The iPod Shuffle and Wrigley's Doublemint Gum
OK, I better post this before Steve Jobs goes and replaces the iPod Shuffle with something newer and better.
The iPod Shuffle is typically compared to a pack of gum, due to the equivalent sizes of these two products. This is a smart move. We naturally make sense of new information by associating (through comparison or contrast) new knowledge with something we’re already familiar with. New product. Size is a key market differentiator. The metaphor is a powerful tool for communication. And persuasion.
Apple further reinforced this association with this little joke:
Fans ran with the comparison, through jokes of their own and even by skinning their shuffles to resemble various brands of gum.
... but what of the packaging?
The gum metaphor extends beyond just size—to the packaging and presentation as well.
Wrigley’s Doublemint gum is probably the most universally recognized brand of gum. And what are the two distinctive visual traits? Arrows and shades of green.
Let’s take a look at the visuals used to promote the shuffle:
Arrows and shades of green.
I’m not saying there is any copying going on. Definitely not. The Apple iPod campaign is original. I am saying this was a smart—and more importantly, intentional—marketing move. Packaging has a major effect on our perceptions. And to draw upon our common social perceptions (who hasn’t been exposed to Wrigley’s Doublemint gum while waiting in line at the grocery store?) was brilliant. This is the design equivalent of a literary allusion.
Thoughts?
For a similar (but more intelligent) comparison, someone at frog Design has written THE iPOD AND THE BATHTUB: Managing Perceptions through Design Language (pdf file). This short commentary discusses “the system of conventions that shape our perceptions.” It’s a good read.
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