Let’s take a look inside
We’ve all experienced those moments of excitement and anticipation when we get home with a new purchase – especially one that’s particularly expensive or that we’ve wanted for a long time. How many of us pause, even if only for a few seconds, before we open or “unbox” our new shoes, toys or smartphone?
Many consumers report that they are unable to remove a pair of shoes from the box without inhaling that “new shoe smell”, and unboxing is a very tactile experience: the satisfying slice of scissor blade through tape; the rustle of paper.
Millions of people watch unboxing videos – but why?
Increasingly, unboxing is changing from being a moment of private pleasure to an experience that consumers are sharing with the world. Unboxing videos rack up millions of videos on YouTube: it seems that we have an insatiable appetite for watching other people rhapsodise over their latest purchases.
But what does this mean for brands, and the packaging their products come in? Packaging evolved as a way to protect goods during transit, but soon became an advertising medium in its own right. Eye-catching packaging has always been able to boost sales by getting people’s attention, and helping brands to stand out in crowded retail environments.
A new role for packaging
Unboxing represents the latest stage in the evolution of packaging: essentially, packaging has been transformed in many people’s minds from a thing to an experience. This is entirely in keeping with the zeitgeist, with “experientialist” consumers valuing memories over merchandise – that is, they don’t aspire to own lots of stuff, but rather, to have amazing, unique experiences.
The growth of unboxing represents an exciting opportunity for brands. Consumer surveys regularly report that premium packaging plays a part in consumer choices, while these same consumers appear increasingly sceptical of traditional advertising.
Social media is now arguably the biggest influence on people’s buying behaviour: rather than trust what brands tell them, they trust what their friends tell them: this is “P2P” or peer-to-peer marketing, and it’s massive.
Earn it, share it
Unboxing videos have a transparency and authenticity that no advert can match: they’re real, in all their wobbly webcam glory. They are an example of user-generated content or “earned media”, which is the holy grail of marketing. Owned and bought media can both be controlled by brands, which is why consumers are distrustful of them.
Positive mentions by consumers, however, are worth their weight in gold. Excellent, beautiful or rare products will be talked about and reviewed online, but these reviewers don’t only focus on what it’s like to use the latest Apple iPhone (for example). The experience of being an iPhone user begins the moment you get your new phone home.
Savvy brands understand this, and are exploiting the potential of digital printing and print embellishment techniques to create tangible unboxing experiences that are aligned to the brand values and the properties of the product, and that consumers will want to share.
There is a lot of human psychology at play here: people like to show off, and what better way to do that than by telling the world that you have a limited-edition gold iPhone X? People look for validation in the number of likes or followers their posted content garners, and they develop loyalty to brands that reward them with exceptional experiences.
Playing to the audience
Marketers have long known that every branded touchpoint must be identifiably part of the brand, whether it’s a bag, email signature or delivery truck. However, packaging has taken this to a new level. It’s the advertising medium that consumers engage with most often (at the point of sale, and at home) and the one they are most likely to share.
By creating beautiful, ingenious packaging worthy of the most premium products, brands can reach a whole new audience thanks to volunteer brand ambassadors – the unboxers. The flipside is also true: poor quality packaging means an experience that no-one will want to share – or worse, that will be criticised online.
Modern digital printing presses allow brands to design and create packaging that looks and feels very special. This can involve using different substrates, and incorporating embellishments such as foil or embossing. The “real estate” on the packaging is no longer likely to be occupied just by a logo. Share-worthy (or gram-able) packaging designs can develop a life (and a following) of their own.
Mass customisation is another way to enhance the unboxing experience, and perhaps the most powerful, as it allows online unboxers to reveal that they have something that not only no-one else has, but that no-one else can have. Now that’s worth posting!
