The Fun Theory. Easily one of the best campaigns of the year. By DDB Stockholm. It is the perfect example of a campaign that truly struck a chord with its audience; it wasn’t just entertaining or simply a visual treat. At its core, The Fun Theory was about designing an innovative user experience, and in staying true to its soulful philosophy of improving the world and bettering lives, it inspired brilliant ideas. It effortlessly garnered 17 million views and “The Piano Staircase” became the most watched viral video of all time. What was a simple series of viral videos became explosively successful: achieving top level PR coverage companies and agencies dream about, inspiring quality user-generated content (hundreds of submissions from 35 countries), and setting the standard for a new way of thinking. 

The beauty of this campaign and the core of what made it an international viral hit was that its creators weren’t thinking about creating an engaging new viral ad or an integrated multi-channel marketing strategy. The creatives behind this campaign had their heads and their hearts in the right place: they were thinking about the people, the human aspect. They had hit upon a “why” that motivates human behavior, one that Simon Sinek would gushingly applaud them for (don’t pretend as if you haven’t drawn the triad of circles somewhere on a whiteboard in your office).  

Because their creative came from an idea that resonated deeply with a philosophy everyone could relate to and cheer on, The Fun Theory has now become a legend and arguably created a much deeper connection between the VW brand and its audience. 

The moment you lose sight of the “why” that will resonate with your audience is the moment your campaign is headed into the annals of corporate fails. So once again, three cheers for DDB Stockholm and their refreshing, authentic, insightful, and fun campaign.