The Offcial BOX Thread

[Mossman]

heres my box

[Mossman]

and...

[Mossman]

Oh ya. 1 more thought. If you bought tons of seperate boxes like that, new editions or names or markers wouldnt mean a new expensive run of full color boxes, just a run of 1 dollar a piece stickers

[Mossman]

[Bwaites]

Before I went back to school and into the medical field I ran an insurance agency for 10 years.

What we are talking about with a fancy box is value added packaging. Fancy boxes sometimes work if you have a product that is overpriced due to cost overruns, marketing cost (endorsements), or simple price gouging. They don't work for people who are looking for the biggest bang for the buck.

Here are some examples:

Air Jordan basketball shoes come in a REALLY cool metal box. The shoes are priced about $200.00.(Everyone I call says $200.00, so if someone really knows where to get them at $150.00 you are getting a bargain!) Are they better than Nike's top of the line non-Jordan shoe, which you can buy for 50% less? Not for playing basketball, in fact I have yet to see a pair on an actual high level high school or college athlete. They ARE more prestigious for showing off the fact that you can pay $200.00 for your shoes. Does the box make them better? NO, it helps justify the reason they are $200.00, ie. value added packaging, the WOW issue. Car dealers used to call this "selling the sizzle", that new car smell is the best example.

The packaging on some electronic markers, most of which are mentioned above. People buy most of those guns because stores or salesman sell the sizzle, the cool looks of the gun and the packaging. People who do their homework know that those guns are not better than the Emag, and they buy Emags, because the Emag is generally cheaper and more reliable. A friend recently pointed this out whn he decided to buy a nonelectronic marker, based on his fear that an electronic problem could keep him from playing. When I pointed out the fact that my Emag can be used even if the battery is dead, he decided to look at Emags.

Another example, power tools. Black and Decker owns its own name as well as Dewalt. Black and Decker tools come in pretty, four color packaging, they have the "sizzle". They are the tools for the homeowner who is going to do occasional work. Dewalt tools come in plain packaging, they are professional tools, with heavier motors and frames. I understand that when Black and Decker was looking to move back into the professional market, they surveyed professional builders and carpenters about the different brands of power equipment available. Porter Cable tools were the highest rated, number two was Dewalt. At the time Dewalt tools had not been made or marketed for more than 20 years, yet so many were still in use that they were the 2nd rated brand! No fancy boxes, just well made, solid, tools. Sounds like my Mags to me!

Final example. One of the Pharmaceutical companies launched a drug here in the United States about 5 years ago. The medication had been in use in Europe for several years, with wonderful results. We knew about it, were looking forward to it. it came in a unique, highly innovative delivery system. When it was launched no significant amounts were available for samples. The only available package was for a 3 month supply, which patients had to purchase. Unlike most medications, they had to commit to the drug without knowing if it worked first. By the time the company had decided to sample it, about 2 years after launch, another company launched a similar medication with huge numbers of samples, it came in a less attractive delivery system, though the medication was similarly effective. The second medication now owns the lions share of the market, and the first, more innovative product, is still playing catch up.

Packaging plays a part in sales, Tom needs to make money to stay in business, so more sales means more money, which in Tom's case generally means more research and cooler stuff for us dedicated AGD freaks.

The question really is whether or not the box would have enough impact on sales to justify its cost. The answer is evident, look at the competition. They make fancy boxes for a reason, their research and experience says it increases sales enough to justify the cost. Now that they have established their market share they would stop making those fancy boxes in a second and take the extra profit at the same price, if they thought sales would continue to increase.

Most of us AO's would buy AGD products if they came in a brown paper sack, the boxes aren't for us, they are for the uninitiated, those who haven't bought AGD products before. I want my stuff in the cheapest safe packaging for shipping, but a new convert wants, and usually needs, something pretty to show his friends. I don't need other peoples approval of my purchase, I KNOW I have the best product on the field, but new purchasers aren't there yet.

My feeling is that the blown styrofoam inside plain box with a really well designed sleeve is the way to go. The sleeves allow easy running changes for new additions to the package, some printers will allow runs of 500-1000 of this type of sleeve. The styrofoam inside sturdy cardboard box holds up well and protects the gun well. I think new artwork is VERY important, for NEW buyers it may make or break the sale.

As far as delaying the launch, please don't. Some of us will buy them as soon as they are ready, in ANY package. That would get new guns (oops, markers) on the field and let people see them. Some others would buy them because of that. My Emag is now up for sale, hoping that I can buy one of the new, lighter, versions. (I'm old and need all the advantage I can get).

There is nothing wrong with marketing to those of us who have a healthy respect for the product early on and then getting the new box to market when you can, with a splashy launch.

This is about 10 times longer than I intended when I started, so I'll quit for now.

Bill

[Mossman]

WOW, gotta commend you on a very nicely written post. Ya, thats all true, but I still want a metal box even with a sleeve inside like you said, it wouldnt matter, and a box that you can actually use after you take the product out doesnt come around too often.

[hitmanng]

Tom I hope you are still reading this and you probalbly are because you are a fanatic about this stuff...
FORGET THE BOX!!!!
The problem is even getting guns in the stores. I have never seen an E-mag in a store. They will all order exactly what I want but there are none on the actual shelf. There is aways one 68 and one RT in most PB shops and a bunch of Cockers and 2-3 Angels Along with one or two of everything else.
I have never seen a PB gun in the store IN THE BOX! They are all hanging there so you can see them and handle them.
You are right. People do not see the box until after the sale.
If you don't believe me, I will do a poll on how many people saw the box for the marker they own before they bought the gun. I am assuming less than 50%. I still do not know what an E-mag is packaged in.
Spend your time and money on the markers and the marketing... not the packaging. The markers have to be in the stores for people to see them and buy them.. Right now they are not.
Hitmanng

[Krazy Ivan]

I totally agree with Hitmanng, you need to get the marker into stores first b4 you worry about the box. New people to the sport only hear about 2 markers, Cocker's and Angels. They fill in the spots later with the rest.

What AGD needs is a fresh marketing campaign to compete with the draw of the Angels and Cockers. It needs some sort of Aesthetic draw, then once they realize they can run over the thing with their truck, they will be stuck admitting that they should've come here first!

[BTAutoMag]

stop argueing over the box!!!

get a white box and put an AGD logo on it and get it over with

[Nitroduck]

Hey, heres an idea for you.

Obviously if you made a custom box for Mags, it would cost tens of thousands of dollars PER gun.

So here's my idea and solution.

Do what ICD did.

They have 4+ ano patterns, LCDs, non-LCDs, ect.

Heres my sugguestion.

Make a kick-butt box with tons of graphics and colors BUT make a one-box-fits-all box.

On the back, have pictures of all the Mags, and thier differances. IE talk about the non-RT , and how great it is, then one about the RT and what makes it great, then have one for the Emag, then one for the Extreem & C&C Extreem.

Remember your old ads, AGD ? The one with the military guy holding the RT and you provided a fact sheet on stuff on em.

If you'd like, I can do a simple layout for you.

I think this would be the best cost-effective way of producing a kick-butt box without destroying your wallet.