From Matt Webb’s post Sometimes the product innovation is the distribution (Interconnected):
Did you know that Moleskine notebooks have their own ISBN? (…)
They had an ISBN, which meant they would fit into my vending machine automation too. (…)
Would I have stocked Moleskines if they weren’t distributed by the book wholesaler? No, it wouldn’t have been worth the hassle.
Psychobox (Amazon) from 2004 comes to mind: it’s a box of optical illusions and tricks, plus a short pamphlet.
It’s packaged to fit on a bookshelf! It has an ISBN! It is reaching a whole set of customers it would never have normally reached!