Once again, attempting to reestablish itself as an originator of fun and free-thinking, Volkswagen started a little project nicknamed "The Fun Theory" (link below). The idea was simple, encourage good deeds of the general public through fun incentives. Somehow, even after a bit of research, I'm unable to pinpoint the date of conception, but, based on their Facebook page, I would venture a guess that the contest began just a year ago. I guess that's not really important though. What is important is that the winner has been selected, and we get to see if the concept is successful. So, what amazing idea might have won such a contest?
Well, it may come as no surprise that, as the whole idea was sponsored by Volkswagen, the winning idea centered around motorized transit, or cars to put it in simpler terms, and it came from the United States. After submitting his idea, Kevin Richardson was able to see his idea brought to life in Stockholm, Sweden, and it's an interesting twist on an common practice. Most anyone in the industrialized world, at some time or another, has come into contact with a traffic camera, especially if they live near a major metropolitan area. They may not have had to suffer its wrath, but most people are at least aware of both their presence and their function. I'm not going to go into the science and mechanics of it, but they are installed to photograph traffic violations and cite the offender without having to station an officer on site. These cameras work 24 hours a day, with no breaks and minimal upkeep, and they are on constant vigil. A lot of people might hate them, but Kevin Richardson decided to take a new spin on the concept. While still flagging offenders, his idea, labeled "The Speed Camera Lottery", was to use those same cameras to catch pictures of the other half, those obeying the law. The signs (image above) would have a digital read out to show people their speed (green for legal and red for a violation), but, more importantly, they would create a lottery system. The people found offending would pay their fines as usual, but that money would be put into a lottery fund to be randomly distributed to those obeying the law. Though I still recommend looking through the entries, I would strongly encourage at least watching the video they made (link below), but I'll summarize it either way.
The whole concept, once applied, turned out to be very well received and a positive influence. Sure, there might be some bias in the interviews shown to the public, but everyone shown seemed to be in favor. Everyone is expected to obey the speed limit, and those who don't are penalized, but that hasn't seemed to stop the trend. Well, adding in some kind of reward lowered traffic speeds by 22% and you can't help but think it brought about some smiles. I, for one, am a fan of the project, and I find it very satisfying to see implemented, no matter what the hidden marketing motives might be. It turns out, that, if you make it fun, people will do good things. I know that may not seem like a stretch of a concept, but it hadn't been put to enough use. The fun theory changed that, if even just a little, and proved that, if you want people to do good things, all it takes is a carrot on a stick.
Links:
Speed Camera Lottery: Video
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