The Credibility Bar Has Moved
July 16, 2026
Maine audiences have always been skeptical of claims without proof. What’s changed is how quickly they can tell.
Everyone Local Knows You’re a Maine Company. Your Next Customer Might Not.
June 30, 2026
You’ve earned trust and value as a Maine business. Now make sure it transfers to where your next customer is. Our latest Maine Insights Lab report confirmed that being a Maine business is a genuine commercial asset, not just a point of pride. Mainers prefer local companies; they’ve set a clear bar for what counts […]
Mainers Believe in Maine. Most Won’t Say So Out Loud.
June 22, 2026
The gap between what residents think and what they recommend is an opportunity most businesses are missing. There’s a finding in our newest Maine Insights Lab report that’s easy to pass, and it shouldn’t be. When we asked Mainers whether the state is a great place to start and grow a business, half strongly agreed. […]
What Makes a Maine Business ‘Truly’ Maine Based: June Mini Report
June 8, 2026
Our newest mini report is live in the Maine Insights Lab, and it takes on a question every business, every person, in Maine has an opinion about: what actually makes a company “Maine-based,” and how much does it really matter? The preference itself is clear. Mainers favor businesses with a genuine connection to the state, […]
When the Data and the Mood Don’t Match
May 18, 2026
Maine’s latest trade report reveals a gap between how Maine’s economy is performing and what Mainers think about its performance
The Worst Time to Play It Safe
May 7, 2026
I’ve noticed over the past 30 years that every time economic confidence softens, there’s a predictable response from the marketing world. Messages get broader. Language gets warmer. The sharp, defining edges come off because organizations decide this isn’t the moment to take risks, so they quietly make their messaging acceptable to everyone. But in Maine, […]
Maine Loves Being Maine. It’s a Lot Less Sure You Can Make a Living Here.
April 23, 2026
Our Mindsets of Maine research put a number on something Maine business leaders have probably understood for a while. Mainers will enthusiastically recommend this state as a place to live — Net Promoter Score of +38. Ask them whether they’d recommend it as a place to start or grow a business, and that number drops […]
The Data Privacy Debate Is Over. The Question It Raised Isn’t.
April 10, 2026
LD 1822 is dead. But it exposed something most Maine businesses haven’t thought through. Last night, the Maine House voted down LD 1822 for the final time, 70-79. The Maine Online Data Privacy Act, which had been the most lobbied bill in the Legislature for two consecutive sessions, is officially done.
The Three Maines, Part Two: Why the Same Message Lands Three Different Ways
March 26, 2026
Most marketing problems don’t announce themselves clearly. The strategy made sense when it was built. The creative is thoughtful. The investment is real. And yet, when the campaign is reviewed, someone in the room says what everyone is already thinking: “This should be working better than it is.” The instinct is usually to adjust the […]
The Three Maines
March 11, 2026
Over the past few years, we’ve been studying how people in Maine actually approach decisions. Not just where they live, how old they are, or what industry they work in, but how they think. What builds trust. What raises skepticism. What makes them feel a message is meant for them. One of the clearest patterns […]
Your Marketing Isn’t Broken. Your Assumptions Might Be.
February 24, 2026
Over the years, I’ve been in plenty of rooms where a leadership team is reviewing campaign results and someone finally says, “This should be working better than it is.”
What Closing an Insight Gap Actually Looks Like
February 9, 2026
The meeting that makes it obvious something’s off is usually the one where all the activity looks the same, but the results don’t. The team is doing what it’s always done. Campaigns are running. Channels are active. Ideas are being added. And yet, performance hasn’t moved the way anyone expected it to. That’s often the […]