Volume, Novelty, and Toys
When my parents were kids, and even to some extent when I was a kid, the packaging of toys was simple. There was nothing to it. You pried the molded plastic away from the cardboard, and you got access to your toy, and you started playing. It wasn't much more complicated than that.
If you've ever heard Apple executives talk about their packaging, then you know that the unboxing experience is an extremely high priority to them. It's actually part of their research and development program. They have entire teams of people whose job it is to perfect the packaging of Apple products.
And it seems that as the twentieth century has turned into the twenty-first, two things have happened.
First of all, the experience of opening a toy (including iPhones and iPads, which are little more than overpriced adult toys) has become part of brand identity almost universally. Part of consumer psychology. Part of marketing. The standalone experience of opening what you paid money for is nearly as important as the product itself. Why? Because research over the years has found that people feel more attachment and gratification for their toys when opening them is a viscerally sensational experience. Like, for instance, that (chef’s kiss) perfect suction that is created between the bottom part of the iPhone box and the lid of the box. Apple has spent millions upon millions of dollars making sure that air pocket is precisely the right size. So that there’s exquisite drag. So that you have to sit and watch (and be thrilled) as your phone slowly unveils itself under the force of gravity. I mean, come on. You enjoy that. You know you do.
Or how the inside packaging is smooth, sleek, and unbelievably compact. Everything is put into the box so perfectly, that it’s almost humanly impossible to get it back in properly once it’s removed. That’s not just Apple saving money on materials — it’s Apple conquering the inside of your head.
And how many old iPhone boxes do you have sitting around your house? We could just throw them away… but we don’t. As absurd as it is, we actually save those boxes as if they themselves were treasures. That’s no accident.
We feel even more proud of our purchases when they're packaged like luxury goods. And our kids, although they (and we) can become frustrated with all those silly little twist ties and pieces of tape, often find it even more rewarding that they have to work a little bit to unwrap their toys.
And secondly, overall toy buying has gone up and to the right. For instance, the chart below shows the growth of the U.S. toys and games market year-over-year.
This shows projected growth for the next several years, but it also reflects the historical trend based on other charts I’ve looked at. A growth rate of 4.6% per year means that toys and games are outpacing inflation. And they’re also outpacing the growth of our real wages (and our nominal wages, for that matter). What that means is that, as time goes on, the proportion of our money we’re spending on toys and games (most of which are obviously for children) is increasing.
One reason for this is that the American household has become much less parent-centric and much more child-centric. We spend more time worrying about our children's needs than we do about our own. You might hear this from lots and lots of now-grandparents who, when they were raising their kids, for instance, made much more liberal use of babysitters. They wanted to go out with friends... babysitter. Quit your crying and be good for the babysitter. It's our weekly Bridge club night... babysitter. Mom and dad will be back later. Just watch a movie and be good for the babysitter. See, mom and dad have needs. And friends. And you are just a kid, so be quiet and do what you're told.
That's not how most American households operate anymore. The kids are in charge. We are chained to our kids far more than we used to be. We don't hire babysitters nearly as much anymore. I think part of that is a trust issue in society as a whole, but it’s also because parents aren’t doing as much for their own happiness.
Why is this important? As overall wealth has increased nationwide since World War II, we have gone from being a society of producers (we were the most productive country on earth) to being a society of consumers. Yes, that’s common knowledge, but think about what that means. It means we spend more and more of our money on hollow goods and services, not productive ones. Goods and services that don’t produce anything — goods and services that are purely for entertainment and pleasure.
So combine that with the idea that we put more effort into our children’s ephemeral happiness than our grandparents did, and what has happened? We've spent more and more money on toys for our little ones. My bet is that kids now go through more toys in 3 years than our grandparents went through in their entire lives.
Why does this matter?
All of this superfluous packaging and trickery is a way of updating that special feeling a kid gets when opening a toy. Before, our parents or grandparents were lucky to even get a toy unless it was Christmas. The packaging was irrelevant - possession of the toy itself was the entire prize. Now that's not to say that big ones like Ralphie's Red Rider BB gun weren't packaged to feel special. Of course some were. But these days it feels like every little Barbie, action figure, and play set is packaged for marketing and psychology, not just safe transportation to the consumer. They’re packaged to feel like grand prizes, not just trinkets.
The unboxing experience has been improved to make up for volume.
As the number of toys in a child's life goes up, the experience it takes to make them feel special, memorable, and worthwhile goes up.
This is only natural, of course. It's the same effect you see in drug addicts needing more to get high, or thrill seekers needing to take bigger risks, or sexual partners getting more and more adventurous and creative over time. It’s because, simply put, they’re bored. It has been shown by a large body of research that human males, for instance, seek novelty with sex. Not just sex itself, but novelty. Something new to try. “Something new I can do to someone.”
There is a direct relationship between volume and the need for novelty. In all aspects of life. The more of something we have, the more needs to be done to it in order for it to satisfy us. Our itch becomes larger and it takes more to scratch it.
As I’ve said before on this blog, there is no pleasure so mundane that human beings will not try to maximize it.
And you might ask, "well why would the toy companies even waste their time or money on the extra packaging effort? If it's all about volume, and they know they've got the kids locked in already, why even waste the resources?"
There are a few reasons, I think.
1. Because kids are easily impressed (just like adults are).
2. Because they can pass the extra costs on to the consumer anyway, the same way Apple does. (This is one of many reasons iPhones cost more than a thousand dollars. Because part of what we're paying for is their marketing and unboxing research. We're literally paying them to manipulate us.)
And 3. Because you can always get the kids more locked in. There's no limit to how much you can own somebody's mind if you know how. And I don't mean for that to sound dark, but... I think those are the right words. Packaging of modern consumer products is marketing... and successful marketing is like owning real estate inside of someone's mind. And the history of advertising has shown that real estate inside the minds of children is one of the most profitable things you can own.
I mean, look at McDonald's. It might be the most unhealthy food on the planet, and yet our kids get furious with us if we refuse to take them there. That's powerful. That's what ownership looks like.
Every time I open a package, of anything, I pay attention to what exactly is going on. What materials were used, what the process is like… what’s been done to doctor this experience for me, the willing consumer. It’s interesting to see all of those things once you start looking.
Remember that the things you buy are meant to be useful to you. You’re the one who paid money — they are meant to serve you. Don’t let your consumerism overpower your ability to be rational and protect yourself.
We as adults are no less susceptible to consumer psychology than children are. And we’re the ones with paychecks.
Drink water but spend an hour pouring it first,
JDR
“To be content with little is difficult; to be content with much, impossible.” - Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach