Swag & Such

On Wednesday, I went to Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle for an unveiling of new Samsung home appliances. I love press events like this, love opening the window from my small world and taking in a bigger view. Round the bend by the Hudson River and into the city I went, to mingle with colleagues and savor the stylin' details that fine media events include.

As hoped, learned some fresh lessons along the way.

On Message
With Mother's Day four days off, the theme was High Capacity Moms--nice marketing hook for multitasking ranges, fridges, washers and dryers that can manage to look good, work wonders, make life fun and help you stay on budget, like the best moms.

James Politeski, Samsung's Senior VP of Home Appliance Sales & Marketing, moderated a discussion with three top mommy bloggers [one in a beautiful Lilly Pulitzer dress, which I greatly admired--meant to tell her after, but ran out of time]. The panel reminded me of The Dating Game, above, with the moms sitting on high stools and answering questions, except the host [James] didn't have on a 70s suit and aviator glasses, and a lucky man wasn't waiting in the wings, carefully listening to the answers so he could choose the right blind date.

The mommy bloggers--from momtrends.blogspot.com; momcentral.com; and mominthecity.com--were pretty and polished. They shared some interesting tidbits and insights into momhood now. They all have young children. They talked about how the nesting trend is affecting them. They and their friends prefer to eat at home with some nice wine while their kids have a chance to interact. [It was the same for us when Figgy was smaller.] The Lilly P. woman [Nicole] said the going rate in NYC for a sitter now is $18 per hour, so it's also much cheaper to nest. Eighteen dollars? I should start baby-sitting.

The mominthecity blogger, Kimberly, used to work full-time in investment banking. I loved what she said: "I cook, my husband cleans up after, and the kids set the table. We're a family and we work together as a family so Mom isn't burnt out at the end of the night." I always knew I wanted us all to work together, but I hadn't really crystallized exactly why--so that I'm not the only one burnt out at the end of the night.

James referred to Samsung's new 4-Door French Door Refrigerator as a car lover might. He called it "the new four-door." It's a nice stainless-steel fridge and what everyone loved about it was the special FlexZone drawer that has a touch temperature control so you can choose Meat/Fish, Cold Drinks, Deli/Snacks or Wine/Party Dishes and they'll be chilled at exactly the right temperature. The drawers on the models were stocked as if ready for a play date, the very neat compartments filled with juice boxes, Jell-O cups, precut PB&Js and celery and carrots with dip. I would have loved a drawer like that for play dates or entertaining families with kids.

The washer could fit up to 31 towels or a king-size comforter in a single load. Pretty impressive. I think it was big as the washers and dryers at White's Norge Village Laundromat, where I worked as a teen. And those machines meant business.

Lesson Learned
As James went through his presentation, something clicked--and it wasn't the starter on the new SelecTouch Control Range, either, which BTW would not have made a noisy click like my gas range because you use a really cool touchpad to get it going. No, it was that my college thesis in journalism was on the portrayal of women and men in advertisements in Better Homes and Gardens Magazine in the 1970s and early 80s. My point was that women were often shown in the cooking or cleaning role and if men were shown at all doing something domestic, they were cooking outdoors at the grill. That's what was acceptable in advertising then.

Flash forward. The Samsung presentation included a photo of a man and a woman cutting fresh green veggies together in their kitchen, looking attractive, slim, healthy and happy. They were also looking at each other--interacting. I guess that's the state of domesticity today, of wedded bliss. That seems so healthy. I mean it.

Insider Tips
1. "By far, the big trend these days is putting the laundry on the main floor or second floor," said James. That's how it is at my sister-in-law's nice house up in Maine and here in the condo--so much more convenient than lugging everything up and down to our dark basement at home. Guess we're going back to our roots. Most of our grandmothers and great-grandmothers did their wash in the kitchen, with washboards and/or giant pots of steaming water. They didn't need a gym with upper-body workouts like that.

2. The secret to cleaning stainless-steel appliances is using a little baby oil or even mineral oil on a microfiber cloth, confided Stephanie, the white-polo-shirted Samsung employee who showed us the four-door's details [including the replaceable water filter cartridge, shaped like a Brita, but longer]. "I've found that's the best way to clean the models in the showroom," she said. "It really works."

Swag
Ah, swag. It's fun, no denying that. I was once offered a position as beauty editor at a women's magazine--but at that time, in the 80s, beauty editors were not writers [the writing stable was separate]. I wanted to be a writer. But I was acutely aware of passing a fork in the road that would have meant a constant shower of flowers, gifts, spa treatments, fragrances, makeup, trips and invitations to one lavish event after another. Sigh. Guess I also would have had to deal with model bookings, beauty advertisers and frequent requests from staffers who wanted some swag too. ;)

The swag at a press event is not just the gift bag. It's also the food, the flowers on the tables, the chance to network with colleagues. My friend Sharon, Good Housekeeping Kitchen Appliances & Technology Director, was there. So was a young home editor from Family Circle and a few people I was able to bring along: my niece, Leah Hurley, raised in Maine and now a poised entrepreneur and founder of Web Direct; her charming friend, Carolyn Lenske, who has a food blog called Girl with Spoon; and my neighbor, Jodi Godfrey, a health, nutrition and medical writer.

But let's get to the rest of the swag. The flowers on the table were stunning. Clear glass bowls with orange, yellow and purple orchids. So fresh and fashionable.

And though Jodi wished for more whole grains, I loved the food, catered by Bouchon Bakery, which is right near the Samsung Experience on the third floor of the Time Warner Center.

I've eaten at Bouchon Bakery with my magazine friends; it's a hot spot. So I particularly appreciated the Hearts of Romaine and Grilled Chicken Salad with pickled red onions and Parmesan dressing; Corned Wagyu Beef Sandwiches; the tiny butternut squash and Brie stackers; and the fresh palladin rolls stuffed with tuna Nicoise. I tried the quiche, but didn't love it at room temperature. And, oh, the desserts! Especially the nutter butter sandwich cookie with creamy PB filling and the baby chocolate hazelnut tarts. The bottles of Evian were de rigueur. Maybe the Samsung fridge contents tilted toward kid-friendly fare, but this was anything but.

Bagging Gold
As I told Kate Knox, my friend from Chicago who is on the PR team for Samsung, I felt so spoiled after opening that gift bag. It contained something I've been dying to try--a hunk of chocolate from Pure Dark. I've got to make a pilgrimage there, when some money comes in. That chocolate was incredible--rich, deep, dark, real. In fact, I'm going to check out puredark.com now.

It was brilliant marketing, since the tag on the chocolate reminded us that Samsung's new range has such a steady, low-heat seating that you can melt chocolate in a pot over it [instead of using a complicated double boiler or your microwave--while I've tried those two methods, I haven't tried the Samsung one]. Only in my dreams would I have a sleek, sensitive stovetop--or man, for that matter--that carefully melts chocolate for me. [But wait, H. has helped me trim my favorite butter-cookie Christmas trees, which I've been making since high school, with garlands of melted chocolate. Maybe he deserves more credit.]

The bag also included a pretty metal serving tray from the Vera Wang Vesta Collection. "What's that?" said Figgy with interest when she saw it. If she's asking, it's nice.

I felt pampered indeed. Samsung was intuitive to plan its launch around Mother's Day and to shower us with chocolate, lunch and a pretty gift in a chic setting.

A welcome diversion from housework, perfectly timed.