In my lifetime, I can think of several major paradigm shifts in the world of packaging. Once upon a time, everything came in a big box, wrapped in styrofoam or packing peanuts. Then there was a shift to minimal packaging; products were shrink-wrapped hard plastic that was seemingly impossible to open (so difficult that major league pitcher Adam Eaton was injured attempting to open a DVD with a knife).
Recently, there has been a shift towards including elegant packaging into the experience of owning a product. Perhaps best exemplified by Apple, the process of opening of products has become an elaborate ritual, establishing an instant bond between user and product that could never be achieved with packing peanuts or bubble wrap standing by.
We are in the midst of a new change in the world of packaging; one that shifts the very definitions of the product/package relationship. Industries that have typically never considered themselves participants in the business of packaging and shipping products are now surrounded by opportunities to innovate in how their information is delivered.
The year was 2004, and I was going on vacation, far away from the comforts of home and the english language radio programming that had become a part of my day-to-day routine. Armed with an iPod and an iMac, I realized that I could record content from radio, rip it to mp3 and take it with me in a digital format. It was tedious work, akin to recording songs from FM radio to cassette tapes a decade earlier.
It totally worked… I had the content I wanted, an ocean away, at the tips of my fingers thanks to my iPod. But I was left with the feeling that there had to be a better way.
And there was. Mere months later, the concept of podcasting reached my radar. That arduous process of taking audio from analog to digital and shoehorning it into my mobile iPod lifestyle was replaced by a more elegant solution of iTunes and audio subscription.
Cutting across all industries, information is a common denominator. We all distribute information, and many of us are relegated to old styles of packaging our information. We cram our information into standard shaped boxes, even if the dimensions aren’t right. Be it a brochure, a direct mail letter, or a corporate website, we plunk our information in boxes and protect the sharp corners using useless filler content; packing peanuts for a digital realm.
How can you create an unboxing culture around your content? How can you involve the user in an immersive experience where the packaging isn’t merely something that gets in the way and thrown away? Can you re-think your strategy enough to make the wrapper and ribbon a part of the gift itself?
Gary Vaynerchuk re-created the packaging when he started filming and distributing Wine Library TV. The world was used to magazines and elitist culture surrounding a wine experience… Gary wrapped it up in personality and a spirit of inclusion.
SteveRunner re-created packaging of digital audio once again when he released his podcast as an iPhone application – The Virtual Running Partner, complete with exclusive weekly video content. He removed the requirement to tether to a computer or even understand what a podcast was, delivering the gift of convenience and a feeling of intimacy to runners around the world.
BT took an industry in a death spiral, and leap-frogged iTunes digital distribution by releasing the first single from his latest album as an iPhone application. Sonifi provided users with a virtual mixing board, complete with stems from 4 separate remixes, transforming the listener into an artist. In an industry where packaging had actually degraded with digital technology – the experience provided by CD artwork, liner notes and the storytelling of complete albums virtually unknown to a new generation of music fans – BT’s single allowed listeners to get their hands dirty and use his product in a way that had never been done before.
As more and more people become mobile, as handset specs rapidly approach their desktop and laptop counterparts, and bandwidth limitations become less of an excuse by the day, your consumers will begin to expect information to be packaged in novel ways that increase their experience with your brand. More hands-on mobile platforms (iPad et al), ebooks complete with multimedia, and the youtube generation intent on remixing culture will all combine to change the expectations of product experiences yet again.
What other innovations have you experienced in the packaging lately? How have brands used digital content to make things more useful, convenient and ultimately, more memorable?
Crazy man, I just wrote about this today on my blog. Also talked about it on my Digital Empires TV (minisode 1). Packaging is so important. I've bought a lot of stuff just because it looks cool.
Thanks for the mention Neil. As a content producer I always feel like we’re getting closer and closer to growing our audience past the early adopters who understood what RSS was and the meaning of a “podcast”. The iPhone app is one example; where I’m gaining a new audience who doesn’t know (or really care) about podcasts: they just want to listen to a “radio show about running” on their phone (or iTouch). Technological complexity (or the fear of Tech) has always been the hurdle…but you’re absolutely correct: we need more novel (and simple/easy) ways to get this content in the hands (or in my case “ears”) of our audience. The good news is that there’s some great content out there…just waiting to be “sucked in” by new and improved digital packaging!
“If information is your product… how are you packaging it?” thats great coverage on this and good to learn something out of it
Hi,
Thanks for such a nice and informative post and the best part about this post is the video that you have put up. It is just awesome and I will surely get this application soon for my I phone.
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shipping boxes
Great Thoughts on packaging in a digital world. Thanks for the great read!