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    Unboxing: How Brands Can Take Advantage of this new Social Media Trend that’s Sweeping the Internet

    If you frequent YouTube, you might have already heard about a phenomenon that’s exploded in recent years — Unboxing.  Basically, an “Unboxing” video is one in which you get to see an individual take something out of its box, unwrap it, and explore all of the components of the package while explaining its functionality.

    It’s a genre of videos that’s meant to either document or generate excitement regarding the unveiling of a new product.  It was originally popularized by YouTube users to dramatize the experience of owning a new product in a quirky and playful manner.

     

    Popularity of Unboxing Videos and their Potential as a Marketing Strategy

    Unboxing videos had such a meteoric rise in the social media landscape that their viewership increased by 57% in the year 2014.  Furthermore, YouTube videos including the word “Unboxing” in the title were viewed over a billion times in a single year!

    Viewers flock to unboxing videos for one of two primary reasons:

    • To derive the thrill of vicariously unveiling a product that might otherwise be out of their budgetary reach.

    • If they intend to purchase a particular product, an unboxing video gives them a true unfiltered depiction of what the product is, how it’s packaged, and whether it lives up to the product’s description.

     

    Studies show that over one-third of millennials watch unboxing videos, and 75% of them are influenced by them.  To take advantage of the vast popularity of this genre of videos, various brands have also started getting in on the craze.  In fact, producing unboxing videos has become an extremely effective marketing strategy for brands targeting Millennial or Generation Z consumers.

     

    Types of Unboxing Videos

    There are now two different styles of unboxing videos available on the internet:

    • Consumer-Produced Videos: These are produced by individuals who purchase a product, document their excitement while unveiling it, and speak directly to other potential buyers.  They don’t carry any inherent biases or agendas and are thus trusted implicitly by their viewers.

    • Company-Produced Videos: Various brands have started producing their own unboxing videos to offer an unfiltered look into what the consumers can expect.  The purpose here is to inform the potential consumers, increase brand transparency, and thus generate trust.

     

    Regardless of whether the unboxing video is being made by an individual consumer or a brand, the successful videos generally share a few common traits:

    • They are made in a casual style and in a relaxed environment like someone’s living room or kitchen.

    • The general tone of the video is friendly and conversational.  It should feel like the individual in the video is casually chatting with friends as opposed to selling a product.

    • They tend to be informative to provide the viewers with some real value.  As such, the unboxing video should display the exteriors of the packaging and all of its contents carefully.

    • They are relatable, trustworthy, and don’t need to be too perfect or professionally-made.  Attempts to render it “perfect” may shatter that impression.

     

    Now that you understand what unboxing videos are, why they’re popular, and their different forms, it’s time to learn how you can make a successful unboxing video for your product.

    10 Important Tips for Companies Producing their Unboxing Videos

    1. Using an Exact Store Sample of the Product: The purpose of unboxing videos is to provide transparency and develop trust.  As such, you need to unbox an exact sample of the product being sold in the stores.  It needs to be new and have the exact same packaging, wrapping, and accessories.  Any discrepancy between the product displayed in your video and the product sold to the consumers may become a cause for complaint.

    2. Efficiency: You need to retain the viewers’ interest for the complete video.  As such, it’s important to be quick and efficient.  Improvising the speech is helpful in maintaining a casual chit-chatty vibe, but you should ideally prepare some cue cards hitting all the major informational bullet points.

    3. The Speaker’s Aesthetics: In some unboxing videos, you can only see the speaker’s hands, and in some, you can see the entire individual.  Both of them are equally efficient.  However, it’s important to focus on aesthetic appeal.  You should use a speaker with well-maintained and clean hands and a friendly face.  However, you should also avoid using a model because the video needs to be relatable.

    4. The Speaker’s Voice and Speech: The speaker should, above all else, sound genuine.  They need to have a pleasant voice and speak in a conversational manner.

    5. No “Sales” Language: Millennial and Generation Z consumers are extremely averse to being “sold” on products.  There’s no quicker way of losing their interest and trust than to create a sales-focused video.  You need to highlight the product’s features and talk about it without overtly “pushing” it to the viewers.

    6. A Comprehensive Unveiling: The speaker must start by commenting on the aesthetics and convenience of the packaging, and then move on to describe all of its contents.  Basically, every aspect of the package should be commented upon.

    7. Commenting on Each Item: The speaker should unveil the contents of the box one-by-one in an orderly manner.  They should also comment upon each of the items, including the warranty card, leaflet, etc.

    8. Maintaining Clarity: After a component has been commented upon, the speaker shouldn’t return to it later as that might lead to confusion.

    9. Functionality: If you’re unboxing a functional product — camera, trimmer, laptop, etc — you can also take a brief “How To Video” detour by plugging it in and explaining how it works.

    10. Localizing the Video: It’s effective to localize the unboxing video for different markets.  You might want to unbox products with different leaflets, instruction languages, or accessories for different markets.  Or you might simply want to produce the same video with a voice-over in another language to meet the needs of different markets.  Either way, it’s important not to neglect important demographics.

    Conclusion

    The unboxing video you produce doesn’t have to be “perfect”.  It needs to be casual, conversational, and, above all, genuine.  However, in this global age, products also need to appeal to a wide range of demographics and markets.

    DataSource can help you save time by producing various localised versions of your unboxing videos that can also speak to your overseas clients.  We are extremely experienced in working with Own Brand Management (OBM) packaging teams in the development of instruction manuals and packaging geared towards different markets across the globe.  As such, we can help design the video script for your unboxing videos and our team of expert translators and voice talents can provide a seamless voice-over narration for your videos in any language.

     

    Contact us for more information about our Translation services!