Intentional | Audio Identity Blog

I’ve always been fascinated with the “out-of-the-box experience.”

When a $2,500 piece of technowizardry appeards in a heavy cardboard rectangle on my front porch, fresh from the UPS farm, I’m eager to see just how well those promises from Brand X holds up. The opening of the box, after all, is the bridge between a company’s perception of itself and the reality that its customers have to live with; a random collection of junk inside a box speaks volumes about a company’s real-world operations. An Apple moment, on the other hand…well, y’know.

Given this, many companies even pay to have consultants audit their OOTB experience, as a reality check of sorts. But that’s no longer as necessary: two new sites, Unboxing and Unbox./IT! will do it for you.

The good news: random strangers will do it for you. Free! (Just think of the viral possibilities.)

The bad news: negative reviews are posted for all to see. (Just think of the viral possibilities.)

There’s just one chance to get it right. “If you blow it, that’s it,” says Vincent Nguyen of unbox.it, in today’s WSJ. “It is unscripted. It is kind of like a reality show.”