December 29, 2008

On surly packaging

I received a nice pack from Surly the other day which means that I really have no excuses anymore for not getting my Bianchi back on the road. The Surly Components look great and the bearings in the rear hub feel super smooth. I also really like the packaging they came in. The hub came bubble wrapped, but the lock ring and the cog were twist-tied onto a piece of recycled paper with the Surly logo printed on it. The three parts were then delivered in a brown paper bag, and it looked more like a sandwich was in there rather than bike components. I think this is a cool choice of packaging and one that illustrates the company's commitment to the environment. Or does it? My co-worker pointed out that the homey packaging might be to make the company seem like a Mom and Pop operation, and then went ahead insinuating that it's not anymore. This might, or might not be true but I think that the idea that Surly is all about simplicity comes across pretty clear with the packaging. As an added bonus a paper bag breaks down in a landfill and it does somehow suit the company. Perhaps it makes me a sucker for marketing, but I loved it. I got Steve our Zen master mechanic build the wheel for me for a six pack the other day, and now i just have to put the whole thing together. I'll post some pics of the resault once it's running.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Landfill? How about recycling paper? :-)

Anonymous said...

Without air and moisture, paper does not brake down in landfills.

Halldor said...

wow...
anonymous force of paper specialists... interesting

Travis Hartman said...

I'm a big fan of simplicity. It seems like with how marketing is right now simplicity stands out in the midst of all craziness that companies are throwing at you to buy things. Surly is definitely doing a great job with their packaging. Fixed gear riders like things simple. They're very smart whether they're trying to be environmentally friendly or not.