Why Think Outside The Box?

One of the courses I took in college was designed to teach us how to ‘Think Outside The Box’. I wasn’t sure why this was important, but I was game to learn more. At the first class we were shown a film with very quick images that would appear and disappear and no explanation. The pictures were designed to shock you into seeing the average item in a different way. For example it would flash the image of a playing card. The card might be the 4 of hearts, but the color on the card was black, not red.  I recently opened a magazine that had what looked like a photo of an apple with a slice cut out. The slice was laid out beside the apple so you could see the inside. Instead of showing the expected white core and seeds, it appeared to be an orange on the inside.

The ‘photo’ was an eye catcher. It was a great marketing tool that made me stop on that page and read what the article was about. Sometimes we need to shock people to get their attention. This picture did that without offending anyone or being outrageous. It was simple, clean, and very eye-catching. It proved that you can make people stop and think if you just use a little imagination.

I encourage all individuals to use their imagination to see something a little different now and then. It is the only way to innovate and we need innovation to move society forward.

The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery manufacturer of bottle unscramblers, cappers, orienters, retorquers, lidders, pluggers, pump sorter/placers, scoop feeders, hopper elevators and much more. The company has been in business since 1974 selling to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, chemical, household products, automotive and other industries. For more information on NEM, visit their website at www.neminc.com.