The Lemelson Foundation

Approach

ELISE provides comprehensive communications services for the Lemelson Foundation, a Portland, Ore.-based philanthropy that fosters invention and innovation to improve lives in the U.S. and developing countries. Our work for the Foundation includes digital media development, event promotions, marketing partnership strategies and media relations. During the spring of 2007, ELISE assisted with the publicity efforts for the opening of Design for the Other 90%—an exhibition at the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt—for which the Foundation was the major sponsor.

Results

Our ability to create sophisticated pitches that succeed is evidenced by coverage we secured about the exhibition and its participating organizations in BusinessWeek, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal  in addition to regional newspapers such as The Miami Herald. The New York Times story was the #1 e-mailed story of the day on nytimes.com, and The Wall Street Journal article resulted in several thousand dollars of donations to one of the featured organizations.

Our strategic approach was directly responsible for 35 million media impressions. The combined efforts of the Cooper-Hewitt and ELISE on this publicity campaign generated favorable press coverage worldwide and increased demand for the two-year traveling exhibition.