Operating from the position that it’s always easier to show than explain, here’s a fascinating – and amusing – sub-3 minute YouTube anecdote on the creative theory behind packaging titled “Microsoft Re-designs the Ipod Packaging”.

The basis is Apple’s iPod. You’ve probably heard of it. The setup is a perfectly on target demonstration of how Microsoft would handle “shelf presence”. (I know, consumers now have a choice: iPod, or the weirdly branded new Zune. I can do almost everything a ‘pod can, but not as well.)

Take a minute or three to explore this perfectly simple example of why bean counters can’t sell. And why they shouldn’t be allowed near a box of crayons.