Hello, I’m back.
I’d like to go on record and say judging/speaking at Adstars was very hard work and being located opposite a beach in the Korean equivalent of Miami was pure torture.
Was that convincing?
No, it didn’t work with my wife either.
Damn.
Well after a great week meeting lovely people and visiting a wonderful place, the bad news is – for you and my colleagues – that I’m back.
Sorry.
Anyway, a confession.
I am petty.
I am very petty.
I am so petty, that I transcend the pettiness on the TV series, Grumpy Old Men.
I’ve shown how petty I am throughout the years on this blog – with notable low points here and here – however I recently came across something that even shocked me, in terms of the pettiness it stirred up inside.
What was the picture?
This:
I know … I know … it’s for a bloody USB travel “light”.
Seriously, has anyone ever actually needed a travel light?
And if they have, have they needed a travel light that runs from a USB power source?
People must buy them – but why?
Do they think their hotel will suddenly run out of power.
Or maybe they think all bedside lamps will suddenly be banned.
Or possibly it’s a climber who thinks they’ll be a plug socket half way up a mountain so he can plug in his travel lamp and read his map.
It’s mental.
But that’s not what pissed me off, oh no … the issue I have is that the picture on the box shows the travel lamp plugged into an Apple Mac which is completely pointless given they already have a backlit keyboard.
I told you I was petty.
Yes, I know there’s countless reasons why someone might do that, but the story the picture communicates is that the lamp is allowing you to type on your keyboard.
In the dark.
Despite having a backlit keyboard.
And a screen that would be glowing, shining an artificial light on the keyboard.
Basically, that picture has just alienated anyone who has an Apple Mac from buying that product. Well, it has if that owner is petty.
And don’t get me started on their ‘tagline’.
“Why You Busy?”
What the fuck are they going on about???
OK, so it’s a product that has obviously not been developed in an English speaking nation, but with that … a futile picture on the box and a totally pointless product inside the box, I wouldn’t be surprised if it sells the best part of fuck all.
Yes I know this is a pathetic, pointless post [what’s new?] … and I know most people don’t give a damn and will still go out and bunches of products that serve no purpose … but the thing is, these things bother me, especially the packaging element.
Packaging is important. In some ways, it’s even more important than the advertising that attracts people to it.
It’s what creates the ‘ceremony of purchase’ and anyone who doesn’t think it is worth paying attention to, needs a good kicking.
Sure, it can go into total and utter wank, but for me – if you don’t pay attention to the little things [like using a Mac Book with backlit keyboard on the packaging] then why the hell would I believe you when you say this is a good product/brand for me to consider?
Yes, I appreciate this is a long post for something so bloody petty [I did warn you it would be at the start of the post] but the moral of the story [ahem!] is that little things make a much bigger difference than we like to give them credit for, so if you want to improve your odds of success, don’t just focus on the ‘big idea’ and get to know/appreciate and collaborate with people who work in the less glam disciplines of adland – like packaging, sales promotion, retail – because their influence is far greater than you’d imagine.