Altering behaviour by adding fun

I saw this fun video content piece earlier in the week but haven't had time to share (and in fairness the first version I saw was only in Swedish) but now I've found a version with English supers.

I'm going to spoil it for you by telling you that it's brought to you by Volkswagen, but would still urge you to spare a few moments to watch it, (then watch this other release in the same series) and then think about the implications.

What could your brand do or facilitate to make people's lives more interesting / easier / fun?  In turn providing that service will most probably make them feel positively towards your brand.

The film ends pointing you to a website "thefuntheory.com" which in turn urges you to sign up, teasing the notion of more fun to come.

So of course I did. Fun is good. I am also currently pondering on buying a VW. It can but help build VW in my consideration set. Points awarded for smart use of content to open a conversation between a consumer and a brand. What they do next is the interesting thing.

I'm still waiting to hear any more about my Sony Ericsson Space Hopper's adventures, which was a few weeks ago now.  Not so smart after all perhaps. Were I not working in the marketing space and/or having the memory of an elephant, chances are I'd have forgotten all about that.  Opportunity missed.

E-crm. It's like dating.

Securing a first date is only step one.  Assuming it went well, not ringing for several weeks afterwards is not a very smart if you were vaguely interested and were keen to go out again. You'll be dismissed , written off as useless, or find that someone else jumped into the void.  In marketing terms that could well be one of your competitors jumping in and building a relationship with a consumer that might have been yours. Which means the cost in time/ effort (and money in brand terms) of getting that first date nailed down is kinda wasted. Doh.  Have a contact strategy. Aim for relationship.