As if the fluorescent lights at megamarts weren't lovely enough, soon you'll see flashing lights while you shop. NXT, a new line of paraben-free men's grooming goods, isn't spending its money on a huge advertising budget. Instead, it's relying on innovative packaging to draw shoppers in. Each container has an LED light at its base, and the light illuminates the gel within. The New York Times explains:
Every 15 seconds, a light-emitting diode (LED) in the bottom of the container flares on, stays lighted for a few seconds, then fades out. . . . Each NXT light is powered by two or three AAA batteries, and a rolling switch turns off the contraption when it’s upside down or sideways. The light will flash for about a year, so the product is shipped upside-down from its plant in China in boxes that say “This Side Up” in five languages.
From a marketing standpoint, it's pretty smart — who wouldn't pause in the shaving-cream aisle to investigate the flashing lights? And yet, I hope it doesn't kick off a trend; those blinking red coupon dispensers always annoy me at the grocery store, and the idea of an entire wall of flashing (or worse, musical) products makes me anxious. What do you think of this concept? Would you be more likely buy a product if it would light up your life? Or are you ready to hide away in Bella's Dark Bunker of Non-Illuminated Products if the trend gets bigger?
Ed Hardy
Nica
Singh S. Madan
Kind of a waste...
1Unnecessary and silly.
2Can I join you in the bunker? I feel a headache coming on already... also, generally, what a complete waste of energy. I'm guessing this brand is NOT making claims of greenness...
3Nope. Not appealing at all.
You know what's really annoying in the drugstore? Those machines that start talking to you whenever you walk by, trying to suggest medicines and snack foods!
4JudeC, there are really machines that do that? That sounds awful! And as far as the light-up packaging goes, that just seems gimmicky and wasteful.
5i'd stop and stare at that thing wondering how it works. i can practically imagine it.
6jazspin--yep. I always see them at the ends of the painkiller/cold medicine aisles in the Long's Drugs around here. It's ridiculous. You walk by, and the screen lights up and this obnoxiously unctuous computerized male voice says something like "Not sure what medicines you need? Let me help you out!"
I like to push the buttons for every possible pain and disorder listed, and confuse the computer
7What an absurd idea.
8Ugh. I would never bring that home. Who wants their deoderant flashing at them everytime they go to the bathroom? Sounds horrible.
9Pretty, but wasteful and unnecessary
10All those batteries will be in the landfill when the product runs out! How wasteful indeed!
11Yawn- are you kidding?? I am not a fan of gimmicks in marketing. I feel like I'm paying more for the packaging and maybe the product is lacking..
12No, really.
13I hate flashing things (flashy is fine, but if they blink, I get bad headaches), and all those useless batteries will just fill up landfills.
if they want their product to succeed they should make it work well, not look good. all the cult classics are quite plain but they work miracles
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