Trend for 2011: Making the Mundane Fun & how brands are responding

We have identified 3 trends that we predict will be big for 2011. We will be posting each over the next few days with examples of how brands are already using them to engage consumers. Last week we blogged about Planned Spontaneity.

The second trend is... 

2. Making the mundane fun: As consumers increasingly seek new forms of escapism (as identified for nightlife in Planned Spontaneity), they are looking to make dreary day-to-day aspects of their lives more fulfilling and entertaining too. Brands are tapping into this desire by delivering creative, and slightly subversive, approaches to everyday life.

Branded examples:

Mentos ‘Try a Fresh Approach’ to commuting to work

Mentos Gum offered commuters in Glasgow an alternative to the daily grind of cars, buses and trains. Instead, the brand provided a fun "fresh approach" - the chance to zorb to work over the River Clyde! Mentos raised brand awareness whilst

. Mentos turned the grind of the daily commute into a fun and alternative activity, "a fresh approach" as an alternative to cars and public transport. The zorbing was alongside other guerrilla activity such as a spoof Metro story on the latest way to travel to work and sampling activity in major Scottish cities.

Caribou heated bus shelter

Caribou Coffee generously heated up a bus shelter for chilly commuters in Minneapolis, USA. The 'oven shelter' was was complete with real grill-shaped heaters and working clocks, created by Colle+McVoy for the launch of Caribou's hot Daybreaker breakfast sandwiches. There are various examples of outdoor campaigns that disguise bus shelters as other things (check out Norwegian Airway's 'sauna' bus shelter), however, Caribou's 'oven shelter' goes one stage further. Not does it make the mundane fun, it's a branded utility that responds to a consumer need in a relevant way (hot breakfast sandwiches = staying warm).

Volkswagen ‘Fun Theory’

An oldie but a goodie. The award-winning campaign is based on the theory is that making things fun is the easiest way to change people's behaviour for the better. Our personal favourites are the piano staircase and the world's deepest bin.

Other examples that make the mundane fun:

Chromaroma, an immersive online game ‘that makes commuting magical’. The site syncs with your Oyster card, challenging you to visit new locations to score points for your team. See our previous blog

Epic Win, a smart phone app that turns your to-do list into a game:



Look out for the next trend that we will be posting - The New Community. 

- Louise