FreeThink: October 2006

FreeThink: a blog published by Maxwell PR

PadMan

sam: hey jen, y'know how we're working on that tampontification project for seventh generation?

jen scott: uh, yeah, duh.

sam: well, y'know how they said they had a "video" they made awhile back for their trade show booth?

jen scott: you mean the one where the guy is dressed up like a gigantic bearded maxi-pad and he does a bunch of stuff like gets groceries and does yoga and drinks a bloody mary?

sam: um, yeah, and eats a lot of red foods?

jen scott: hahaha. yeah, what about it?

sam: it's pretty cool that we put it on youtube and people think it's funny.

jen scott: totally. even adrants liked it. and, thousands of people have viewed it.

sam: yeah, that is cool. and funny. go us.

jen scott: totally go us. and padman.

sam: yeah, go padman.

posted on October 18, 2006

Size Matters

I don't know about you but I won't set foot in a Wal-Mart. Of course, I have my sociopolitical reasons, but it's also the sheer size of the place. What if I just need milk and diapers? I get lost. I hate the Generica, impersonal feel. The fluorescent lights, bad decor. "Always Less Money" for me means just plain "Always Less."

I have just the opposite experience in our local New Seasons. I LOVE this store. It is a community. The people are friendly, open and knowledgeable. I see my neighbors. The store is fully transparent, sourcing their food. They've got a wonderful variety of products - from local to global, organic to mainstream - for such a small chain. And the service! I once forgot my wallet. The checker let me take my groceries home! He knew I was good for the check and would turn around and come back with it.

So how can New Seasons provide that community, that little something extra, that one of the oldest retailers in our country can't? How can a small company, based in Portland with only local distribution, be so worldly, with services and offerings far better than the bigger chains?

For me, it's in the commitment and values. The core beliefs of one company over the other. It's the people, their passion and the experience they eagerly bring because it's a great place to work, not because it's the biggest. It's management giving people autonomy to make smart decisions because they trust their judgment. It's about having fun at work, because we all spend far too much time there.

Yes, small can be beautiful. It can also be local, but act global. It can change your point of view. It can build community. Sometimes it can even be more affordable. Often, it's far more effective. We know. We've got experience.

- Jen Maxwell-Muir

posted on October 12, 2006

Maxwell PR field trip - Urban WineWorks

The Maxwell PR team recently took a field trip to Urban WineWorks in the Pearl District and learned all about the fine art of wine blending.

Armed with three red varietals, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, a syringe and a wine glass, the team learned a little bit about wine tasting and flavors and why winemakers blend varietals. After that, the fun and the tasting began.

Here are the tools of the novice wineblender's trade.

We started with each wine on its own, then we paired up each blend evenly and finally we began mixing all three wines together. Here I am hard at work to make just the right taste.

Like ten mad scientists mixing, sampling and mixing again, each member of the Maxwell PR team experimented until they found just the right formula to meet their wine taste. Laura and Jen seem to be pleased with their blends.

My blend is 70% Syrah, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc. Check the comments section for other Maxwell team blends. Maybe you'll discover something new about your favorite PR studio.

- Bruce

The varied palates of Maxwell-ites:
Sarah - 60% Cabernet Sauvingnon and 20% each of Syrah and Cabernet Franc.
Erica and Jen Maxwell-Muir - 60% Cab Sauv, 30% Syrah and 10% Cab Franc.
Laura - 60% Cab Franc, 30% Cab Sauv and 10% Syrah.
Sam - 70% Cab Franc, 20% Cab Sauv and 10% Syrah.
Katy's was the same as Bruce and Jen Scott and Diane can't remember...so it must've been good.

posted on October 09, 2006

This One Time, at Brand Camp...

It's still dark and I've just woken up after having been in the hermetically sealed environment of the Denver Grand Hyatt for 24 hours. Because I'm an Oregonian, I long for a chance to walk outside and breathe fresh air. But for now I am more compelled to blog about what I heard, felt and experienced yesterday at the Brand ManageCamp conference.

It was an awesome day, even for this crusty old brand marketer. I tried to sum it up for the Maxwell team in an e-mail message, but realized that was not such an easy task to accomplish. So please indulge me as I take a more leisurely stroll down the memory lane of what I've learned so far.

Here is the short course.

We all know that consumers are super-saturated with choice, there is a glut of info and media platforms, and Americans don't trust businesses or the people who run them. So to resonate with consumers, successful brands tap into current social changes to make emotional connections. But that's easier said than done. What should a marketer do?

Tom Asacker says successful brands tap into social changes taking place and asked, what is a brand? Well, I had always been taught that a brand is a promise. Today I learned, in the crazy days of 2006, that a brand is an expectation of someone or something delivering a certain feeling resulting from an experience. Of course!

We need to understand that while in the old world, marketing tapped into consumers' desire to acquire stuff, today it's more important to realize that people are feeling a lack of significance in their lives. The opportunity is to do something about it.

Starwood's Scott Williams knows that companies can do that by forgetting about their corporate problems and worrying about customers' lives - observing them and seeing how they interact with the product. It's very likely, he says, that they'll make it clear that they want a sense of belonging and to be recognized, so companies (and their marketing teams) would be well-advised to create opportunities to reinforce that.

Companies need to provide a remarkable product or service, says author Ben McConnell, as the first rung on the ladder. It's a requirement, as we media relations pros know, since we can't sell a positive product-related story if consumers (and journalists) don't think the product is great. That's why the marketing disciplines of PR and word of mouth marketing are such natural partners (more than advertising) because we can't generate editorial coverage if other people don't advocate for the product.

As much as I respected all of the today's conference speakers, I hold former Coca-Cola CMO Sergio Zyman in the highest regard because he challenged us in so many ways. Here's a run-down of what he shared:
1. Most companies do not understand their value proposition and don't understand what actually motivates purchase intent.
2. Marketers should find out why certain people are buying more than others and then figure out if they can convince the others who are not buying as much about the benefits of buying more.
3. The focus group is dead, or at least it should be. (Hallelujah!)
4. When it comes to product innovation, consumers can't tell you what it would take to get them to buy, because they don't know. But there are critical questions you can ask to get closer to answers about what it would take.
5. Observe people, ask questions and challenge everything.

I couldn't agree more. So when you talk to Maxwell PR about the possibilities of our firm representing your interests, don't be surprised when we ask you - before we prepare a proposed scope of work - to demonstrate that:
1. The majority of your consumers believe your product is remarkable.
2. There are outspoken true believers in your product who'll gladly be interviewed by reporters.
3. You can provide contact information for people who love your product to the point that they see greater potential in themselves because they use your product or service. And, in the most elite cases, that there is potential to invoke the imagination and unleash the potential of these people.

For many years, our own Jennifer Maxwell-Muir has been crystal clear that our mission is to unleash clients' potential. Lyn Heward provided some tips on how to do that, but we'll save those for the next blog because the sun is rising in Denver and I need to talk a brisk walk before another day of inspiration from dynamic speakers in a hotel ballroom.

- Vicky

posted on October 04, 2006

	This spirited, open forum by Maxwell PR staff members, studio mates and colleagues features people who are, in our opinion, doing the right things to get people talking. You'll see us rave about organizations building communities and rant about those who are missing obvious opportunities. We sprinkle in a little marketing and PR rhetoric from time to time for extra vigor and enthusiasm, and will share observations and insight based on our own experience honing our craft every day.

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