I mean, think about it. Discreet packaging, in its purest form, is all about hiding what’s inside, keeping your nosy neighbors (or worse, porch pirates!) from knowing you just ordered, uh, whatever you ordered. You know, for privacy. Plain brown box kinda vibe. It’s about obscuring the *value* as much as the actual item.
But then you have Hermes, rocking that *bold* orange. There’s nothing subtle about it! It’s basically screaming “Expensive! Luxury! Look at meeeeee!” So, how does that even *begin* to mesh with the idea of discreet packaging?
Well, here’s where things get interesting, and maybe a little bit… convoluted. Like, my brain is already tying itself in knots.
See, what if Hermes *isn’t* trying to be discreet in the traditional “hide-the-item” sense? What if their “discretion” lies in something else entirely?
Maybe it’s about *re-contextualizing* luxury. They’re not trying to hide the fact that you bought something from Hermes. Heck no! They *want* you to show it off. But maybe, just maybe, the *discreet* part comes in the *lack* of obvious branding *on* the actual item *inside*. You get the experience of unboxing luxury, but the actual item itself might be, dare I say, understated? So the discretion lies in the subtlety of the product itself, not the packaging.
Or, here’s another thought, and this might be a stretch, but stay with me: The orange box is *so* iconic, *so* recognizable, that it becomes its own kind of camouflage. Like, everyone knows it’s Hermes. There’s no mystery there. So, in a weird way, it’s hiding in plain sight. No one’s going to think you’re getting something *extra* special, because, duh, it’s just a Hermes thing. They might not be expecting something even MORE extravagant. It’s kind of a reverse psychology thing, maybe? Like, “Oh, it’s just Hermes, nothing to see here,” when really, inside… who knows?
And let’s not forget about the reusability angle that article mentioned. Hermes is, like, totally nailing the sustainable packaging thing. And the reuse, re-love, redeploy thing. The box becomes part of the experience. So maybe the point isn’t to hide anything, but to extend the life of the brand experience and promote conscious consumption. Discretion through longevity, if you will.
