[keiferski]

Have you considered that the new box is too "generic" or "corporate?" (For lack of a better word)

In other words, the old box, while plain, adds a certain intimacy. It doesn't look like a huge multinational candy company sent it. The new box, though, looks basically like any other piece of Japanese media.

[Veratyr]

For me, the plain box gives me cheap Chinese vibes. It brings to mind badly damaged cardboard boxes with dubious electronics inside.

The Japanese illustrated box is innocent and kind of cute (certainly not "rapey" as another commenter put it) and in a Western country, stands out from the things around it. Perhaps if you're in Japan, surrounded by Japanese media it might seem generic but I don't think that's a problem elsewhere.

[mc32]

In addition, Japanese products are not unknown for overpackaging. It's probably not surprising that Apple took some cues in their packaging from Japanese product packaging to signal "upscale" meticulousness and attention to the customer.

[bemmu]

I can see how that might be the case. Current subscribers might know me personally or through my blog. That would then mean that as I start to reach out to people who don't know me personally, these results could change.

[stordoff]

As a current subscriber (who has been receiving the old packaging), the new packaging is off-putting:

* It looks childish. If you are familiar with the Japanese style of advertising etc., probably not an issue, but as a box to be sent anywhere and to be received in a variety of settings (workplaces etc.) it seems like a poor choice.

* Anime may have poor connotations (unfair IMO) as pointed out elsewhere in the thread, which will reflect on the receiver.

* It feels corporate / like advertising. It may seem silly, but I'm more likely to continue subscribing to a small company if I'm on the fence about canceling.

* It feels like a waste of money. The current packaging is utilitarian, which signals that money is being spent only where it needs to be. The new packaging feels like an unnecessary indulgence, which would make me think I'm getting less value out of the subscription.

[manigandham]

Unrelated: the jpg images in this post are huge in both dimension and filesize. Might be better to use smaller versions that link to the full image.

[michaelbuddy]

I often think like this, then I'm reminded how infomercials are so obnoxious and yet they still work. So the conundrum of personal taste and a good gut instinct vs what works with a lot of people.

was the old box that blue plain box? It's not intimate to me. Compared to the new one, it looks kind of homely