Viral Video ~ VW’s BIG Piano

A new viral ad campaign from Volkswagen and it’s agencies DDB Stockholm and Tribal DDB (their digital agency) has people talking as it is viral in the truest sense of the word.

Instead of talking up VW’s cars as usual, the basis of the videos come from a simple idea: “the thought that something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better. Be it for yourself, for the environment, or for something entirely different, the only thing that matters is that it’s change for the better.” They call this “The Fun Theory”. The most popular of the campaign videos, titled “Piano Staircase”, debuted at No. 2 on Ad Age’s Viral Video Chart last week, and as the title implies, has absolutely nothing to do with cars, but shows what happens if you try to make stairs more fun: by converting them into a larger-than life piano. The outcome? More people chose to take the stairs instead of the escalator.

To some, this may not seem like the best use of VW’s money allotted for marketing expenses, but it essentially drives home a basic idea: if you can change people’s behavior by making mundane things fun, this can also be applied to other activities, like driving cars. Of course, this wouldn’t work if it was an unbranded effort, but just the VW logo makes VW’s seem more fun than other cars.

Check it out for yourself at thefuntheory.com, or watch the “Piano Staircase” below.

Also see: Viral Video: DDB Hits Viral High Notes for Volkswagen – Advertising Age – Digital: Viral Video Charts.

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