efforts, and the group agreed it is important to meet on a quarterly basis to update each other on state marketing projects.

Public market presentation
Ron Paul provided an overview of the proposed public market in Portland. The idea started four years ago, and is centered around the idea of a year-round public market devoted to food. Ron also gave a brief history of public markets in Portland, and discussed the tourism potential for such an effort. Ron explained that this project has an MOU with the Farmers' Market and that they are working together closely. Sites currently being considered include the INS building and Avery Square. Tal Johnson asked if the market might be named the Oregon Public Market; Michelle Liberty asked about the timeline, which is four to five years from now to complete the project.

The Bite of Oregon presentation
Margie Hunt and Peter Samson provided an overview of The Bite, whose focus has changed considerably from previous years. Margie explained that Special Olympics of Oregon (the sponsor of the event) wants to transform The Bite into a quality culinary event with a new look and expanded scope. The Governor serves as the honorary board chair, and they have recruited a high-profile board to help achieve their goals. A Brand Oregon focus is the cornerstone of their marketing material. Peter explained that Safeway has been the lead sponsor of The Bite, and that this year they have doubled their financial support. He also emphasized the potential for focusing on international trade for Oregon products, and said that on August 13 there will be a meeting/event to support this as part of The Bite's activities.

Defining the Oregon Brand
Rep. Johnson opened up discussion on this topic, asking the board how we should develop partnerships and provide/control access to our efforts. Tal Johnson emphasized that we need to be clear on what Brand Oregon stands for and stick to it; Cory Schreiber said that a focus on quality is essential. Ralph Martinez asked who owns the brand (the Oregon Tourism Commission has applied for a trademark on the tagline, "Oregon. We Love Dreamers"). Mike Wilskey discussed his thoughts on brand identity and brand plans, and agreed to chair a subcommittee to flesh this out. Tal Johnson, Michelle Liberty and Scott Shull volunteered to serve on this subcommittee. Cory asked about long-term public relations opportunities, especially as they relate to restaurants.

Other business

• The NPR radio interview with Debby was played. This gave us great national exposure.
• Scott Shull said the Oregon Wine Board is interested in participating in the seafood promotion.
• Michelle Liberty asked about media strategy, and Debby said this will be discussed at the next meeting.
• Ron Rentfrow of the Portland Rose Festival gave a brief overview of the event.
• The board all agreed that the meeting schedule is fine.