Source: Virgin Media
The Volkswagen E-UP! model is not only electric. It has over 10 square feet of solar panels. And it comes with an electric scooter that folds up and fits in the back. That way you can park at a recharging station, as long as it’s not too far from your destination. Clearly VW wants to position itself with consumers as eco-friendly.
VW’s ad agency has come up with a supporting concept: If you increase the fun quotient of something that’s good for the environment, people will change their behavior. They call this The Fun Theory.
In one Fun Theory video, technicians worked overnight to turn subway stairs into a functional (sound-producing) piano keyboard. Reports are that 66% more people took the stairs rather than the power-consuming escalator. Good for the environment and good for health.
In a second video, technicians installed a sound-producing device in a trash can. When passersby deposited trash, they were rewarded with the sound of Wile E. Coyote falling off a cliff. In a semi-controlled experiment, the “fun” trash can received 90 pounds more trash than a silent bin a short distance away. And that was in one day.
Volkswagen hopes that, as viewers change their behavior towards the environment, they’ll be inspired to purchase a VW. Maybe John Holdren, director of the White House Science and Technology Policy, and some green entrepreneurs can come up with creative ways to put “fun theory” into play in the US.
Thanks to Zane Nelson for the heads up on the video.
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