video - say no to jugs

video - clean like a mother!

vote daisy

Wow! So check this one out! Apparently Clorox® has sent method a cease-and-desist order concerning the use of an image of a daisy (yes, a daisy! As in the flower! Not even an iconic rendering of said daisy, but more so, simply the daisy!) So in true method style, they've built a grassroots website focusing on the fact that the daisy does indeed, belong to Mother Nature, and not Clorox® or method!

The site starts out: "hi there! our friends at Clorox® sent us a friendly note claming that the use of any yellow daisy imagery is an infringement of their trademark. considering mother nature designed the daisy, not Clorox®, we have a hunch she would object. what do you think?"

One interesting note is the fact that method used this advertising image early in their brand debut. - While Clorox® GreenWorks didn't even debut until 2008. Seems like the cease-and-desist should possibly be the other way around? Is this simply another case of "Big Business Bullying?"

Check out the entire votedaisy.com website here, vote for your choice, and read the Clorox® letter they received. Interesting to say the least! What do you think?

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Just in! The New York Times has picked up on the daisy battle!

in print

It's not very often you'll find method print ads! But as I was flipping through the latest issue of Dwell magazine (pictured above - full of modern drool! They should just call it Drool magazine, really!) I stumbled upon a TWO-PAGE spread method print ad! Whoa! It was of course for their new and most amazing laundry detergent! So be sure to check it out next time you're perusing Dwell!

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Speaking of their laundry detergent. Target has these plastic presentation pieces they're clipping onto the shelves, next to the new detergent. They slide a card into the plastic thingy-ma-bob which gives people a quick what's what about the product! Well, as you know (if you've ever bought poster frames) the acrylic presentation pieces come with a blue sheet of film over them (to prevent scratching.) And one of my Targets had failed to remove the film, so it was hard to see the card. So there I am with my fingernails trying to make a scratch into the film, so I could pull it off the presentation piece and allow people to read the card more easily! I accomplished my goal, and quickly wadded up the film and slipped it behind the shelf piece. And as I walked away thought to myself "I really gotta get a life! I DON'T work for method!" Ha ha! Eh, what can you do?

green push

The Wallstreet Journal has a really interesting article out focusing on method (and Seventh Generation's) latest big green cleaning products push using new advertisting campaigns! Check it out:

"Green Products To Get A Push |
by Ellen Byron and Suzanne Vranica

Encouraged by resilient sales, some leading makers of environmentally friendly household products are boosting their marketing firepower, mounting a broader challenge to manufacturers of mainstream consumer goods.

Seventh Generation and Method Products, which both tout their cleaning and personal-care lines as safer for people and the environment, plan to launch their first major marketing campaigns this week. Both companies are hoping to capitalize on the momentum behind "green" products, which have posted surprisingly strong sales despite the weak economy.

The campaigns come as the two companies take other steps designed at least in part to prepare them to compete more directly with their mainstream counterparts. Seventh Generation is introducing a line of disinfecting wipes and sprays, while Method is expanding its lineup to include a new laundry detergent. They are also polishing their management credentials: The founders of both companies recently brought in consumer-product industry veterans to take over chief-executive duties.

While many shoppers switched to cheaper products during the recession, sales of products promoted as environmentally friendly have held up relatively well, despite their premium prices. Over the past five years, U.S. sales of "ethical" household products—what the industry calls items marketed on the basis of meeting an ethical standard—have nearly tripled, reaching an estimated $1.6 billion in 2009, according to market-research firm Packaged Facts.

"People may be trading from steak to poultry, but the people who buy these green products believe the health and safety of one's family is more important," says Burt Flickinger III, managing director of consulting firm Strategic Resource Group.



Indeed, a spokeswoman for Seventh Generation says sales at mass-market retailers rose 20% last year from the year before. The company says its 2009 totaled sales about $150 million, but declined to disclose profits.

Seventh Generation plans to launch its first TV ad on Monday. In the past, the Burlington, Vt., company has relied on small, mostly online, campaigns to promote its products, which include diapers, trash bags and laundry detergent it touts for attributes like biodegradability or natural ingredients.

The new ads, based on the slogan, "Protecting Planet Home," describe a household that uses Seventh Generation products as a place where "no one holds their breath while they're cleaning." Seventh Generation declines to disclose how much it is spending on the ads, which coincide with its introduction of wipes and spray that use a thyme-based disinfectant technology.

Method has depended on offbeat marketing tactics, including a Web site that lets people wash away their sins virtually with its hand soap. Now it is rolling out its largest ad campaign ever to plug a new superconcentrated laundry detergent. The product, scheduled to hit U.S. stores this month, comes in a slim bottle with a pump dispenser.

San Francisco-based Method is spending $10 million on the campaign, which includes a new detergent Web site that launches this week and print and online ads that begin next month. The pitch takes aim at the company's bigger laundry-aisle competitors with the tagline "Jug-Free America," suggesting that consumers don't need to lug around heavy detergent bottles.

One ad compares a Method detergent bottle with a large orange one, a not-so-subtle swipe at market leader Procter & Gamble's Tide..."

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Read the rest here! Thoughts? (And what do you think of Seventh Generation debuting an all-natural disinfectant formula? Good? Bad? Does disinfectant = antibacterial? What if method were to do this? Comment!)

snarky bubbles

Wow, method's made it to that snarky land called gawker.com! Which usually isn't a good thing. Being how gawker is all snark, all the time.

In a post titled "Everybody's Mad at Dolls, Cartoons", discussing the new African American Barbie and methods recent Shiny Suds online ad (I know, odd combination!), they go on to say:

"We like to "jest" with the advertising industry about how stupid and evil they are, but the truth is that marketing is not easy. Today in Fuzzy Public Outrage: Dolls are racist, and soap bubbles are rapists. Here is one of those "viral" videos you've heard so much about. In it, imaginary cartoon soap bubbles representing chemical soap scum linger around a lady's shower, acting like jerks. That is because the household cleaner company that made it supports rape."

They're jesting (AND snarking!) on that last sentence, as it's linked to this article, over on Advertising Age:

"Household cleaner marketer Method has pulled down a viral video roundly applauded by marketers at the Association of National Advertisers annual conference last month and by most viewers who've seen it because of heated complaints from some women who view it as sexist and even condoning rape.

The "Shiny Suds" video from Droga5, New York, the agency's first work for Method since winning the account a year ago, was a parody of traditional household cleaner advertising meant to support the Household Product Labeling Acts, which would require disclosure of ingredients in household cleaners.

The video, while taken down late last week by Method from its website and Droga5 from YouTube, remains available through unauthorized versions.

Scrubbing Bubbles, which the next day turn into leering perverts commenting on the woman taking a shower and urging her to use a loofah. The message: "You deserve to know what chemicals are in your cleaners."

The video got more than 700,000 views in a week on YouTube and a five-star rating from viewers before Method pulled the plug. Method competitor Unilever seemed to like it, too. Search ads for its Dove brand appeared alongside results for searches on the phrase "Shiny Suds" the day the video first appeared Nov. 18. (A spokeswoman for Dove didn't return an e-mail for comment by deadline).

Little did attendees at the ANA or most commenters on YouTube and Twitter know, however, that the Shiny Suds were really about degrading women and promoting rape, at least in the opinion of commenters on one blog, Shakesville, which posted the video in its "Today in Rape Culture" section.

That elicited more than 100 angry comments from posters, many of whom said they would stop buying Method products and helped produce some of the hundreds of negative responses to the company's website MethodHome.com. Among the posts: "Making us fear chemical residue from cleaning products because it's tied into a rape threat is beyond sickening."

Of course, that's not the point Method was trying to make. "Due to the sensitive nature of [concerned viewers'] concerns we chose to take down the video," a spokeswoman for Method said in an email statement.

"We received a great deal of feedback about the Shiny Suds video, much of it overwhelmingly positive," she said. "We also received feedback from concerned viewers. ... As with all media messages, people will interpret our video in different ways. The purpose of the video was to raise awareness for transparency in cleaning product ingredients, to which we remain committed."

Besides offending some people, the video did result in 2,500 letters supporting the Household Products Labeling Acts to more than 400 members of Congress, according to Method."

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I guess they did manage to get some positive support out of this after all (2,500 letters!) But it's telling to me that over on gawker, commenters immediately began repeating many of the negative posts we've already seen on Facebook, and method's people against dirty blog. I'm thinking method will be glad when this bubble has popped, and gone away.

pop go the bubbles

UPDATED UPDATE The really downer here is, the whole purpose of this ad, to promote the Household Product Labeling Acts of 2009 bill, has completely been lost due to all the backlash on this playful (if taken a bit too far) online ad. Not only has the video been taken down most everywhere, but the blog post on their official people against dirty blog has been closed, comments and all (because as soon as method would remove the current comments, people would get into a frenzied rage all over again.) And the people against dirty page, which allowed you to add your zipcode in order to get you involved in pushing this bill forward, has also been taken down.

I get that people are mad! (Wow, do I get that!) But besides wanting an apology (and boy, do they want that, as well!) I think many advocates are taking it a tad too far with the "I'll never buy method products again!" arguments. I mean, people, and companies, make mistakes. One possibly tasteless ad does not mean their products now suck. method had no real intention of causing this type of uproar. It'll be curious to see how this all ends up (an apology? A redesign of the people against dirty/bill page? Who knows!) But one thing is for sure, from what I've seen online so far, this ad is already infamous! I doubt we'll be seeing any additional video advertising from method for a very long time (unforunately.)

PS - "shiny suds" is the sixth most popular keyword search on method lust right now!

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UPDATE Sadly, from method's official people against dirty blog:

"We received a lot of feedback about our “Shiny Suds” video.

"We understand the concerns associated with our video and have removed it from YouTube and all other controlled sources. This includes pulling the video and its corresponding comments from our blog. We are all for healthy debate, even when it’s not in favor of method, but when individual contributors begin personally attacking each other, we feel our blog’s purpose becomes unproductive.

Here at method, we are a group of women and men who care about our planet, but first and foremost about people. The purpose of this campaign was to raise awareness for transparency in cleaning product ingredients, to which we remain committed. It was not at all our intent to offend or promote any form of harassment.

We continue to learn, and we appreciate the fact that you took the time to reach out to us."

Ouch.

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So method recently debuted their brand new "ad", promoting their support for the Household Product Labeling Acts of 2009 bill to lots of cheering and excitement! And then... the bubble burst, and the backlash hit. Comments have popped up on their official people against dirty blog; as well as on their Facebook page, with statements including:

"When did Method become pro-humiliating women sexually? Do you not understand that your target market is women, not frat boys? Why do you find the sexual harassment and humiliation of women so hilarious and such a selling point?"

"Disgusting. I am so, so deeply repulsed by this advertisement. Did you not consider the implications of an image of a woman frantically scrubbing in a shower to erase the feeling of having her space invaded? Did this strike you as funny? How do you think this makes women feel? You just lost a lifelong Method customer, one with a mouth so big that you're about to lose a hundred more. Think."

"You have lost another longtime customer. I will no longer support a brand which has so little regard for women in general and obviously has no idea who their target audience is."

"Huh. I wonder if Method would be okay with commercials that happily depict other forms of illegal activity, such as carjacking, mugging, shoplifting, or slashing someone's tires. Probably not, which makes it interesting that they find illegal activity okay when it comes to sexual harassment, spying and threats."

"I'm really bummed. I love your products and I pretty much use them exclusively for home cleaning. Now I need to find another product to fill the void that will be left, as I can no longer purchase your products. While I agree with your premise that chemicals should be disclosed on the label and the website, I find your execution offensive and downright disgusting. For the record, I have a great sense of humor. Your ad victimizing the woman in the shower just isn't funny. At all. Did you stop to consider for a second that many in your target audience have been raped? Or that women undergo the kinds of comments and humiliation depicted in your ad on a daily basis? That your ad could be deeply, deeply hurtful and offensive? I didn't think so.

When I wrote to you earlier this week, I said that the only thing that would get my business back was a full apology and acknowledgment that your ad was offensive and wrong. Instead I got the canned response I clearly asked you not to send me in my note, telling me I just don't get the humor. I will not be buying Method products in the future, and I will be returning several unopened containers to the store. Judging by the other comments on this post, I'm not alone."

...And it goes on, and on, and on, and...

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So, what do you think? You can catch the ad here, if you haven't already seen it. Here's my take on this ad (keeping in mind that a) I'm not a woman; but b) as a gay man, I definitely understand being politcally correct, etc.) I think they could have ended the video at 45 seconds, and hit all their points well. After that it starts hitting some over the top territory, but I think it's still cute. I'm NOT offended by this ad. I think a lot of people are missing THE point. Those bubbles are dirty, nasty chemicals. Acting like dirty, nasty chemicals. But somehow, instead of people reacting and going "Ugh, those chemicals are nasty. I will no longer be buying bad cleaning products!" It's turned into "Ugh, those chemical bubbles are sexual predators, and I will no longer be buying method!"

What's your take? Honestly, I think everyone is so "PC" these days, we just sit around waiting for something to make us angry, so we can complain about it. And I mean everyone. You really can't do anything without someone wanting to make a fuss. But do you think method crossed the line here, or is everyone just getting way too upset for no reason? Comment away!

mr. shiny suds

UPDATE NOW, with Take Action-ability!

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Leave it to method to always take something just ONE step further than you feel comfortable with. And I mean that in a good way! This video is hysterical! Not only are the shiny suds sexist frat boys, but I love when the woman says "what the f*!?" upon discovering them in the morning. ONLY in a method video! Ha ha! It looks like method made this video themselves, which is sorta a peek into what their television commercials could look like, if they were to ever go in that direction! Enjoy!

method + microsoft

UPDATE I've just replaced the Youtube video with a much better quality vimeo version (supplied by method!) Enjoy!

I would have totally thought method would be an Apple house? I mean cool + hip + designy = Apple/Mac! (But yeah, I'm not about to start a Windows/Mac war here on method lust, ok? Those things can get hot and heated, people! Ha ha! And I work on a PC here at the office! But oh yeah, would like to beat it senselessly on a daily basis... but I digress!) Here is Microsoft's new ad campaign, premiering tonight on The Squawk Box on CNBC (news via methodtweet!) This one in particular features Eric Ryan, one of our favorite two method co-founders, talkin' soap (and other company type stuff!)

nice jug

I've found a couple more ads method has ran in the past (I believe these were also part of a booklet they once sent out.) I don't believe I've ran these before (honestly, I'm starting to forget what I have and have not posted! Ah! Too much method! Wait, you can NEVER have too much method!) Unfortunately, I don't have these at a larger size (or more readable.) But you get the idea, right? Enjoy!

come on in

method luster steve parker let me know HSN.com is running a sweepstakes, and they have an ad which showcases method! Look at one of the prizes you can win!

"Green Your Life with Method - Founders Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry offer a prize package that's keen on green. You and a companion will visit the Method headquarters in San Francisco, where you'll design a personalized home detox kit and dine with Eric & Adam. After a day of natural nourishment at Solage Calistoga resort & spa, you'll be sent home to a year's supply of your custom-designed Method products, a Whirlpool Duet Steam washer & dryer and the eco-efficient Whirlpool dishwasher. Winner announced July 30 on HSNtv."

OK, custom-designed? Uh, what DOES that mean? Like we can make our very own as I dreamed about here! Or does it mean we get to select our very own grouping of method products to use all year long? I don't know! Hey, anyone from method reading this, if you have more info, please comment below! I'd appreciate it!

I actually, quite by coincidence, saw this ad on tv this morning during The Today Show! So sign up, you just might win! (Ok, well chances of winning are probably pretty slim. I mean, just from experience, I never win a thing! Nothing, nada! But hey, where's the harm, give it a try! You never know! Well... I know I won't win, but you might!)

speaking of...

Speaking of the new site updates, did they always have that news section? (Located at the lower left bottom.) I'm not sure why it's not integrated with the blog (which might happen down the line, I know they're reworking their blog a bit.) But I just noticed the news section today (but, uh, I'm also a bit slow, so who knows!)

I was pleasantly surprised to see Good Morning America has showcased the newest method personal body care line recently! How cool is that!

method commercials!

method luster Netta just let me know:

"Nathan, Nathan....ooooh I am so excited. I am sitting on my living room couch watching (tv) anywho, a Target commercial just aired and the theme was "green" and a few items were shown in snapshots and one of the items was... wait now... brace yourself... a method tear drop hand soap in what looked like go naked and they zoomed in on the hand wash so you saw "method" in big letters. I hope that Target is going to continue these "green" commercials and I hope that Method continues to get that exposure."

Unforunately I haven't been able to find this particular commercial online; but during my search, I found another Target commercial featuring the method omop! How cool is that! Target always has great commercials, and adding method to the mix just makes them even better! I'll hope to see the one Netta mentions on tv soon!

a method to marketing

I've gotten some requests for information on the marketing side of method! (Including what font method uses - it's Avenir, by the way!) And being that I'm in the graphic design biz, I also get intrigued by the "behind the scenes" stuff! So check out this article on method's marketing, from over on Dynamic Graphics:

A Method to Marketing
Thanks to a cutting-edge palette and packaging,
Method is cleaning up in home care goods.
by Rodney J. Moore

Method enlisted Karim Rashid to help design product packaging that would “disrupt” the marketplace. He wound up opening doors for their entry into Target. His handwash package design (top) turned the personal care category on its head. “The graphic way that we treated these distinct product shapes [helps them] really stick in your head,” says Tim Roper of Crispin Porter + Bogusky. Five years ago, Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry decided on a course of action that was not unlike David taking on Goliath. Their company Method, which offers household products ranging from hand soap to floor care, would take on the giants of the industry. Turns out it hasn’t been a fair fight.

When Method launched, cleaning products was one of the most stagnant and conventional categories around. Now, thanks to partnerships with Karim Rashid for packaging designs and Crispin Porter + Bogusky (CP+B) for marketing, Method has found a welcome niche for the forward-thinking and forwardlooking product line.

What makes Method so unique is their philosophy. In a phrase, their mantra is “be disruptive.” The first thing you notice about Method products is the packaging design. After an initial launch in the San Francisco area, Ryan and Lowry courted Karim Rashid to help get their products noticed on a national scale. Method’s partnership with Rashid would open the door for their entry into national distribution via stores like Target.

When it came time for their first full-scale marketing effort in 2004, Method teamed up with Miami-based Crispin Porter + Bogusky for a campaign to raise brand awareness and get products in consumers’ hands. With a budget that might be an accounting error to the likes of Procter & Gamble or Unilever, Method had to find a creative way to be effective. From the many ideas CP+B pitched, Method decided on an 18-page booklet insert that would explain their philosophy and offer starter kits for sale. Oh, and naturally it would feature on the cover a naked man cleaning house. Is that disruptive enough for you?

“Those original Karim Rashid [packaging] designs were very inspirational for us,” says Tim Roper, CP+B executive vice president and creative director. “We immediately saw a company that wants to take some risks.”

Continuing with the disruptive theme, the booklet’s small size and title —“People Against Dirty”— stood out in the publications (such as Real Simple) in which it appeared. Suffice it to say, this is one booklet that got noticed. And thanks to the starter kit offers, Method had a way of measuring its effectiveness. “It’s a pretty good device for getting direct feedback from people who have seen the booklets,” says Roper. “I must say in all my years of advertising, we probably had a more positive wave of overwhelming response on this first book than anything I’ve ever worked on.”

While Method was pleased with the overall campaign effort, they never dreamed that the booklet would become something with pass-along value.

Method’s “People Against Dirty” booklet was the first real marketing piece of the young brand, so it had to make a big splash on a limited budget. “I think it’s just fun and approachable,” says Roper “It’s not like work to read through this thing. It’s pretty breezy. And there’s a lot of pass-along with these books: Women give them to friends and cohorts, and they may get a giggle out of one spread or another.” Method was pleasantly surprised by the pass-along value of the booklets. “The viral aspect of the booklet was much greater than what we had anticipated,” says Sangita Forth, pod director at Method.

“One of the reasons why it seemed to work in this case as a booklet is because Method had a unique story to tell, and they were doing it for the first time,” says Mason Reed, management supervisor at CP+B. “I think those two things combined gave it a depth and richness that needed to be told, and the longer format allowed for that. And their brand itself has a lot of different dimensions: It has a fragrance story, a social responsibility story, and a design aesthetic across the board. When you are new and don’t have the dollars to put this in all of the different places you would want, [the booklet] allowed us to tell a deeper, richer story in one place.”

The idea of using colors as your palette that complement a pink grapefruit, or a cucumber, or lavender, or eucalyptus mint is very intentional and purposeful,” says Roper. Background color for the the pink grapefruit execution was C0 M45 Y40 K0. Fonts maintaining the cool, clean tone in the booklets and website are Avenir Black, Avenir Roman, and Recycle.

In addition to the booklet, CP+B launched a website that was equally disruptive and popular. The site, www.comeclean.com, served as an online confessional for folks who felt compelled to “come clean.” Only an unobtrusive icon near the top of the web pages served as a link to Method’s product information.

So successful was their initial People Against Dirty booklet that Method published another booklet insert in 2005. In 2006, Method printed a third booklet focusing on their laundry line of products. The next step in the Method story (has been) a more traditional print campaign."

flashback/flashfoward

It's just like Lost! Flashback, Flashfoward! What, you don't watch Lost? Geesh! What's wrong with you? Eh?

Here's a cool look at before + after. The photo on the left shows Eric Ryan, method co-founder, way back in the day when they were first spreading the word about method cleaning spray; traveling personally from store to store! Then right shows those UK folks promoting method today! (Well, not really today, as in actually this day; but more so as in this year. Or perhaps last year, but like, not that long ago. Definitely not as long ago as the Eric pic, cause that was like, a long time ago, and such, uh, yeah, am I making any sense? No? Ok, just checking!)

waging war on dirty

More method ads! These are the final ones taken from the "camaflouge campaign". The previous two were posted yesterday. Enjoy!

camaflouge method

More method advertising! This time the images were large enough that I was able to also showcase the copy. Looks like method's ready to fight the war on dirty! Tomorrow I'll post the other two ads in this "camaflouge campaign".

live out loud

So, what do you think? Would you lust for one of these, stickin' pretty in your back car window right above your Apple logo (cause come on, the fact that Apple gives away free bumper/window stickers with pretty much any Apple purchase just rocks!) How about a method version (purchasable on their site? Or maybe even here on ole' method lust?) Telling it to the world! Would you get one? (Idea brought to mind by Steve Parker!)

it all ads up - more method ads

more print

More great print ads from method! (I haven't seen most of these.) They definitely go for different (which is great, they're method after all.) I mean, we're talking cocaine lines and mutated animals here!