Wednesday, August 24, 2005
The Mother of Invention
They say necessity is the Mother of invention. There was a story on the Today Show this morning that definitely reinforces this statement. The story involved a young man who moved to Arizona and due to financial constraints, had little money to furnish his place. He apparently has a background as a software designer so creativity is in his nature. And so, necessity prompted him to come up with a solution to the furniture dilema.
I've seen college students and young people just starting out on their own construct furniture from cinder blocks and boards. And who hasn't begged or borrowed furniture from friends and relatives, not to mention flea market finds and curbside discards. Let's face it, pride doesn't take precedence if you need a place to sit or somewhere other than the floor to sleep.
This young man's approach, however, was most definitely unique. He decided to make his furniture from FedEx boxes and packing materials! You wouldn't think that these materials would make for sturdy, much less comfortable furniture but you got to see it to believe it. This guy not only made a dining table and chairs, he constructed a couch and a bed and used the bubble packages for cushioning. To prove a point, he actually jumped on his FedEx bed with no ill effects!
So what does FedEx think of all this? Apparently they are less than pleased with both the young man and his furniture. Granted he got the shipping materials for free by signing up for a FedEx account and he has set up a website, fedexfurniture, detailing his story but I'm thinking that FedEx should take a second look at the situation. Instead of insisting that this is not the proper use of their packaging and asking this guy to stop showing the pictures of his creations on his website, some really bright ad exec could turn this into a positive marketing tool for FedEx. Come on now, isn't it really great that their boxes and tape are strong enough that they can not only protect whatever you might be shipping but can also be used as sturdy furniture and be recycled back into packaging when no longer needed as room decor. What a marketing concept!! Their new tag line could be "Not only can we ship your furniture, we can be your furniture!" And if FedEx redesigned the boxes in bright prints or patterns, the furniture would look even better and create a whole new line for their company. Just an idea FedEx.
Check out this guy's website for yourself. I sure hope FedEx finds a little humor in this whole thing and begins to appreciate the fact that their products were chosen. He could have gone with UPS you know. That would answer the question "What can brown do for you?"!
They say necessity is the Mother of invention. There was a story on the Today Show this morning that definitely reinforces this statement. The story involved a young man who moved to Arizona and due to financial constraints, had little money to furnish his place. He apparently has a background as a software designer so creativity is in his nature. And so, necessity prompted him to come up with a solution to the furniture dilema.
I've seen college students and young people just starting out on their own construct furniture from cinder blocks and boards. And who hasn't begged or borrowed furniture from friends and relatives, not to mention flea market finds and curbside discards. Let's face it, pride doesn't take precedence if you need a place to sit or somewhere other than the floor to sleep.
This young man's approach, however, was most definitely unique. He decided to make his furniture from FedEx boxes and packing materials! You wouldn't think that these materials would make for sturdy, much less comfortable furniture but you got to see it to believe it. This guy not only made a dining table and chairs, he constructed a couch and a bed and used the bubble packages for cushioning. To prove a point, he actually jumped on his FedEx bed with no ill effects!
So what does FedEx think of all this? Apparently they are less than pleased with both the young man and his furniture. Granted he got the shipping materials for free by signing up for a FedEx account and he has set up a website, fedexfurniture, detailing his story but I'm thinking that FedEx should take a second look at the situation. Instead of insisting that this is not the proper use of their packaging and asking this guy to stop showing the pictures of his creations on his website, some really bright ad exec could turn this into a positive marketing tool for FedEx. Come on now, isn't it really great that their boxes and tape are strong enough that they can not only protect whatever you might be shipping but can also be used as sturdy furniture and be recycled back into packaging when no longer needed as room decor. What a marketing concept!! Their new tag line could be "Not only can we ship your furniture, we can be your furniture!" And if FedEx redesigned the boxes in bright prints or patterns, the furniture would look even better and create a whole new line for their company. Just an idea FedEx.
Check out this guy's website for yourself. I sure hope FedEx finds a little humor in this whole thing and begins to appreciate the fact that their products were chosen. He could have gone with UPS you know. That would answer the question "What can brown do for you?"!
