The Art of Introduction

I just received a new Apple laptop the other day and was again stunned with how well done Apple's packaging is done. Every element of the packaging is functional, elegant, and exceptionally effective. Even the cardboard corners of the box the machine came in. Just cool, from start to finish. Never mind the product inside, I like to unwrap the stuff because of the feelings the process evokes.

Introductions are important moments. Those first seconds where we find ourselves face to face with a new product, person, or whatever. We form important, lasting impressions that inform and color our reactions to this new element in our lives forevermore. Yet how often does anyone really give proper weight to this event? Most folks are concerned with cost and moving past formalities so they can "get to the good stuff". Why spend five dollars on packaging when you can do the same functional job for $4.50? Penny-wise, pound foolish. When spend another two pennies on a heater switch in a Chevy just to make the tactile interaction more pleasing?

Why? Because that stuff matters. Even Wal-Mart, kings of cheap where poor service is a badge of honor, has begun to come around, recently saying that they're going to spend more time and attention on service and on the way their stores look. Cheap prices can only sustain a consumer for so long. Less expensive is fine, especially in this economy. But there remain opportunities for real, lasting competitive advantage from implementing a more Apple-ish approach to product/service design, by the realization that the "product" includes everything that comes before and after the actual "thing", and by differentiating on dimensions other than price.