Let’s start by saying straight out that we at Kemp Goldberg Partners do not believe lightning can be caught or retained in a bottle. Where lightning will strike is very unpredictable—no one could guess its next target. Secondly, lightning is very fast and very long, much longer than those bolts that live on football helmets or the chests of superheroes. Thirdly, lightning is extremely hot, much too hot to be caught in a glass bottle or even worse—plastic—which would result in severe burns and months or even years of recovery.

We believe in manufacturing the lightning instead.

Having said that, we’ll drop the now tired metaphor and speak quite literally about how we go about bringing to life unique and powerful ideas that solve the business problems of our clients. Our process for manufacturing ideas borrows from the principles and methods of a working factory and is welded and refined by the creativity of our human capital.

There are no rabbits being pulled out of hats around here, although we do pull the occasional all-nighter. Because it’s not enough to come up with a solution—we have to come up with solutions on demand. The creative brief is our blueprint and each department adds a bit of expertise until the idea is whole. Then it’s tested and retested internally before it ever sees the light of day. When it’s ready, it’s bulletproof, and no one even had to go out in the rain.

So last year when a press release for Wreaths Across America crossed my desk for review, I read with very keen interest. I had heard about this organization and even recalled an old online post of snow-covered wreaths lined up against rows and rows of white marble headstones. I was anxious to call my family and share that Kemp Goldberg Partners was the agency handling the public relations for the organization.

Arlington National Cemetery is much more than a historical landmark to my family. It is the final resting place of my uncle, my grandfather, and my grandmother. It is a place I visited as a child, Section 35, Grave 2815. That small space of earth was my first glimpse into human mortality. Quietly standing at my uncle’s grave, I knew nothing of Vietnam and of war. I wasn’t old enough to grasp the reality of what that very spot meant to my mother and my grandmother who was with us that day. Only now can I imagine that they were reliving the devastation of losing a brother and a son.

I have photos from those earlier times, one in particular of my sister and I with our grandmother, she is holding me close with a distant stare in her eyes. Not long after that visit to Arlington, my grandfather, a WWII and Korea Veteran and career Marine Officer, passed away and was cremated. For nearly 20 years, his oak box sat on a table in my Gramma’s bedroom.

Last year, my grandmother passed away and both she and my grandfather were buried together, Section 35, Grave 2768 at the foot of my uncle’s grave in Arlington National Cemetery. There just happened to be an open space where a tree was once planted.

Although I have wondered if that was just another coincidence, I am content knowing my mother feels at peace that her brother, her father, and her mother have a final resting place together in a place of honor at Arlington National Cemetery. And that every December, they will have a special memorial placed on their gravesites. I am very proud to be part of this program and to support Wreaths Across America as they make an impact on the lives of other families whose loved ones rest at Arlington.

My name is Kendall and I am a member of the KGP PR team here in Portland.

When Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger landed his plane on the Hudson River on January 15, 2009, the news was heard first via a little-known social media platform called Twitter. At that point in time, almost 5 million people were reportedly using the site. Today, the number of Twitter users has exploded to more than 500 million. Twitter’s edge on the Hudson River story legitimized social media as a source of raw, real-time, unfiltered news. Over four years have passed since that day, and more and more Americans have begun turning to their news feeds and Twitter streams—rather than traditional reporting—to hear about the latest breaking stories. But last week, the way this growing population chooses to consume their news may have come back to bite them. Case in point: on Friday, a trending topic on Twitter was #WhyIsMyPayCheckLessThisWeek.

At least in the Twittersphere, it seemed a fast one had been pulled on an alarming number of working Americans, leaving them blindsided by their lower take-home pay on the second Friday of the month. But, should they really have been surprised? Let’s take a brief look at how this pay cut came to be.

To help offset household income lost during the high level of unemployment following 2007, Congress and the White House gave Americans a “tax holiday” starting in 2011 and followed it up again in 2012. This brought workers’ share of Social Security taxes down from 6.2 percent to 4.2 percent for a period of two years. Consequently, Americans got accustomed to the temporary raise. On New Year’s Day, the holiday was over and Social Security payroll taxes went back up, resulting in an $83.33 monthly decrease in take-home pay for a family earning $50,000 a year.

Make no mistake: this impending change was reported on by traditional print and broadcast outlets before and directly following the signing of the Fiscal Cliff package. To site one local example, the Portland Press Herald published an article on January 3rd entitled “Payroll tax change to cost the average household $1,000.” Still, based on Friday’s trending hashtag, thousands of Americans were just getting the memo.

So, how did this impactful news elude so many Americans? During the fiscal cliff negotiations, much noise was generated on social media around controversial topics such as “what defines a wealthy individual?” or “which political party should be blamed if tax rates rise for the middle-class?” Emotionally-charged stories like these are more likely than others to be shared, tweeted and debated with 57 comments…at least on my news feed. Unfortunately, this meant that not enough Americans were paying attention to the details.

I don’t trust that any of my Facebook friends could land an Airbus A320-214 on the Hudson, nor do I trust that 140 characters can give me the news I need. Sure, social media may be the go-to for information in real time, but when Americans need educated forecasts to inform their lives, traditional journalism is still king.

Chris Philbrook
Senior Account Executive
Public Relations, Public Affairs

Chris held several senior positions in service to U.S. Senator Susan Collins, was a special assistant to then Secretary of the U.S. Treasury Henry Paulson, and did some advance work (international and domestic) for President George W. Bush. Before joining Kemp Goldberg Partners, Chris was Government Affairs and Communications Director for the Maine Association of REALTORS.

This summer I discussed the benefits of participating in the locavore movement by way of Community Supported Agriculture. I planned to next delve into the transportation and logistics of the movement; however, the blogging process has me stranded in a self-reflection limbo. This stage is good and, I hope, a necessary step in the right direction. In order to move forward as a society of sustainability-supporting, ethical consumers, we must first evaluate our personal habits of consumption. More specifically, how we are responsible for the decisions we make with our hard-earned money.

Here’s my shopping genesis:

I made my first conscious consumer decision following the departure of a baby tooth and the subsequent discovery of our nation’s first president beneath my pillow (in paper — tooth fairy must’ve had a good year). With that crisp piece of currency, I felt empowered, capable, present. Baby teeth be damned, I had arrived.

I knew the drill. For years I observed my mother at the supermarket: she unloads the groceries, the cashier relays the total, she forks over the payment in cash, check or credit, and then receives some kind or rebate or refund. Of course, at the time, I had no idea my mother’s supposed rebate was actually the store’s cash-back option in action, which would later be allocated to a week’s supply of hot lunch tickets in my tiny parochial school cafeteria. No, I simply thought that when it came to monetary transactions, if you give a little, you get a little — or all of it — back.

And then I spent my first dollar. My selected purchase: a wind-up toy car from the little gift shop down the road. I don’t know why; I never particularly liked cars. Nevertheless, I took the tiny vehicle to the lady at the counter, surrendered my dollar, wondered at the additional nickel my mother supplied for my $0.99 purchase and waited patiently for my rebate. As the register drawer jingled shut, my patience faltered. I extended my hand, palm up and sticky (as kindergartners tend to be) and politely inquired, “Can I have my money back now, please?”

My elders laughed as I digested the harsh truth. That dollar is spent, gone, not coming back lest I forfeit my new toy. The buck stopped there. Only it didn’t, as we all well know. The only thing that stopped there was the responsibility I carried along with those hundred cents. Many years post baby teeth (and a few post wisdom), I think this smaller version of me was onto something. Because I spent that dollar at a local gift shop, my money did indeed come back to me, if not in the form I expected.

Compared to chain stores, locally owned businesses contribute a much larger portion of their revenue to the local economy and surrounding community. According to the Maine Center for Economic Policy’s 2011 study of Portland, Maine, the local economy sees $58 for every $100 spent at an independent business, and only $33 for every $100 spent at a big box retailer. As a consumer, opting to spend my tooth fairy reward at a local business instead of the giant toy mecca by the mall contributed a 76% greater return to the local economy. Go me.

I set the bar high for all future shopping endeavors when I spent that dollar at an independent gift shop (let’s assume my purchase of choice was ethically manufactured in the U.S.A.). As much as I’d like to say I’ve stuck to local spending ever since, bending the truth would certainly complicate my standing within the sphere of moral consumerism of which I preach.

Today I am very much a work in progress. I’ll even entertain the “locavorism is a luxury” excuse in my many penny-pinching efforts. But I know the true costs of food, goods and services, and their benefits, too. Admission is the first step, and with knowledge comes responsibility. Sharing that knowledge ought to follow soon after. So, now you know (a) how I spent my tooth fairy earnings, and (b) why following the kindergarten version of me to the store is a smart move for you and your community.

GE is one of the world’s largest and most valuable companies (number six on the Fortune 500 and number 22 on the Global 500). Here are roughly 285,000 employees around the world making, selling and servicing everything from turbofan engines to locomotives to equipment financing to the lowly light bulb (which, truth be told isn’t so lowly anymore).

By 2003 GE was also the purveyor of one of history’s great theme lines: “We bring good things to life”. This had been GE’s line for 24 years. Embedded within these six words was a brand essence that was at once descriptive, positive and resonant of that which GE promises above all else — improving the quality of your life. This theme line made this promise to hundreds of millions, if not billions, of people daily.

So what did GE do with this line that had created so much brand equity? They dumped it. Enter “Imagination at work”.

What did GE do here? Were they crazy? I say no. I think it was a brilliant move by a company that stewards its brand like few others.

Casting aside the underlying strategy that led GE to the new line, the timing of the change may have been seen as suspect. Again, why, when most people on the planet could probably whistle the “we bring good things to life” jingle, would you change it?

Here’s why:

If you realize your market is evolving and you want to stay on the leading edge of the relevance curve, the time to rebrand is when your existing brand is at its most valuable — when the decision is yours and not when your market is forcing you. When better to ask your market for permission to accept a change of this magnitude than when you are the height of brand credibility and loyalty? And make no mistake; we marketers always have to ask the market for permission. It’s in charge.

If you’re GE, you can back all of this up with hundreds of millions of dollars in media spend to ensure the new positioning starts sprinting with the baton without dropping it. But the equation is the same for all brands, regardless of the size, shape or strategy of the underlying company. Your brand is an asset, perhaps your most valuable. And like all valuable investments from which you require a return, assess it, maintain it, get the most from it. Do it continually. And when the situation is right for an upgrade, make it so.

While we usually use our blog to discuss industry issues and the work we do for clients, we also believe in supporting the communities in which we live and work. Kemp Goldberg Partners advocates buying local and the following post, the first in a series of three, will explore one way members of our team are bringing local, seasonal produce to the dinner table. Next, we’ll view locavorism through the lens of transportation and logistics. Stay tuned.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, farmers account for less than one percent of the US population. This statistic is troubling and points to a dangerous dilemma; simply put, “no farms, no food.” You’ve probably seen it on a bumper sticker. The solution also fits nicely on a sticker: “Know your farmer, know your food.” Tragically, it is in practice that things tend to get a little complicated, particularly in a food system that has distanced us physically (on average, 1,200 miles) and mentally from the origins of our meals. Fortunately, there’s a better way to eat — and it’s surprisingly, refreshingly uncomplicated.

According to the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), the state of Maine’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) network runs on over 180 farms and around 6,900 shares. At present, at least five of those shares belong to my Kemp Goldberg Partners colleagues. Upon interviewing current shareholders, I’ve noted a common theme: a CSA share yields many nourishing benefits for the mind, body, planet and soul, and according to my interviewees, zero regrets.

In a CSA relationship, farmers receive an investment from shareholders in exchange for high quality, local, seasonal produce. Many farms work with their shareholders to offer a variety of convenient programs, depending on personal needs. Shareholders can opt for on-site pick-ups or localized deliveries, à la carte or pre-packaged boxes, farmers’ market credit, special orders, and additional flower subscriptions. Members receive other benefits, such as invitations to special events, newsletter updates on farm happenings, recipes and useful instructions, and most importantly, the less tangible but most powerful good karma (behold, the super powers of kale).

For many (guilty), the thought of paying upfront for a mystery box of edible, though at times unfamiliar, produce is a daunting one. My sources confirm, however, that post CSA-plunge, this is a non-issue. In fact, the element of surprise is counted as one of the best parts of the program. And for the financially wary, most farms offer alternative payment plans.

The following is the overall feedback from my sample population of five-ish advertising and PR professionals, divided into four categories. Given the subjective weight of each category, I’ve ordered them instead to create a rhyme: cost, waste, sustainability and taste.

Cost. Mother Nature permitting, a CSA season will last 20 to 22 weeks. During that time, the average weekly cost works out to be around $20 per week — an affordable figure for an abundance of local, organic produce.

Waste. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, the average American throws away 33 lbs of food each month, or about $40 worth. Purchasing directly from the farmer instills a sense of place, elevating the food experience to a new level of consciousness. Of the shareholders I grilled, 100 percent said they waste almost nothing. As one shareholder explained, “When you actually go to the farm, see the farmers and the work that went into the food, you appreciate that food. You feel terrible to throw away anything.”

Sustainability. Local food makes sense; eating it is an ecologically, economically, and culturally responsible decision. Furthermore, fresh foods are better for your health than processed alternatives. For this reason, one shareholder is using his CSA investment to teach his children about environmental stewardship and the true sources of groceries. In his spare time, he tends to a backyard vegetable garden. We’ll consider his share a lesson in super parenting. Keep up the good work.

Taste. Food should taste good, and good, real food usually tastes best. As one shareholder remarked, “I try things I never would have tried at the supermarket.” And another, “the food is delicious, but that wouldn’t matter.” In other words, it’s not just about the greens, the heirlooms, the berries or the rutabaga.

Should you decide to try a CSA share, what you see will typically be a box of produce, but what you get will indeed be much, much more. Supporting a local farmer is a practical and ethical solution to a very complex problem, and deciding to obtain a share will allow you to focus on more pressing dilemmas, like, in my case, “which farm?”

Photos from Broadturn Farm, Scarborough, Maine

The focus of the article was the use of social media by physicians and their patients, and potential violations of the HIPAA patient privacy laws. While I am not an attorney, nor do I pretend to be, I would be remiss if I didn’t first say I agree with the article as it relates to physicians discussing specific patients or cases on social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and open forums. I would even take that a step further to say in most professions it is not advised to discuss privileged or private information through social media channels. This would apply to everyone from teachers and police officers to tax accountants and business professionals. 

However, I do have strong feelings about the good that social media can do for hospitals and private practices. The real opportunity is creating a platform and community for patients to gather, discuss and educate themselves on topics that they care about or find relevant and interesting. Many large practices and hospitals already have content licensing agreements with national companies that specialize in providing health content. The content often contains a rich library of information on topics like healthy recipes, diseases and conditions, drug reference guides, herbs and vitamins, and symptom checkers, all of which helps educate patients. In addition to the licensed health content, these same hospitals and practices are doing extensive research on a variety of medical conditions that patients would be interested in learning more about.

The real opportunity is for the hospital and medical practices to harvest this content and engage patients to educate and enhance the lives of their followers. And by doing so, you are creating both thought leadership within your community and loyalty from your patients and followers. A great example of this is Boston Children’s Hospital; they have social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and a blog. With over 700,000 fans on Facebook, they use the page to educate fans on topics including the science of repeat concussions, hospital fundraisers, childhood brainstem tumors, healthy eating, and stories of beautiful young patients battling childhood diseases. The content is visual, timely, updated often and finds different ways to connect with a wide variety of followers.

Social media can be a great tool for hospitals and medical practices. The key is ensuring that patients understand that information posted on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube shouldn’t be considered medical advice, or replace a consultation with your primary care physician. Boston Children’s Hospital does this with a social media disclaimer on its website; the disclaimer sets expectations and rules for social media users and outlines the hospital’s role in social media.

The medical community can leverage their social media presence to educate online communities while taking the necessary precautions to protect themselves and their patients. Since we know social media users will continue to turn to Facebook, Twitter and forums for information, it’s important to make sure they are getting the best and most accurate information from reliable sources – and that includes members of the medical community.

Photo source.

RCS Logistics is an industry leader, specializing in air, ocean, and land freight forwarding, offering high quality, low-cost integrated business solutions. The global logistics company is also one of Kemp Goldberg Partners’ newest clients, and will be looking to our agency for interactive design services and marketing communications support.

Kemp Goldberg has a proven track record in the transportation and logistics industry, giving us a unique advantage in working with RCS to navigate the growing complexities of the sector. We’re excited to get started with RCS and we look forward to doing some great work with them.

Yale Cordage’s products touch an impressive range of industries, from mining to pleasure marine. The company is widely considered an innovator, not only creating rope and rigging for their customers, but also designing and developing unique custom and modified machinery to process fibers to their fullest potential. Basically, they don’t just make rope: they make what makes rope.

This new partnership offers tremendous value for both Yale Cordage and Kemp Goldberg. We’re honored to be selected as Yale Cordage’s agency and we believe their confidence in us is a testament to the diversity and scope of our capabilities.