does a container really make a difference?

This is an old video from RocketBoom – but I really have been drawn back to it the last couple of days (probably because it was rerun).  It is a cool product and the issues it raises about the interaction between branding, packaging and art really made me stop and think.

My favorite quote is when he speaks about price – [paraphrasing] “When it was $10, people picked up as a novelty.  When I priced at $25, they thought about it as a souvenir.  When I priced it at $50, it became art.”

So the question I ask: Would you pay $50 for a plastic package of street trash?  Would you be willing to pay more than $1,000 for a piece of New York City performance art?  Is your product (or brand) a piece of trash or a work of art?  More importantly – how does the perceived “value” impact your business plan?

Lots of questions – hopefully folks will pick up the discussion in the comments.  What do you think?