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Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Thinking, Boxes, Smart Phones, and Grandmothers (Really)

The phrase "Thinking outside the box" is so overused, that as soon as someone says it, I know they're NOT doing it.

The only way a truly active brain can use a phrase like this today is to play off of it, showing that you know it's now a hackneyed cliche. [Taco Bell] Burger King's "Think outside the bun" does it with a b[p]un.

And Vitamindesign's "Outside the Box" project does it by adding new meaning to the term by using it literally in their clever combination of packaging and instruction manual to help older folks better adapt to smart phones.

Watch this video! It will remind you that there is always a better way to do things.



Out of the box - book from Vitamins on Vimeo.

I think this shows great ingenuity.  It shows people thinking about who their potential customers  are.  But did they actually sell phones in these boxes?  From the website it wasn't clear so I emailed them.  Here's what Adrian emailed back:
As for the project, it was a research project, to learn and discover insights and opportunities. This means that the outcome was a prototype, not a fully manufactured product, however Samsung, or any other manufacturer could potentially make this if they saw fit. It was a small part of a much bigger research project in to how we could provide existing smartphone services to ageing adults. 
So what can you do better today - for clients at work, for your spouse or kids, for yourself?

3 comments:

  1. Think Outside the Bun is the slogan of Taco Bell, not Burger King.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anon, you're absolutely right. Shows how well I listen and in this case it should have been obvious if I thought about it. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  3. That is a very good thought and if adopted would make my life a lot easier. M

    ReplyDelete

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