sneak peek - the method method

Guess what, squeaky green fans? method co-founders Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry have a brand new book hitting store (and e-reader!) shelves in September! (You've still got your snazzy copy of their first book squeaky green: the method guide to detoxing your home, I hope!) So I thought I'd give you a quick sneak peek at the new cover (above) to the method method, as well as a bit about the book (which, if I don't end up on the cutting room floor, Ha!, will also include a case study on none other than the ole' method lust blog! Yay!) Details include:

Founded ten years ago by childhood pals Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry, Method has been making headlines and profits with a revolutionary blend of culture and commerce, style and substance. Today, Method's ecofriendly soaps, detergents, and cleaners are ubiquitous in stores, capturing valuable shelf space long dominated by the tired old products of giants P&G and Unilever.

Ryan and Lowry obsess over seven principles at the heart of Method's business philosophy, including:

+ Kick Ass at Fast: Use small size to your advantage; by bringing innovations to market faster, you can stay out in front of larger rivals.

+ Inspire Advocates: Rather than getting caught up in costly battles for market share, foster deeper relationships with fewer customers in pursuit of greater wallet share.

+ Win on Product Experience: Beyond satisfying your customers' rational needs, design experiences for them.

The Method Method is an irreverent, candid, firsthand case study. Readers will learn how today's consumers behave, how today's companies compete, and how both groups are acting together to drive profound global change.

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Will you be picking up a copy? (You know you want one!) Look for it online and in stores September 15, 2011!

building a business with a social mission

method co-founder Eric Ryan has written a great article over on Fast Company. Check out an excerpt:

"After ten years in business and hundreds of innovations, we can still confidently say that our proudest achievement at method remains our first: launching a company with a social mission to do good in the world. It was the right thing to do for society and the planet, and we’ve proven that it’s the right thing to do for the bottom line too. The rapid expansion of media transparency is producing increasingly well-informed and discriminating consumers. Similarly, the influx of socially and environmentally conscious Gen Yers into the workforce is redefining the war for talent. These two shifts challenge most established businesses -- but they're also significant competitive advantages to mission-driven companies.

Having a purpose larger than profits has been key to our success. By contrast, most corporate values are just that--the values of the corporation. No matter how much ambition, camaraderie, and loyalty an employee brings to work, no one is taking those corporate values home to share with friends and family. But those same values become immeasurably more meaningful when they’re tied to a higher purpose.

It’s human nature to want to be a part of something bigger than oneself. But we're still amazed at how many cover letters we get that open with lines like, “My goal is to work for a values- and mission-driven business.” But working with purpose and values isn’t just a matter of individual growth; finding meaning in work is central to a strong corporate culture..."

You can read the entire piece here.

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One item of product interest I took from the article was this line "...I was in Detroit looking at how the urban art movement could be supported by our upcoming Design Series product." Hmm! Looks like method is heading into design series packaging (seen on other products that take a specific design, art style or artist(s), and have their designs/art placed on the packaging.) Should be interesting and exciting! But wait, why haven't I gotten a call? (wink!)

inside the studio: method products

Check out this great article giving us all a peek into the method offices, and how they work!

Inside The Studio: method Products - the dieline

Our first glimpse inside the walls of Method Products proved to be somewhat of a surprise. Method’s close proximity to the city’s financial center gave us the impression we were about to walk into a rigid and sterile office space. Those feelings were soon expelled, as we entered a space that was casual and full of quirky touches. We met with Josh Handy and Sally Clarke, VP of Industrial Design and Design Director of Packaging, respectively. Both native New Zealanders, their accents came through as we touched on everything from their careers at Method, creative processes, and of course – working together as a married couple.

How did you get involved at Method?

Josh Handy: “I met Adam and Eric, the two founders, when I was working in New York at Karim Rashid Studio. This was back in 2000-2001 and they sat down across the table for Karim and me and said, ‘we want to change the world of cleaning. We want you to design a dish soap for us, and we want it to be the most revolutionary dish soap every created.’

We thought, this sounds all right. ‘How much money do you have?’

‘Uh, none.’

‘So what sort of distribution do you have?’

‘None’

Karim and I were kind of like, ‘uh-huh uh-huh, yeah see you later’

He and I had a chat afterwards and we thought; we’ll spend three days on it. We will try to get some shares off them -because at the time it was the dot.com boom, everyone was going for equity and talking start ups. We thought, what the hell, we’ll take a punt on it. We worked on it and we came up with the idea for the upside down dish soap. They took that design and took it to Target and Target said ‘We love it, let’s do it but you have to be on the shelves in 16 weeks.’”

Oh my gosh…

“They had to be there on the shelves in 16 weeks, so it was crazy trying to get the formula done. The bottle needed to be sourced, manufactured, tested, and all of that stuff. It was a nightmare and it turned out to be a bit of a disaster, because the bottles started to leak. And they were all on the top shelf. There are great Method legends of people going around and wiping down Target stores, getting all the soap off the leaky bottles! [Laughs] That kind of set the brand off.”

[After a brief move to Australia Josh had a chance encounter with one of Method’s founders]

“I bumped into Eric at a trade show in Chicago while I was there for my Australian job and we got to talking. He was like ‘You should come work for me.’ This is the short story, there’s a much longer story which is kind of fun. [Laughs] So we kind of made that happen.

So about 4 and a half, almost 5 years ago, we turned up here in San Francisco to work for Method. There were like 35 people. Its been a bit of a ride ever since..."

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Check out the full article over on the dieline!

method profile - todd d

Like a Phoenix from the fire, it returns! Oh yes it does, method profile is back, and ready to take names! Well, cause it has all these thank you notes for reading it that need to be sent out, but no names! Or addresses, so after names, it's ready to take addresses! Ok, so with that said, well, really, it has absolutely nothing to do with anything, except that... uhm, like a Phoenix from the fire, method profile is back!

1+ Your name, please? And do you have a nickname at method?
My name is Todd D. No real nicknames around the office. In my youth my nickname was “bonecrusher” because of a few unfortunate incidents on wrestling mats during physical education.

2+ What was your first method lust?
The first method product I ever lusted after was the icon dish soap by Karim Rashid. I was totally going through a “The Jetsons” type look and that dish soap bottle was love @ first sight.

3+ What brought you to method, the company? (How did you become interested in a career with method?)
Well method used to have this amazing pop up store in San Francisco and I would saunter in all the time and check out the merchandise. As a result I was asked to sample some new products (original detergent huge bottle) and kind of always kept up with what was going on @ method. Then serendipity happened and a job became available.

4+ What is your title/dept. at method, and what is it you do there? How long have you been with method?
My title is soap operator (hum to yourself the Sade classic Smooth Operator or better yet - my job is to make sure that our customers are taken care of and that they feel loved.

5+ What is the biggest thing you are currently doing, besides using method products, to help out the environment?
I don’t have a car so walking or taking public transit. Oh and I always recycle my champagne bottles.

6+ Who's the last person you've turned onto method?
My parents. The day I saw them toss that huge nasty detergent and switch to the new sleek 8x concentrated design was one of the happiest of my life.

7+ Which one best describes you as a person? Pink Grapefruit, French Lavender, Cucumber, or Go Naked?
May I do a write-in on this one? I think eucalyptus mint describes me perfectly.

Thank you Todd! I bet you talk to Todd, too, readers! He does a whole lot of advocate Q&A when you call, email, Facebook, or send method smoke signals; along with the whole gosh darn wonderous gang of great advocate professionals! So next time you talk to Todd, thank him for this nifty profile, alright? Alright!

That's it for now! But hey, method employees whom I haven't hunted down yet - would you like your very own method profile? Come on, you know you want one! If so, drop me an email and I'll let you know all about it! (It's easy peasy! Just like one, two, three-zy! (And then four, five, six, and oh yeah seven-zy too. Cause that's how many questions there are.)

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And don't think I've forgotten you method lust readers! How would you like to be the next method lust advocate spotlight? Remember those! Come on! Do it! Do it for me! Or else! Yeah, that's pretty threatening, now isn't it? So you better darn well do one! So here are all the details!

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!

my precious...

Step away from the bottle. Remove your finger from the spray nozzle trigger, and just step away from the bottle. Do not release any of that wonderous elixir! Move, move, move!

Whew, that was a close call! You almost used an old skool treasure from my belusted method vault! One of those products that should, yes very much so, be currently displayed in MOMA! Because more than likely it will never be made again! Discontinued! All gone! Arrivederci! Sniff-sniff! And you lust it oh oh oh so much! So what's a boy to do, except hoard, hide, sneak, and every once in a long while, slip some of these items out, unscrew a cap oh so carefully, and take in a nice, smooth whiff of this scent heaven! Oh method, why have you forsaken me so!?

Come on, you all know what I'm talking about! (Uh, no, Nathan, we don't. Because you've obviously lost it.) I'm talking about those great method products that you've bought up in bulk, because at the time they were being discontinued, and they were your most favorite ever! And you'd bought eight, nay, sixteen bottles/jars/bowls/refills and just KNEW that would be enough to keep you in business for ages! You were set! Ha ha, take that method! But now, you're on your last bottle/jar/bowl/refill (how did THAT happen?!?) and so you decide, against your better judgement (and realizing that something used and loved is better than something hoarded away, but still) to sneak it away into the very back of your method product vault/hideaway. For this has now become a rare bit of method history. Your most amazing method scent/product ever... is no more.

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method has changed a lot over the years, and I for one (again, needing mental help) just LOVE looking over items/scents, etc. from their past. Especially stuff that even I have never had the chance to try! (Vanilla melon all purpose spray cleaner, people! Did you even know this existed? Where was I when this was happening?! Tsk-tsk.) And two of the biggest ones (to me at least) have always been the bamboo and coral spray cleaners. Now these are some old skool method products. The method Holy Grail of products, I like to call them! In fact, check out these oh so freakin' awesome tags that were used as part of their product rollout, so very very long ago (I mean, these were two of method's VERY first products, to my knowledge! I will continue to swear to you that I at one time saw the bamboo spray cleaner in my local grocery store, AGES ago. And. Didn't. Buy. It. To this day, I cry and weep in the corner of my bedroom for hours upon this mere thought. Stupid, stupid Nathan! But alas, we must all let go and move on... in just a little bit, let me think about these products just a tad longer, I'm almost through, I promise; hold on a minute...) Are these tags amazing, or what? (Muy muchas gracias, Anna!)

Have you tried the coral spray cleaner? Have you ever even seen it? What about the bamboo? I honestly never thought I'd ever see either of these products. Then one day, just recently, a wonderful method lust reader (hey Jean!) casually posted about having some bamboo spray cleaner, and loving it so much, she retained just a small amount in the original bottle; and every once in a while would take in the divine scent, then seal it back up again! She simply couldn't bare to use the last remaining drops of a product she lusted so much! And yet, get this, she was willing to pour a little into a sample bottle, and send it to ME to try! Oh my word! Did I just fall through a rabbit hole? What was going on here?! And when I received that bottle in the mail, you would have thought it was Christmas day, method style!

Yes, we're both a bit crazy. But come on now, you know you are too. I bet you've done the same thing. Bamboo spray cleaner. Coral spray cleaner. Vanilla melon all-purpose. Magnolia dish soap. Chocolate Martini candles. What's your secret method vault obsession. Something that not only did you buy in bulk once it disappeared from store shelves forever, but NOW can't even bring yourself to use the last container of, because that would mean it would be gone... forever! Here are some of my all-time favorite selections, from my own method vault:


First up is the vroom brand auto product line. Now, honestly, I'll still use these on my car. Just sparingly. Not only did a lot of people not even know about this line, but it was but a blip on the radar, and then, gone! The sea flower (an amazing scent!) interior refresher is sublime, and then you have the wipes, interior protectant, and all purpose cleaner! Drool!

Then we have the iconic method dish soap in the bowling pin bottle, in MINT! I don't even have to say more than that. Mint. Iconic. Ugh, I just can't believe method doesn't still make the mint dish soap. It was so so very awesome!

And what do we have here? Fig aroma spray. Wowzers. Do you know why this is so rare, I can't bring myself to spray a drop of it? Cause not only was it out for a tiny bit of time (- mere months! it was a Fall limited edition) but it just happened to debut at the time when method had some issues with their aroma sprays, and pulled the ENTIRE lot of all aroma sprays from store shelves. Including the fig. Disposing of them all. So chances of finding fig aroma spray at your nearest Big Lots? Well, (though I could of course end up being wrong) I'd say "None! Never!" Oh oh my figgie poo. And then we have beach sage aroma spray! What's that, you say? They never made beach sage aroma spray? Well, but they did. And again while I could be wrong (and please let me know if you ever saw this actual product on your store shelves!) while method sent me a bottle, and said it was released at select Target stores in the US; I NEVER saw it hit a single Target store, nor did I ever hear anyone speak of having found it. So talk about rare? Crazy!

And then some of my favorite rosemary mint floor cleaner. Old skool floor cleaner in a stupendous scent that they really should think of bringing back! (This blows stinky old citrus leaf away! Ha ha! Sorry, I couldn't help myself.)

Even more! How about some hand lotion, in method's hand wash bottles; in both signature scent (secretly nothing more than sweet water!) and lavender? Or what about aroma sprays in spiced pear and frosted cranberry? When was the last time you saw aircare in the holiday line? (And it's disappointing every year that we don't, too!) Or some delicious candles in magnolia, creamy vanilla and spiced berry scents! (Confession, I actually burnt the spiced berry all the way down, but keep the box for posterity's sake!) Lemongrass hand wash! Only the most Heavenly grassy scent ever! And when I mention lemongrass hand wash to method, they're always like "lemongrass? When did we make lemongrass?!" Ohhhh. Seriously, I know method has to cater to the "lowest common denominator" when it comes to scents and customers who think Glade and Pine-sol smell fabulous, but some of the scents they've discontinued seriously have so much more unique wow! over a few of the subpar ones they've been using forever (I shall mention none by name.)

And oh, what about these really old skool cleaning spray bottles? We've got bathroom spray cleaner (in cucumber, which you can see is totally gone!) and some remaining grapefruit mandarin spray cleaner for the kitchen, which I can't bring myself to finish using, cause I lust it so! Whew!

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So there you go! Old skool products, horribly hoarded away! Should they be behind glass protected with laser beam security, or used up and lusted while doing so? And what might your horrible hoard secret be? Do tell!

remember when...

Did you know at one time method's all-surface spray cleaner was called Home spray cleaner? Pretty cool, right? And it only came in lavender. You also had Kitchen, in grapefruit mandarin (I still can't figure out why they got rid of this scent, it blows pink grapefruit away!), Shower in the ever fabulous ylang-ylang, Glass in mint, and Bathroom in cucumber. Yeah, most of these scents are still around, but at one time they were all specific to certain areas of the house!

Curious to know if anyone still owns some of these old-skool bottles? Check back this weekend for a post on hoarding (ha ha ha! No but, uh, really, hoarding!) long-gone-so-long method products!

method profile - anna boyarsky

Check, check, check it out, baby! (Can anyone tell me what song THAT'S from? If so, uh, you need as much of a life as I do!) Look what I got! Why it's none other than a grand method profile! Perfect for a wonderful Friday afternoon!

I had to do a little threatening on this one, but in the end Anna came through, and was a great sport! She's always rockin' it over at method, and we appreciate everything she does for us here at ole' method lust! So on with the show (show being seven questions, ok? Ok.)

1+ Your name, please? And do you have a nickname at method?
Anna Boyarsky (nickname "slinky", i carry around this mini wire slinky all day, it has gotten a bit pavlovian so that i can't work without it.)

2+ What was your first method lust?
Like most people I fell in LOVE with our Green Tea Aloe handwash. Such a cute shape, such a nice smell, such a eco-product. But as I have matured in my love of method I have to say I am obsessed with our landry detergent. Nothing works better, and i am not using excess water.

3+ What brought you to method, the company? (How did you become interested in a career with method?)
I came to method about 4 years ago and immediately feel in love with not only the amazing products we make but the dynamic culture that we have inside our office. I get paid to have fun and make a difference. Nothing better!

4+ What is your title/dept. at method, and what is it you do there? How long have you been with method?
Oh man I have had quite a few titles but the most recient is "president of the method fan club; people against dirty". It is a little long but I think it speaks to our passion to serve our "people against dirty" community and give them the tools to spread the method love.

5+ What is the biggest thing you are currently doing, besides using method products, to help out the environment?
I try to do a lot of things. The most recent is to purchase local produce at farmers markets and California wines. Life is rough. :)

6+ Who's the last person you've turned onto method?
My parent's friends in Oregon. I was talking to them the other day and they told me they went to Lowes and bought every product!

7+ Which one best describes you as a person? Pink Grapefruit, French Lavender, Cucumber, or Go Naked?
I would have to say cucumber...I would like to think I am refreshing. :)

Thank you, thank you Anna! See, that wasn't so difficult! Ha ha!

And method employees, would you like your very own method profile? Come on, you know you want one! If so, drop me an email and I'll let you know all about it! (It's so easy, you could do it with one arm tied behind your back! Trust me!)

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And don't think I've forgotten you method lust readers! How would you like to be the next method lust advocate spotlight? You can! It's easy! So freakin' easy! Like, chimpanzee easy! And you know you don't want a chimpanzee getting the better of you, now do you? No, you don't. Uh-uh. So here are all the details!

design profile

OH my goodness, these bottles are so cute I can't deal! Do you see that elephant bottle? DO YOU!? Wow, I hope they actually produce that one day. It's just too adorable!

method's own people against dirty blog gives us some insight into moving from otter to penguin bottles, used for their squeaky green baby + kids line!

"We've relaunched the packaging on our baby + kids products from an Otter to an adorable little Penguin. Check out some notes from Josh, head of form + function here at method, who talks through why we went from Otter to Penguin.

Q: Why the change?
A: Leaky Otters! We found that people were unable to resist taking the Otter's pants off (no joke!) to get a big whiff of the what the product smelled like. This more often than not loosened the cap underneath the Otter which in turn sometimes created a big mess either on a shelf in the store or all over your bathroom floor at home.

Q: How was the Penguin born?
A: We looked at all sorts of other animals that we knew from around Northern California (our very own backyard) including Sea Lions, Whales, Crabs, Starfish and Giant Squid, before settling on the Penguin for the next generation of the methodkids bottle. Designer Jeannie Choe worked to get the Penguin bottle to look as cute as the Otter and I think we succeeded. The Cap on the top means it's super easy to smell and no more leaky bottles!

Thanks Josh! Check out some intial design work (photo above) of both the little Penguin as well as another product design that didn't make the final cut (not this time at least).
- Julie Kim"

here's the dirt

Take a look-see! method has gone composting! Word, if only I could get my office to sincerely make an attempt at recycling their plastic water bottles (or hey, not buy water bottles at ALL!) But as one employee at my office likes to (jokingly?) say: "More trash for Mother Earth! Fill'er up!" Yeah, I'm working an uphill battle here, folks.

Anyway, over on their (oh you know by now) official method people against dirty blog, the word of the day is composting!

"Though we may be people against dirty, we do make one exception for the grimy stuff…compost! A family of happy, well-fed worms resides in our 3rd floor kitchen, and chomps the day away while the rest of us work.

Much to our delight, our hunky San Francisco mayor has just made sure that we’re not the only ones reveling in green bin fun. Gavin Newsom signed a new law that mandates composting across the city and county of San Francisco.

While worm-haters will eventually be fined for not separating out their food scraps, the city will first spread the message through an educational campaign. Seems like a cool way to put the carrot before the stick. We’ll be on the lookout for pizza boxes that instruct the masses to recycle a clean box and compost a greasy box (see Gavin’s demo piece above). As if the boxes are ever grease free.

The good people of San Francisco already have much to be proud of – our fair city already diverts 72 percent of waste bound for landfills to recycling and composting programs. The new pro-worm, anti-methane law will hopefully help the city meet its 2020 goal of sending zero waste to landfill. And you wonder where we get our inspiration from.
- Katie S."

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Wow! The part that really stands out to me is "(the) law will hopefully help the city meet its 2020 goal of sending zero waste to landfill." That's BIG! But uh, how does that work exactly? I mean, can you compost couches, and razor blades? I'm not sure what they mean when they say zero waste to landfills. Anyone with more information, let me know! I'm really curious! Comment away!

Does this mean method lust's next eco-challenge should be composting? I've always shied away from this. It just seems foreign to me. And confusing. All I know is there are worms involved. That live in containers. LOL Perhaps I should become a little more compost knowledgeable! I'll get back to you on this one!

Do you compost? Love it? Hate it? Tell us!

method profiles - danny seo

method profile wha? Yeah, yeah, it's been a while, hasn't it? But you know, it's sort of like that weird friend that loves hanging out with you, but uhm, disappears for months and months at a time and you wonder what you've done to warrant their secret dislike, and then suddenly they'll give you a call and yay! it's all happiness, fun and rainbows! (Well, until they disappear for six more months, and the cycle starts all over. But hey, let's forget about that, and just focus on the fun "they're back!" times! Ok? ok. Wait, I think I might be that friend... I think I need a moment... gotta make some phone calls...)

Today's spankin' new method profile comes to us from Danny Seo! Eh, you might have read something about him recently here on method lust. Maybe sorta something about him coming to some town, near me, method spree? Oh, really, who can remember these things, anyway? Right? Well, did you know he's been with method for three years! You did? Well, pretend you didn't anyway, and read on!

1+ Your name, please? And do you have a nickname at method?
Danny Seo, Method’s Co-Conspirator.

2+ What was your first method lust?
I know everyone is introduced to Method through handwash, but I was obsessed with their cucumber dish soap. I was so obsessed about it, I even named it one of my top favorite things in a USA Today story.

3+ What brought you to method, the company? (How did you become interested in a career with method?)
I was an editor at Organic Style magazine when I kept mentioning them at meetings. Finally, someone said I should just go work for them. When Organic Style folded (sob), I reached out to Method and we agreed to partner together in a really fun and unusual way. I help spread the Method cheer far and wide and you’ll often see me on talk shows or in magazine stories not just explaining our products, but also easy tips on going green in general. There’s a real mission-driven sense at Method: we’re not just interested in making really green, really great products, but we really want you to be as eco-friendly as possible, too, in your everyday life.

4+ What is your title/dept. at method, and what is it you do there? How long have you been with method?
I’ve been partners with Method for about three years now. Wow! Time goes fast! I probably work closest with our brand publicity team and get to do fun things ranging from producing a kid’s eco birthday party for Parents Magazine to waking up at 5AM on a Saturday to do a “how to clean green” segment for CBS. OK, maybe it’s not fun waking up at 5AM...

5+ What is the biggest thing you are currently doing, besides using method products, to help out the environment?
That’s a hard question, but I would say it’s always been my mission to give people really good, really helpful how-to information that solves their problems. So I write books, keep a daily blog, design products, answer emails/Twitters and write newspaper and magazine columns answering questions. However you want to get your information, I’m trying to provide it across several platforms. I just try out new ideas all the time and share my results.

6+ Who's the last person you've turned onto method?
My parents. Goodbye flaming red Tide bottles.

7+ Which one best describes you as a person? Pink Grapefruit, French Lavender, Cucumber, or Go Naked?
Even though I HEART the cucumber dish soap, I am totally a Go Naked person. I’ve been searching for a fragrance-free laundry soap for so long and can’t live without my Go Naked product. I like my clothes smelling like nothing at all.

Thanks so much, Danny! And be sure to check out his blog over at Daily Danny, for lots of great eco news and tips!

Oh and hey, method employees, would you like your very own method profile? Come on, you know you want one! If so, drop me an email and I'll let you know all about it!

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And don't think I've forgotten you method lust readers! How would you like to be the next method lust advocate spotlight? You can! It's easy! So freakin' easy! Like, chimpanzee easy! And you know you don't want a chimpanzee getting the better of you, now do you? No, you don't. Uh-uh. So here are all the details!

method's softer side

Check it, check it! Great new article from the San Francisco Business Times on some cleaning company we all lust! Hmm, who are they again? What's their name? Oh, darn. I know it'll come to me... just give me a moment or two... until then, read on!

"Method’s cleaners keep the environment tidy | by Sarah Duxbury

Method’s been green since before green became this season’s color.

The nine-year-old eco-friendly home cleaning product company blazed a shining trail across the staid and often toxic world of soaps and solvents. Method convinced industry leaders that cleansers can come in design-centric packages filled with pretty colors and nice smells that are at the same time good for you and the environment.

And the San Francisco company wants to continue to lead the sector through innovation.

To co-founder and “chief greenskeeper” Adam Lowry, allowing the green to steep through every aspect of the company goes well beyond the product level.

“I think it’s inadequate to have a green product come from a company that doesn’t operate in a sustainable way, or where it’s just one line and everything else is not green,” Lowry said.

While the packaging and soaps inside them are all green, Method is looking for other ways to go the color of envy.

At Method’s largest manufacturing facility, all water is recycled. At a distribution center in Chicago, it is piloting a fleet of electric lift trucks as opposed to the traditional propane ones.

“We still have a long way to go, but these are examples of us innovating within the supply chain,” Lowry said.

And since it must still purchase much of its energy from traditional, non-green sources, Method has created a carbon offset program with Native Energy that has Method actually paying vendors who reduce their carbon footprint, Lowry said. “That means I can walk into my vendors’ buildings and say ‘I want you to reduce your carbon footprint and I will write you a check,’” Lowry said. “We’re aligning our strategy with incentives.”

While Method works to green its supply chain, large, traditional consumer product companies try to green their products. Clorox introduced its Green Works line last year, and it has been a hit. Procter & Gamble has Tide Pure Essentials; Arm & Hammer has an eco-friendly laundry detergent, and last spring S.C. Johnson purchased Caldrea, owner of the green cleaning brands Caldrea and Mrs. Meyers, to name a few.

Lowry said the me-toos rushing into the green cleaning space have not hurt Method’s business; rather, they are taking share from toxic cleansers, and spreading the green.

The private company, which crossed the $100 million sales mark a couple of years ago, has a CEO search under way. Board member Dan Swander has acted as interim CEO since Alastair Dorward left Method in August.

“Being a green business is not the glamour you see on the front pages,” Lowry said. “It’s a blue collar job, and you have to roll up your sleeves and do the work.”

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I got it! No no, wait, I lost it... darn! Don't worry, it'll come to me... my mind is like a steel trap, I promise you! Nothing gets out... but then, nothing gets in, either. Oh oh, it's it's on the tip of my tongue... wait for it, wait for it...

what's new, ceo?

Check it, check it!

"Method Products, Inc. Names Drew Fraser President and CEO

Method Products, Inc. announces today that Andrew (Drew) Fraser, former Senior Vice President at Whirlpool Corporation, has joined Method as the company’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

Method is the leading innovator in healthy, eco-friendly home care products. Fraser brings to the 9-year-old company 20 years of experience with some of the world’s leading consumer product companies, including Whirlpool, Clorox and Procter & Gamble.

“Drew’s breadth of knowledge and experience leading global brands to success will be a wonderful asset to Method as the company continues its trajectory of growth,” said Tim Koogle, Method’s chairman of the board. “We’re delighted to have Drew join the Method team and help guide the company to the next level.”

Prior to joining Method, Fraser served as a Senior Vice President of North America sales and trade marketing at Whirlpool, where he led the company’s sales for all products, brands and channels. Previous roles at Whirlpool include Vice President and General Manager of the fabric care business, Vice President and General Manager of the U.S. Whirlpool brand, and Vice President and General Manager of Whirlpool Canada. Before joining Whirlpool in 2004, Fraser spent 10 years working at the Clorox Company, where his last position was VP and general manager of Clorox Canada. He spent four years at Procter & Gamble prior to joining Clorox, where he served in a number of sales and marketing leadership positions.

“I am honored and excited to be joining the incredibly talented Method team,” Fraser said. “This is a unique brand with a dynamic company culture. I look forward to building upon the Method success and to helping the company continue its innovation and growth.”

Fraser replaces interim CEO Dan Swander, who serves on Method’s board. Fraser will step into his new role with the company on June 15."

method: balancing performance, looks and safe materials

Greener Design has this very indepth Q&A with method co-founder (do I need to even say that anymore? Don't we know the co-founders by now! Oh wait, I guess I do for new readers. Ok, I've answered my own question. Thanks!) Adam Lowry! Read on, lusters!

"By Jonathan Bardelline | Published May 14, 2009

One of the biggest and most recognizable companies in the green cleaning world is San Francisco-based Method. One of the companies' hallmarks, and one of the reasons it's stayed so successful and grown its reach, its it multiple commitments to improving the ingredients in its products, making visually appealing packaging and ensuring that its products work just as well or better as everything else it sits next to at stores.

Adam Lowry, co-founder of Method, spoke with GreenBiz Radio about the indepth work needed to clean up cleaners, and why all the new green products from mainstream companies don't worry Method.

Lowry is just one of the many innovators working in the world of green design who will be speaking at next week's Greener by Design conference.

Jonathan Bardelline: Method has been making cleaners for about eight years, and could you give me an overview of the history of your ingredients? In those years have you made any major changes to the actual ingredients you've been using?

Adam Lowry: Yeah. We've made a lot of changes to ingredients. We're continually looking to bring in the leading edge of ingredient chemistry and really product packaging materials as well. So we're constantly changing both of those.

Sometimes we're doing that from suppliers that come up with novel new chemistries or packaging innovations, materials innovations. And then sometimes actually we're partnering with packaging suppliers or ingredient suppliers to develop proprietary solutions that are sort of new and unique things that are kind of solving both design problems as well as environmental problems within the product's design.

JB: More on the ingredient side, have you had to swap out ingredients where you find an either safer or more environmentally friendly ingredient?

AL: Well, yes. We're always doing that. So what we use is we actually use a scorecard. Think of it as sort of a green, yellow, red. And we've got it for every single ingredient in every single Method product. And we work with Dr. Michael Braungart and his team at MBDC and EPEA, and we outsource material evaluation to those guys so that it is independent, third party, peer reviewed science.

And if you think about each ingredient as a green, yellow, red, we won't do any product if any one ingredient is a red, okay? But there's a lot of greens and yellows. Not every product is perfectly green in terms of across its entire lifecycle, not as perfect as you want it to be. And so in some cases, those are yellow, which means they're okay to use, but you're constantly looking for better alternatives. We're not going to rest on our products until every single ingredient is green across the board. Does that make sense?

JB: Yeah. And to get to those green ingredients, is it people within Method doing the work, your suppliers finding the alternatives?

AL: Yeah. It's usually all of those because - for example, preservatives, which are in some products, some Method products, and they're required in certain products. Like personal care products, you have to have preservatives to keep them from going rancid. Those are products that are inherently a little bit more difficult to make green because they kill bacteria, of course.

And so those are ones where we're not manufacturing those preservatives, our suppliers are. So we have to work with our suppliers, show them what's important on our scorecard in terms of coming from a natural source, being biodegradable, being nontoxic, non sensitizing - like (not) causing irritation and things like that - educate them on what we're looking for, and then provide for them the carrot of our preservative business to say, “Listen. We need to develop a new and novel solution in this area that solves a need, that makes our products a little bit greener because it's a better preservative than what's been available in the past."

And so we do a lot of that in a very targeted way. We do that in the surfactant world with the detergents and products. We do that on preservatives. We do that on fragrances. We do that on enzymes, all of the different functional ingredients that make up a cleaner.

JB: Has that been something difficult to get suppliers on board with?

AL: Well, I'll tell you one of the things that has been difficult is when we first started that process nine years ago now, a lot of times the suppliers didn't even have the information that we were asking for. So if we were saying, “Okay. Hey, you've got this enzyme material. Where does it come from? How are you making it? Does it have any issues with causing allergic reactions?,” things like that..."

Head on over to Greener Design to read the rest!

have you hugged a tree today?

Over on treehugger.com, you'll find a new interview with method co-founder adam lowry! AND, you can listen to the interview via podcast (right click to download), or read it the old fashioned way!

"Adam Lowry, The Man Behind the Method (Cleaning Products)
| by Jacob Gordon

method cleaning products are the fitting accoutrement for the style and hygiene-minded ecophile. But Method is more than boutique toilet bowl cleaners; it is booming into one of the great success stories of the new economy. Adam Lowry, with his business partner Eric Ryan, has reinvented his field (and made huge returns). Method is a certified B Corporation, its products bear the Cradle to Cradle seal, and renewable energy and upcycling are daily fare. Adam Lowry explains to TreeHugger what’s new in the lab, and divulges Method’s problem-solving motto: “What would MacGyver do?”

TreeHugger: Give us a quick perspective on the size of Method—what's the reach, the size, the revenue?

Adam Lowry: Well, we try not to pin down our revenue numbers (specifically because there are a lot of people that want to know that info) but we're north of a $100 million company; we’ve got 100 employees or so, and we've gotten there in about seven years, which is pretty quick when it comes to soap companies.

TreeHugger: Method is certified as a B Corporation. We recently we spoke with Jay Coen Gilbert, the co-founder of B Corporation, and we heard his perspective on this. But I'd like to hear yours. As an entrepreneur, what does it mean to be a B Corp?

Lowry: I was really excited when I met Jay and heard about his vision for B, because what it does is codify and make legally binding what Method is already doing in its business practices. What's really missing right now for sustainable business is a clear and transparent set of metrics for what is environmentally and socially good in a business.

And what they're doing is filling that gap, the social and environmental version of generally accepted accounting principles, so that we have a standard measuring stick that we can use to assess the social and environmental quality, along with the financial quality, of a business. And because it's publicly reported and it's completely open and transparent, it also creates an incentive to improve over time. It's a real apples-to-apples way of measuring businesses versus one another, as well as creating that incentive for all businesses to strive to get better over time.

TreeHugger: Method is also certified as a Cradle to Cradle business. Method must be one of the few companies that carries both of these badges. What do these mean, how do they work together, and do they overlap at all?

Lowry: I think that's a great question because there is a proliferation of environmental quality labels or eco-labels out there. We like the ones that are most broad-based, the ones that assess the broadest set of things, not just a product but an entire company's practices. And the B rating system goes all the way down to the way that your business is governed and its board composition, for example. And Cradle to Cradle assesses the entire life cycle of a product and how it's made.

So those are two very broad-based validators of environmental quality, and therefore ones that we really like. And we've chosen to go ahead and get certified by both of those agencies.

There are also other product certifications that are narrower. We have the Design for Environment recognition from the US EPA, which is about the chemistry that you use in the product. That's another nice one.

But ultimately, I think the role of each one of these is really just to have an objective third party validate the environmental and social quality of the product or service that you're providing. And then it's our job, as the people running the business, to make the brand meaningful to consumers so that they understand that the product experience they're going to get is superior to what they might get with another brand.

TreeHugger: Do you feel like these certifications have provoked you to change the way you do business, or are they really just a way to, as you say, codify what is already underway?

Lowry: Michael Braungart and Bill McDonough have been a great inspiration of mine personally, and they also have been a great inspiration to our business. And the same could be said of Jay and what they're doing over at B Lab. But really, I wouldn't say that it's necessarily changed the way we do business. It's inspired us to do the way we do business better.

TreeHugger: You were invited to Washington recently, along with a gaggle of other leaders in the new economy (the founder of Twitter and others) to advise the Obama administration. What did they want to know?

Lowry: That was a really interesting meeting. We were asked in advance to put together some policy ideas, things that we thought the administration should be doing that either they weren't doing yet or the previous administration hadn't done.

And when we got there we really learned that that was just a thought exercise and that, really, the administration knows what policies don't work. They know that there are perverse incentives created by subsidies to oil and gas companies and the wrong type of agriculture, for example. And also—because they've got tons of policy experts—they know the right policies that would work.

The problem is, they can't get from point A to point B because they don't have the popular support. And so what they were doing was enlisting us business leaders—or, as they said, young entrepreneurs that are exemplary new-economy businesses—to make an example of us. They wanted to be able to point to companies that are not asking for handouts from the government yet are still succeeding, and doing so using an ethos of business that doesn't create collateral damage socially and environmentally.

And if they can point to us as great examples, they can start to build popular support around a new way of doing business and actually enact some of the changes they already know are necessary.

So I really thought it was an interesting meeting, and really inspiring. I was impressed with the caliber of people that are involved in the administration. I was really impressed.

TreeHugger: Method makes a family of products that, typically, are very petroleum-intensive. Do you feel like you are head-to-head with the petroleum industry? Are they the bad guy in this scenario?

Lowry: I don't think so. I think the bad guy is more just convention. I think that our economy is very much a petroleum-based economy. That's a fact. And even at Method we have to ship our products around. We use a little bit of biodiesel transport to do that, but most of it is regular old diesel transport.

We do everything that we can, but we still aren't de-linked from that petroleum economy. And I think that when you really get down to brass tacks about how to change that paradigm, it's something that's going to happen through a series of small innovations that are catalysts for larger innovations.

I mentioned biodiesel, for example. We have two biodiesel trucks that we're using in a pilot program in the State of California. They're actually the cheapest trucks that we run. And so it's a great proof of concept that doing the green thing can also be the economically viable thing. We're trying to expand that program now, a tiny program that can build into a much bigger one over time.

You have to think differently and from the ground up if you want to try to change those set conventions.

TreeHugger: When we interviewed Gary Hirshberg on Treehugger Radio—the guy who started Stonyfield Farm—we asked him why the type of plastic they use for their yogurt cups is not recyclable in most areas.

The answer that he gave was very counterintuitive: they can make a lighter package from this particular type of plastic. No, it's not recyclable in most areas, but the reduction in the carbon footprint, strictly from transporting a lighter product, far outweighed the benefit of being able to recycle more of their plastic containers.

What's going on at Method that might be a counterintuitive measure?

Lowry: We've got a bunch of things going on. That yogurt cup example makes me think of a particularly interesting example that we recently did with wipes packaging. At Method we have a mantra. It's a very cradle to cradle-esque mantra about our packaging which is: we want every package to have a past and a future.

And so we think about designing packaging from what it was before it was a bottle or a flow pack or whatever, to what will it be when you’re done with it. We don't like the types of tradeoffs that are inherent in that yogurt cup example: where you either use less plastic that's not recyclable or you use more.

And that exact thing came up when we had a canister for cleaning wipes. It was a recyclable HTPE bottle made largely out of post-consumer recycled resin.

We did a lifecycle analysis and we realized that if we made it out of a flow wrap film, like a potato chip bag, we could cut the plastic down by about 80%. The problem was that flow wrap plastic is a multilayer film and it's not recyclable.

At Method we fundamentally believe that any time you get one of these environmental tradeoffs where you are saying, “yeah, this product has no future because it's not recyclable, but there's less of it so it's better in the present.” That trade off is just a symptom of poor design.

We set out a couple of years ago in partnership with a film company, we developed the world's first recyclable flow wrap film. Actually if you buy Method wipes product today, it is made out of a single film, not a multilayer film. You can put it in your recycle bin and it's 80% less plastics.

We've created a win on both the present and the future and we're now working on making that film from post consumer recycled resin so it can have a past, a present, and a future.

We really try to bring that to every package and every ingredient that we use..."

Head on over and read the rest!

we're with b corp.

Word, I'm sorta behind on this post, but what can ya do, ya know? So here ya go! Ya! Ya! Ya! (from method's people against dirty blog.) This is really cool news!

"With the mounting global financial crisis comes great uncertainty for the corporate world. Businesses continue to face troubling days ahead, leading many to rethink more broadly how they fit into society. For us at Method, one bright spot through the clouds is our position as a B-Corporation, and we encourage fellow brands to follow suit.

The brainchild of two successful entrepreneurs, B-Corporation is a group that has built the legal basis for companies to create social and environmental benefit as part of their business models, rather than being focused solely on profitability. In its short history, B-Corp has convened 185 companies with social or environmental mandates. B-Corp has fostered a community centered on its own values by having each company complete a publicly reported survey of their environmental and social practices.

Method’s values define our mode of business. As a founding B-Corporation company, we have taken the B-Corp survey that rates us on our commitment to solving social and environmental issues as part of our business. Survey results are published for all to see. This helps us by keeping our values visible in our path, and by allowing anyone wondering how we’re doing to find out.

Keep an eye out for the B-Corporation logo – there are now 185 certified B Corporations, representing $965 million in market value in a range of sectors. Visit bcorporation.net to see the full list of B-Corp companies and review their survey scores."

ding dong, it's ping pong

method has gone ping pong crazy! They recently had their 3rd Annual method March Madness Ping Pong Doubles Tournament! You can check it all out on their people against dirty blog!

method in a minute

Wow! Ok, while digging around Tom Fishburne's site (see the post below as well), I came upon this GREAT "method in a minute" (well, that's what I'm calling it! Cause it sorta is, method, in a minute!) video! It gives you a lot of insight into method! (Click on the lower right 'full screen' button to get the best view! Then click pause, and scroll through the images one at a time. That'll give you the best chance of taking it all in at your leisure!)

AND, and, I so did not know this until I just watched it this very minute, but method lust is in it! NO way! YES way! Yay! Now you, you, yes you... click play!

shakin' up the method?

Here at method lust we love all things light, fluffy, and full of giggles! Like puppy dogs, and kittens, and butterflies! Well, except for the giggles part, cause if my cats started giggling, I'd be scared as crap, and running for the door, ok? Just sayin'. But while we usually stick with the light stuff here, every once in a while something big happens, and I think you'd want to know that, too! And I can't believe I totally missed this article (from October!), cause there's some big stuff happening in it! Check it out:

"Maker of Household Products Has Small Budget, but Growing Market Presence
by Jack Neff, Adage.com

BATAVIA, Ohio (AdAge.com) – The tony, design-centric Method brand today named Droga5, New York, as its agency of record, even as the marketer continues to look for a new CEO.*

The independent creative boutique is the latest big-name agency to lay claim to the high-profile if small-budget assignment, which generally has had media spending under $1 million a year.

Back from hiatus
The account had been dormant since late last year after Method parted ways with Omnicom Group's TBWA/Chiat/Day, Playa Del Rey, Calif., a spokeswoman said in a statement. In late 2006, TBWA succeeded Crispin Porter & Bogusky, Miami, which was the first agency to handle the account.

"In the past year, we shifted away from large-scale advertising and focused on earned media programs developed by our in-house creative team, like our 'Detox Your City' program we conducted in key cities across the country," the spokeswoman said, explaining the prior departure of TBWA a year after it won the assignment.

It's not just agencies Method has parted with lately. Alastair Dorward, who had been CEO for more than seven years, left the San Francisco-based company in August. He followed Francesca Schuler, VP-brand, who left in May. Neither position has been filled yet, the Method spokeswoman said. The marketer said it is not seeking to fill the marketing role. Mr. Dorward and Ms. Schuler couldn't be reached for comment by deadline.

Campaign due in early '09
Method awarded Droga5 the creative assignment without a review to create a new marketing campaign to break early next year. "Droga5 is a dynamic agency that is known for taking traditional advertising initiatives and turning them upside down," Eric Ryan, chairman and co-founder of Method said in a statement. "We share the same passion and dedication to creating innovative and unique experiences for people, and we are thrilled to be partnering with such a talented team."

"Method has built an amazing brand in such a short period of time," Droga5 Creative Chairman David Droga said in the statement. "They're clearly destined for even further greatness."

As Method continues its CEO search, Method board member Dan Swander is acting as interim CEO. Mr. Swander previously started his own consulting firm, Swander Pace & Co., and served as chief operating officer of two food companies.

Market share increases
You'd expect this much personnel and agency turnover for a business facing tough times, but that doesn't appear to be the case for Method. According to Information Resources Inc. data, the brand had sales of more than $84 million across its far-flung household and personal-care categories and had gained share in almost all of them in the 52 weeks ended Sept. 7. That doesn't count Costco, another retailer where Method has had a growing presence in the past year.

Method did, however, apparently fall short in a bid to cash out on its success earlier this year. People familiar with the matter said the company was up for sale as its backers sought a payday similar to that of Burt's Bees, which went for a heady multiple of more than five times sales to Clorox Co. last year. The Method spokeswoman declined to comment on whether the company had been for sale, but said it's not now."

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Alright, a couple notes of interest here, folks! One, looks like we'll be seeing the return of method to the advertising world once more! We haven't really seen too much in the way of advertising (besides word of mouth, and as the article says, the Detox Campaign they've been doing so wonderfully!) in quite a while, so I look forward to that! But uh, yeah, the CEO has left the building, as well as the VP of branding; and what's that talk of method at some point last year possibly having been up for sale?! A "no comment" to me definintely means it's true, but it does sound like they've changed their minds about the whole thing. (I'd hate for that to happen and they go the way of companies like Burts Bees, or Scharffen Berger Chocolate, Airborne (and the founder of Airborne so didn't like how her company was being taken care of, she bought it back last year!, etc.) Who really knows (well, they do, but we won't! Ha ha!) what went on where all of this is concerned, but let's hope method rocks it out in 2009 and keeps doing what they do best, great products beautifully designed, that work - from a company that really cares about what they're doing (and not just the bottom line!)