Why I Want This $250 Plastic Box [WRAP 152]


Hey Reader, I’m writing this after watching the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history. It’s a bit late, but it’ll be great. How can you not be romantic about baseball?

This week’s WRAP topics:

  • Over-priced boxes and identity-based marketing
  • The new wave of YouTube vloggers and storytellers
  • NFL teams eating an absurd number of Uncrustables

Here we go!

💡 One Big Idea: It’s not a box, it’s an adventure

If you’ve ever wondered what brand affinity and storytelling can do, I present you with this $250 plastic box from YETI that I want to buy. Look at these cool tools and places that come with it!!! I don’t want a box, I want an adventure.

We rarely buy products for what they are. We buy them for the identity they offer us.

That YETI box? It’s not just storage. It’s a promise of weekend camping trips, off-road adventures, and untold stories. It’s the person I imagine being - someone with epic outdoor adventures and the right gear ready.

This isn’t just clever marketing; it’s deep psychology. Nike doesn’t sell shoes; they sell athletic achievement. Apple doesn’t sell phones; they sell creativity and innovation. And YETI? They’re not in the cooler business; they’re in the adventure business.

Remember this: The most successful businesses—including yours—don’t focus on features; they focus on identity. Who does your customer, reader, listener, or viewer want to become?

👀 One Video to Watch: 3 T's of Vlogging

I finished my first vlog (in a while) — thanks to Tim Forkin for editing (check out his vlogs too). It feels FUN to film this way again, and I’ve gone down the rabbit hole of the new wave of vlogging YouTubers.

My vlog will be ready the first week of November. However, I wanted to share this helpful video from Sean at Think Media. His guest, Benji Travis, has a helpful 3 T framework to start vlogging.

  • Theme
  • Takeaway
  • Tell Stories

Watch the full interview here.

video preview

📰 One Article to Read: 80,000 Uncrustables?!

A fun little story about a simple sandwich went viral when a local Jacksonville* sportscaster shared the NFL’s obsession with Uncrustables. Yes, the prepackaged PB&J sandwiches that get tossed into kid’s lunches.

Fun, unknown, silly NFL stat: “Uncrustables” are the favorite snack at halftime of most teams and post-practice during the week. League-wide they eat at least 80,000 a year.

That triggered a memory from years ago when Baxter Holmes wrote an excellent piece on the NBA’s “secret addiction” to PB&J. The article won a James Beard Award (the highest in the food world) for feature reporting.

It’s wonderfully human that professional athletes are powered by the same snack you might pack in a kid’s lunch box. It’s a reminder that sometimes the simple things work best - even in the NFL and NBA.

* The sportscaster is Sam Kouvaris, whom I watched as a kid, especially during the years without cable and ESPN. Small world!

Have a great weekend,

Matt Ragland

p.s. if you have a (literal) minute to share feedback, click here.

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