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product packaging

product packaging

Sometimes Product Packaging is More Important Than the Actual Product Tue, 2008-12-23 09:56 | by Carles


[Photo via lookbook.nu]
As yall know, I am an alternative businessman with relevant opinions on how to set up a successful alternative business. If u come to my blog offices for a consulting session, I will teach u how to turn 10 Am Appy t-shirts and a permanent marker into a thriving alternative business.

Today's Alt Biz Lesson is about product packaging. What yall need 2 realize is that product packaging represents your product. Sometimes even more than ur actual product. Even though 'Am Appy' is 'just a t-shirt', the way that the colourful product sits in a meaningful clear bag with names of relevant cities printed on it does a better job of branding. In this picture, you can see proud entry level alts who are proud of their recent purchases at the popular international boutique "The American Appy." The opportunity to walk around the city with a branded bag gives the entrylevelers a chance to show other consumers what 'people who look interesting and culturally connected' are purchasing.

I know yall don't realize this, but when u walk with this bag, u r a 'walking billboard', kind of like a bus with an advertisement, or one of those portable billboard thingies.

I guess what I'm trying 2 say is that yall need 2 b aware of the world around u.
Understand that product packaging can inspire consumers to rally behind ur product's brand.

Should I use my Abercrombie bag as my backpack when I go back to High School to get my G.E.D.?

Should I be proud of my Forever21 bag?

Is it still authentic to brand yourself with The Gap?

I <3ed my macbook packaging so much that I use it on a daily basis as a purse/laptop bag so that people nvr 4get that I'm a Mac user.

When I grow up, I will only live in a city that has been listed on an Am Appy bag.

What's yalls favourite bag 2 walk around with?

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MGMT tries to convince people to buy their CD by offering meaningful product packaging Fri, 2010-03-05 07:41 | by Carles
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Convincing people to actually buy your CD is one of the most difficult challenges that modern bands will encounter.  Really tough competing against the popular free mp3 distribution platforms rapidshare, mediafire, megaupload, and zshare [via the leak economy]. Fortunately, larger mindie and maltstream bands have strong tribes of followers who will 'buy into' any gimmick that the band utilizes to differentiate from other competitors. This zany video continues to set the 'buzz wheels' in motion for MGMT's Congratulations album release meme hype cycle.

In this video, MGMT attempts to 'sweeten the deal' by offering a kewl coin with your uniquely packaged CD. This coin seems to have some sort of Pagan / Satanic symbols on it. You are supposed to use the coin to scratch off the front cover of the album. Seems 'fun', but not sure if I want to scratch off something I paid mad bank for.

Also, they say that the CD booklet has 62 pages. It seems like they are trying to 'sell a book' or something like that.  I wonder if it has lyrics, or cool pix of the band, or kewl art, or something.  Maybe it lists place where u can use MGMT money to buy merch [via pagan coins].
It seems like this is a good strategy to help them 'cross over' further into the mainstream, charting in their first week between #1-5, depending on the competition. Not only will they use the 'gimmick packaging' technique, but they will probably also sell their album for 1.99 at the iTunes music store.

Is MGMT 'doing everything right'?
Is MGMT's album going to be critically panned?
Is MGMT's album going to be the #1 commercial indie album of the year, or will they 'fall short' of Vampire Weekend?

Should I buy a hardcopy of the MGMT album or just spend it on $11 worth of scratch off lottery tickets?

Is 'the album' dead?
Is 'the CD' dead?
Is 'the mp3' dead? [via live performance art economy]

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