Last week was an eyeopener for me. I attended the Sustainable Brands 2011 Conference in Monterey, CA, and like I tweeted from the event: It is the TED of sustainability.
Many of the top brands and ad agencies in sustainability and green marketing presented alongside individual innovators and disruptive thinkers. Each was available for one-on-one discussions following plenaries and workshops, and each gladly shared their story about transformative innovation, especially as it relates to cause and green marketing.
Kevin Richardson had a particularly intriguing story, and one that for me reflected the spirit of SB11. Kevin won VW’s Fun Theory competition with an ingenious game that rewards drivers for obeying the speed limit. He calls it, “Speed Camera Lottery.”
Kevin used the same approach to storytelling he relies on as a senior producer for MTV’s Nickelodeon Kids & Family Games to create “Speed Camera Lottery.”
“Each of us is the protagonist in our own life. So I wanted to put the single person at the center of this experience. But instead of descending upon them with all of the typical negative reinforcements of cops, tickets and traffic courts, I decided to give this story a twist and positively reinforce them with cash for doing the right thing.”
It’s a real-time game that captures snapshots of all passing license plates and drivers. Those who are obeying the speed limit are entered into a lottery to win cash generated from the ticketed speeders.
A fun way to change behavior
Original sketch from Kevin Richardson's Fun Theory entry. "Everything is fiction until you actually build it."
During the promotion, the average speed was reduced by 22 percent.
Here’s how he structured the “Speed Camera Lottery” story to appeal to the driving hero in us all.
- Consumer, player, audience, target = Protagonist
- Story Problem (is it one I/we care about?)
- Backstory (what happened before these ideas showed up?)
- Main Character Concern (winning, broadly defined)
- Antagonist (opponent or big brother, “life”)
- Obstacle/Inhibitor Character Concern (status quo, inferior solutions, etc.)
- Story Limit (time or an event)
- Story Outcome (What happens if we do nothing?)
- Ironic Story Premise (get paid for driving the speed limit…)
Kevin told me that one thing is held sacred in making all great stories work, especially if you’re trying to change behavior:
“Whether its a game, fictional entertainment, or real life, you have to care about the outcome to remain engaged.”
Stay tuned, as I have more to share with you from my experience at Sustainable Brands 2011.
Tags: Fun, Green Marketing, Kevin Richardson, Speed Camera Lottery, sustainability, The Fun Theory
Posted in: Green Marketing, Green Social Media, Sustainable Marketing
[...] Volkswagen’s “Fun Theory” was center stage, demonstrating how they crowdsource their customers to come up with the most engaging ideas to affect positive behavior change. I was fortunate to spend time with Kevin Richardson, this year’s winner of the Fun Theory contest with his “Speed Camera Lottery” concept. The stunt turned the negative loop of punishing speeders with tickets and fines into a positive loop of rewarding drivers who obey the speed limit. (You can read more of the story here.) [...]
I’ll call you early in August.Been gone since July 4 … Seattle, Manhattan and to Binghamton, NY this morning. Home 8/1. Hope all is well with you and family. Very interesting report. Thanks for including me. David
Very interesting. Thanks for including me. Leaving NY City in 2 hours, bound for Binghamton, NY. Home 7/31. I’ll call you in early August. Best to you and family. David Stern.
[...] Volkswagen’s “Fun Theory” was center stage, demonstrating how they crowdsource their customers to come up with the most engaging ideas to affect positive behavior change. I was fortunate to spend time with Kevin Richardson, this year’s winner of the Fun Theory contest with his “Speed Camera Lottery” concept. The stunt turned the negative loop of punishing speeders with tickets and fines into a positive loop of rewarding drivers who obey the speed limit. (You can read more of the story here.) [...]
[...] after reading several behavior change books like Switch, and listening to the big companies at the Sustainable Brands Conference earlier this year, one thing has become clear to me: Promoting sustainability is about amplifying [...]
[...] after reading several behavior change books like Switch, and listening to the big companies at the Sustainable Brands Conference earlier this year, one thing has become clear to me: Promoting sustainability is about amplifying [...]