Maxwell next?
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Lois Beckett, "Perky Maxwell House viral ad takes on housing crisis as ‘Maxwell Apartment’", The Guardian 10/1/2025:
Housing in the US has become so unaffordable that a coffee company has based a viral marketing campaign on the idea that almost nobody can afford to buy a house.
Maxwell House coffee, a 133-year-old brand, recently launched a marketing campaign rebranding themselves as “Maxwell Apartment coffee”.
“Maxwell House? In this economy?” a narrator asks in a video ad, promising that Maxwell Apartment is “the same affordable coffee you love, now with an even more affordable name”.
The ad's audio:
You can see the video here. And a link to the press release, which offers a 12-month coffee lease:
Beginning on National Coffee Day (Sept. 29), Maxwell House’s 12-month “lease” offer of Maxwell Apartment coffee is available on Amazon.com, while supplies last. For under \$40, fans can stock their pantry with a full year of coffee – designed to save coffee enthusiasts more than \$1,000 annually, compared to daily café runs,2 which on average can add up to more than \$90 per month. Along with the rebranded canisters, the year-long supply of coffee will come with an official Maxwell Apartment “lease” to sign.
…that quickly sold out.
The name "Maxwell House" originated with a fancy hotel in Nashville, suggesting other down-market lodging choices as possible next steps. Among the many (mostly negative) comments, this was my favorite:
Maxwell Apartment? How about Maxwell Mom's Basement?
— Scrappy Sue (@scrappy_momma) October 1, 2025
J.W. Brewer said,
October 3, 2025 @ 11:20 am
Perhaps Maxwell Rowhouse, for the Philadelphia-area market? I see that there is an existing business with two Philly locations named "Rowhome Coffee." Rowhome sounds unidiomatic to my ear, but I've been away from the Delaware Valley for a long time now, and maybe it's gentrifier-speak?
KevinM said,
October 3, 2025 @ 11:35 am
Maxwell Hovel?
David Marjanović said,
October 3, 2025 @ 12:20 pm
Coffee in a blue container?
Mark Liberman said,
October 3, 2025 @ 1:16 pm
@David Marjanović "Coffee in a blue container?":
That's true of standard Maxwell House, and apparently has been true for a while.
rpsms said,
October 3, 2025 @ 1:26 pm
In Philly, "rowhome" is not a synonym for affordable.
Jonathan Smith said,
October 3, 2025 @ 2:01 pm
Minpoorly RV?
cameron said,
October 3, 2025 @ 8:38 pm
@David Marjanović – yeah, Maxwell House has done blue cans and canisters as long as I can remember – it's a long-established part of their brand identity