Why You Can’t Throw Away Your iPhone Box

If you own Apple products, there’s a high likelihood that a small corner of your closet is dedicated to Apple boxes.

The bizarre and subconscious fondness we have for Apple boxes is not random.

It’s by design.

It comes from a deep understanding of human psychology, and social engineering.

As Walter Isaacson, author, professor, former CEO of Aspen Institute and CNN, and editor of Time described in his biography of Steve Jobs, beautiful packaging is one of Apple’s key marketing principles.

Spoiler alert: it’s way more complicated than it looks.

The ‘Apple Marketing Philosophy’: the three lessons marketers need to know

According to Isaacson, the philosophy stressed three points that are worth mentioning:

• The first was empathy, an intimate connection with the feelings of the customer: “We will truly understand their needs better than any other company.”

• The second was focus: “In order to do a good job of those things that we decide to do, we must eliminate all of the unimportant opportunities.”

• The third one, awkwardly named impute, is the most important. The idea is simple but sheds light on the foundation of what exactly contributed to Apple’s success. It emphasized that people form an opinion about a company or product based on the signals that it conveys. “People DO judge a book by its cover,” he wrote. “We may have the best product, the highest quality, the most useful software etc.; if we present them in a slipshod manner, they will be perceived as slipshod; if we present them in a creative, professional manner, we will impute the desired qualities.”

A walk down memory lane: the birth of Apple

Before we dive into the marketing lessons, let’s journey back in time to the launch of Apple's Macintosh in 1984. Jobs’ team told him that it would be financially beneficial to ship the computer in a plain box.

As you would imagine, Jobs, being the Godfather of “idea guys,” rejected the idea.

Instead, Jobs “imputed” the vision for Apple's game-changing PC into a vibrant, full-color, visually appealing box.

As Trung Phan describes, since then, Apple’s “impute” philosophy continues in the packaging of their core product: the iPhone.

The bizarre (and as you’ll see, brilliant) obsession over packaging didn’t start with today’s iPhone, or the 1984 Macintosh for that matter.

Apple’s head designer, Jony Ive, recounts: "You design a ritual of unpacking to make the product feel special. Packaging can be theater."

According to Leander Kahney’s book Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple’s Greatest Products, the iPod was actually the first product that truly saw packaging elevated to the same importance as the product itself.

For the release of its portable audio player, Apple created two boxes: one for manufacturers to ship the iPod to stores, and one that consumers would get in a store.

Trung explains:

As the last thing someone feels before seeing their phone, Apple put in 1000s of hours perfecting the package. There's literally a "packaging room" where a design employee will spend months opening up 100s of prototypes — with different materials and shapes — to nail the experience.

But what are the actual triggers that make you keep them? What impact does that have on the way we view and purchase Apple products? And what on earth did those employees discuss in a “packaging room” for 1000s of hours?

Eight psychological triggers behind keeping Apple’s boxes

Abhishek Shah, Founder of the Psychology of Marketing identified eight psychological triggers driving this phenomenon.

• The Mere Exposure Effect: No matter who you are or where you live, the Apple unpacking experience is always the same. And as humans, we are creatures of habit. The more we see or experience it, the more we crave it.

• Selling The Dream Outcome: When you're walking through a store like BestBuy, Apple's packages stand out - not because of how much they show, but how little. No clutter. No tech specs. Only the most desirable outcomes. In many cases, it's high-resolution images.

• The 3D Effect: The images on Apple's packages are slightly embossed or raised. But that edit goes beyond aesthetics. 3D images increase product interactivity and can be 6X more cost-effective

• The Curiosity Gap: It's the gap between what we know and what we want to know. In Apple's unpacking process, this refers to the act of pulling off the lid. That element of friction adds to the suspense and builds up anticipation.

• The Effect Paradox: That friction has 1 more consequence - added satisfaction. Research has repeatedly shown us that the more effort we put into obtaining things, the more value we assign to them. For Apple, more friction = more value. (We’ll talk about that more in the key takeaways).

• The Memory Recall Effect: When you finally pull off that lid, you'll hear that iconic *whoosh* sound. This whooshing sound adds to the theatrical experience, establishes a strong sensory cue, and has now become iconic of Apple. Sonic marketing can be powerful, especially when you parlay it with another sensation.

• The Status Quo Bias: People hate change. And Apple knows it. Every time a customer opens an Apple package, every item is exactly where it should be - accurate to a millimeter, designed precisely by Apple.

• The Fresh Start Effect: Unpeeling that plastic wrap is the most satisfying aspect of it all. But it goes beyond sheer satisfaction. It creates a feeling of newness, builds anticipation, and floods us with dopamine. It's the power of a fresh start.

Key Takeaways

Impressions Matter - Packaging is a crucial aspect of any brand and the design has become a staple of certain lifestyles, pop culture, and of course, brand recognition. If you take a look at some of the most recognizable packaging designs in the world today (i.e. the Tiffany & Co blue box, the Harrods shopper bag, the Chanel box, or the McDonald’s happy meal), you’ll notice two things: one, each design is unique, yet simplistic. Two, each is consistent with the branding you likely already had in mind. That’s the whole point.

The packaging's aesthetic should match what your brand stands for and reflect its values and personality. It's also essential to avoid overwhelming your customers with too much information. After all, Apple (ironically) put a lot of effort into making its packaging (appear) as simple as possible.

For example, if you run a CPG brand, avoid lengthy text on packaging. This is a common mistake that marketers and advertisers make, which often deters customers. If necessary, make the copy skimmable and easy to read.

Make It More Interactive - Creating a sensory experience for your audience can be a powerful tool in making your product more memorable. By targeting one or a combination of the five senses, you can create a multi-sensory experience that will compel your audience to interact with your product.

However, it's essential to strike a balance and avoid overdoing it. Too much sensation, such as strong smells or loud sounds, can have the opposite effect and turn customers away. Just like simplicity versus uniqueness is a balancing act, the key is to find the right balance by creating an experience that is engaging and memorable while ensuring branding isn’t alarming or overwhelming.

Easy Isn’t Always Better – Reducing any friction in the customer journey is undoubtedly important and can lead to increased conversions - but not always. As I mentioned in a previous article, Where Friction Drives Purchases: Navigating The Messy Middle Of The Customer Journey, Amazon – the company that’s famous for its effortless customer experience – is interestingly making it just one click harder for people to buy products through their platform.

And there’s a reason for it. People associate more effort with more value. Opening an iPhone package and setting up the product takes longer than it has to. But it makes the outcome that much more rewarding. Clicking the Amazon checkbox to get the available coupon (rather than just being given the discount) is unnecessary. But it’s rewarding. Unwrapping a present is unnecessary. But it’s rewarding.

This notion is supported by two psychological phenomena: The Effect Paradox and The IKEA Effect. The former states that we value things more when we put more effort into them, and the latter says that we have a higher appreciation for things that we have created or assembled ourselves. Frictionless customer experiences may seem like the better option (and they usually are). However, sometimes it's the extra effort that makes something truly valuable.

Customer journey mapping, packaging, and product marketing can be complex. In whichever approach you take, it’s important to find a way to provoke an emotional reaction and connection with your customers, even if they, themselves, don’t always know it.

Take one final lesson that Shep Hyken shared in a recent Forbes article:

Consider a retail store with repeat customers (not loyal customers), and ask this: If a competitor moves into the neighborhood, has a more convenient location and advertises lower prices, would the customer switch? If you want your customers to be loyal, you must find a way to create an emotional connection.

Today, the messaging of a tweet, ad, Zoom call, or cardboard package can all be a gateway to the emotional connection that sparks positive experiences.

The relationship you want with customers is rooted in emotion. A good experience creates a positive memory…people don’t choose between experiences. They choose between the memories of their experiences. 

So, here is your assignment. Ask your customers, “Why do you do business with us?” Their reasons will help you define the differences between features and benefits compared to feelings and emotions.

…Then and only then can you throw away that pile of Apple boxes.