VW's Piano keyboard staircase
by Jackie Eldridge
I’m not sure if any of us can fathom just how enormous (and growing) the social media world really is. Seriously, how big is it? What we do know is, if Facebook were a country, it would be the world’s 4th largest. That’s big. And it’s only one in a myriad of social media platforms!
Let’s just agree to agree that it’s huge and more people than ever before are connecting and reconnecting with friends and favorites. Just as you never thought in your adult life you’d “friend” that cute little red haired kid that sat next to you in 2nd grade, how could it be possible that Pepsi passed on Super Bowl 2010?
You can thank social media for both. Congratulations on rekindling a school-days crush. And Pepsi, a big kudos to you for trading in the coveted Super Bowl annual advertising frenzy for a social media push that actually gives back to the world.
Pepsi has a hard act to follow after VW’s innovative social media initiative, TheFunTheory.com, that holds an altruistic bent, just as Pepsi intends to convey. TheFunTheory.com is dedicated to the thought that something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change people’s behavior for the better–and I can almost guarantee you’ve seen the piano staircase video, where a staircase into a subway has been made into a piano keyboard. This was a fun way to get people to take the stairs instead of the escalator (putting the fun back into walking!)! The video went viral in what seemed like a nanosecond. There are two other similar videos on the site; one about bottle recycling and one about littering. They’re just as innovative as the staircase.
Good luck Pepsi. And good luck with your rekindled childhood friendship! Yep. Social media is growing faster than dandelions in Grandma’s yard…and if big brands keep incorporating altruism into their online initiaves, they just may make the world a better place to live, too.
