An oldie but a goodie – this is no new campaign but we didn’t want to miss the chance to highlight Volkswagen’s (VW) ‘the fun theory’ campaign as it’s a great example of how a brand’s ingenious use of creativity can help instigate positive consumer behaviour and build a strong following.

VW’s campaign was created in a series of phases:

Phase 1: lead by example - VW demonstrated how making things fun can positively change behaviour with its own three experiments:

1. The Piano stairs:

This resulted in an increase of 66% more people taking the stairs. With the additional online component, the video had over a million views on YouTube.

2. The world’s deepest bin:

Another idea aimed to get more people throwing their rubbish in the bin by making it resemble the sound of a 50ft-deep well. The bin collected 72kg of rubbish in one day, 41kg more than a regular nearby bin.

3. Bottle bank arcade:

Would more people recycle glass by making it fun to do? Designed like an arcade game with music and lights, this bin was used by nearly one hundred people in one evening, compared to the nearby one, which was used twice.

Phase 2: embrace consumer ideas – by holding an online competition, VW invited others to contribute their ideas, encouraging entrants to be strategic in how they could prompt behavioural change through fun ideas.

Whether their ideas aim to help other people or the environment, most of the experiments aim to effect a positive cultural change, such as safer driving, recycling and personal hygiene.

Phase 3: choose a winner – judged by a panel of experts known for either their entertainment or philanthropical values, or both. Click here to see the winner.

In addition to the wide number of consumers it garners, ‘the fun theory’ also demonstrates the longevity these kinds of ideas can leverage. It proves that, not only are everyday people willing to invest their time in good ideas (and in doing so sit side by side a brand), it reminds us how dynamic the relationship can be.

Sure, there is still relevancy in doing the tried and tested when it comes to advertising, but this example demonstrates we can afford to think a little bigger when searching for engagement. How refreshing.

Thanks to: Volkswagen
Posted by: Carmen Campbell

Thanks to the gamut of mobile apps available, phones today are now advanced operating systems whose ability to enhance our lives and provide greater utility is increasing by the minute. As the number of new apps introduced increases, so too does the loyalty they bring to the brand.

Here are three diverse examples:

5-0 Radio Pro

By far the most popular one we’ve heard about is this latest app for Apple’s iPhone, which sources frequencies for police, fire, ambulance services and air traffic control.

Invented by a 29 year-old-programmer in London, the scanner was originally made with journalists in mind so they could get the earliest scoop on a story. But the app has proved popular with everyone, achieving between 60,000 and 80,000 downloads a day internationally for the free app and between 4000 and 6000 versions of the paid app. (source: The Australian).

myStarbucks

Starbucks is now helping its US customers get their daily caffeine hit faster and easier with the help of its two iPhone apps:

myStarbucks– a store locator that encourages you to build your ideal ‘Starbucks’ drink and a food menu to tempt your taste buds while clocking your nutritional intake – if you’re brave enough to see the calories in a Starbucks muffin!

Starbucks card– just enter your Starbucks card number and your iPhone becomes your Starbucks card. You can check your balance, purchase credit online and pay for your coffee. You also get to choose rewards such as free AT&T WiFi everyday.

Coastalwatch

Tapping in to a specific passion, this is for those wanting live surf and weather updates. It gives surf cams, surf reports, forecasts and news directly to your mobile.

There is no doubt the most successful apps are those that do something to make your day run smoother. Leaving the consumer with such positive feelings and experiences will pay right back to the brand. And who isn’t going to love a brand that tells you the surf’s up while Starbucks has your favourite brew waiting?

Thanks to: Smartest Apple, Starbucks, Coastalwatch
Posted by: Carmen Campbell

If there’s one trend you need to watch in the communications landscape in 2010, location based media is it. Why? Because this is the one shift that will fundamentally change how people relate to your brand. It also gives brands no other choice than to reassess how they can connect with their audiences.

Today let’s start with the basics…

Location based media is when information, entertainment and multimedia content is delivered to your mobile phone based on your location at that moment in time.

It first started appearing on the radar in 2004, but it’s only now that we have the technology to experience it (iPhones, smartphones).

With penetration of smartphones predicted to be at 448 million by 2011, this isn’t something that won’t happen. Currently in Australia smartphone penetration is at 30% and growing at a healthy rate.

The way developers and brands are delivering the experience to consumers is also becoming more sophisticated. It’s not all about being sent coupons for $1 Big Macs every time you walk past a McDonalds.

Take Foursquare, an example from the US that is rumoured to replace Twitter.

Foursquare is downloaded onto your smartphone and instantly gives you and your friends (who you can also choose to sign in to let you know of their whereabouts) a new way of experiencing old environments. As you are signed in and go about your day – visit a café, go to a theme park etc – you can earn points, receive promotional offers and so on.

You are also given information about new places in the area you might not have tried. Information like peer reviews on restaurants, discount vouchers and more. The more you interact, the more points you earn, the more brands can allow you to experience.

Foursquare is just one application. More will follow as developers refine their understanding of what people are looking for in their experience and we’ll be back with more reviews on such applications in the months to come.

Posted by: Carmen Campbell
Thanks to: RBC Capital Markets, “Sizing the Global Smartphone Market”, 2009 & AIMIA figures 2009

A truly interactive way to experience a novel has arrived. Level 26 takes the reader to a whole new level. It’s a smart innovation you need to see to believe, and in the case of Level 26, you’ll not just see it. You’ll feel it.

Every 20 pages the reader is invited to watch a video online that enlivens and deepens the story. Just a quick three minute of footage.

And unlike traditional books, this one doesn’t end at ‘The End’ – there’s a social community waiting at level26.com where you can connect with other fans, as well as watch behind the scene footage, get music, production stills, access to the creator and so on.

A novel, a movie and a social community in one - reading a book just got a lot more interesting.

Posted by: Carmen Campbell
Thanks to: Dutton Publishing, Contagious

We know consumers associate themselves with brands they have an affinity with, or aspire to be like. In recognition of this, it seems Pepsi has made a bold move to realign its values and give consumers a new reason to associate with the brand, while at the same time removing its advertising spend from the infamous Super Bowl.

Its latest Refresh Project campaign is an investment of US$20 million to create a tangible way of demonstrating the company’s more philanthropic ethos. The idea itself - creating a site that entertains a maximum of 1000 ideas from the public on how it might improve the local community, in a highly interactive way – plays a key role in the shift Pepsi wants to make.

Even though the advertising at the Super Bowl enabled the brand to reach outrageous audience numbers, it arguably lacked that tangible ‘feel good’ factor. The refresh project may not instantly reach massive audience figures, but the level of involvement and engagement with the community will be deeper, and no doubt have more longevity.

Plus, the media Pepsi uses to deliver the campaign embraces the role consumers now want, and need, to play. The brand has entered the new communication landscape where it’s the consumers who have a voice; setting the agenda and then leading the direction they want to go in. Like many other brands choosing this path, Pepsi is currently the facilitator, letting the consumer take the driving seat.

Good on Pepsi. The campaign effuses creativity and emotion, and let’s not underestimate the publicity Pepsi is getting from this move.

Thanks to: Pepsi
Posted by: Daniel Saltalamacchia, University of Notre Dame Australia & trend watcher to WYWW for the month of Feb, 2010

Knowing how to get where you need to go is no longer a problem thanks to the proliferation of gadgets like the GPS and iPhone maps. But what happens when you know instinctively there is more than one way to get to your destination? Which way do you choose?

Enter Waze: a new mobile phone application that, through collaboration with other drivers informs you if the traffic is bad in a certain direction and then offers you a preferable route for that particular moment in time.

Here’s how it works:

Posted by: Carmen Campbell
Thanks to: Contagious, Waze