The Power of Entertainment

Changing behavior for the better.

If you were presented with a choice to take the stairs or the escalator, which would you choose? And if the stairs were a working piano, would that convince to take the stairs more often? In 2009, a social experiment was conducted to see if they could change people's behavior with something as simple as "entertainment". They published their video results on thefuntheory.com stating:

"This site is dedicated to the thought that something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change people’s behavior for the better. Be it for yourself, for the environment, or for something entirely different, the only thing that matters is that it’s change for the better."

In this video, subway stairs are transformed into a working piano to get people to use the stairs and get more exercise. The result? 66% more people used the stairs.

In this next social experiment, Kevin Richardson was recognized as the winner of The Fun Theory Award for providing a fun solution to the question: "Can we get more people to obey the speed limit by making it fun to do?"

And now, “Can we get more people to throw their rubbish in the bin by making it fun to do?”

It is clear that a bit of entertainment motivates people toward change. So, instead of looking for ways to motivate people to do what we want them to, we need to change their environment so they can motivate themselves. Entertainment can be an effective motivator and over time it can help people replace old habits with better ones. Positive reinforcement is key. The longer we are motivated to continue with a new behavior, the better chance it has to stick.

So the question becomes... How can you change your consumer environment so that they become motivated to use your product or service AND make it a habit?

Morty Silber, CEO

Mad Strategies Inc.
a Wizard of Ads Partner