Volkswagen Sweden has spearheaded a public initiative* aptly titled “The Fun Theory”– the premise being that positive behavioral change can be implemented by having fun. To test the theory, VW put three experiments in place, and in each case found that fun does, in fact, have the capacity to change behavior for the better:
Experiment #1: The Bottle Bank Arcade
As cool as the experiments are in and of themselves, the best part about VW’s campaign is that it’s success as a viral video has prompted the company to host a Fun Theory competition. If you can identify a problem and then find a fun way to fix it– ta-da, you could be up $5,000. That, my friends, is marketing genius. You can bet that there will be some awesome concepts that’ll come out of this and who’s going to get the credit for prompting it? Kudos to you, Volkswagen.
So yeah I think it’s a great idea and if anyone can think of a way to make picking up dog shit fun, let me know. I’ll split the five grand.
Check out the official fun theory website here, the competition guidelines here, and the jury bios here.
Introducing Ariel (pronounced R E L): my new car. An extension of myself. My life, and for right now, my love. (The picture isn’t actually her but looks just like it. She has a Pennsylvania liscence plate. Long story…)
She uses manual transmission to get around and I’ve strained her poor little engine one too many times, especially on hills when stopped at red lights. I have also upset many drivers who are unfortunate enough to be stopped behind me at lights, stop signs, etc. My goal today is to head to Hobby Lobby and purchase materials to make a sign that says something along the lines of “Caution: New (sort of) driver. Stay back at least 5 feet.” I wonder if it will work?
I’ve decided the best way to learn how to enter the world of stick shift drivers is to head to the hills, literally, and practice in the foothills of the rocky mountains which are conveniently located in my backyard. I went through almost a half tank of gas the other day doing this, and she over heated so much I had to take a break and went on a hike to kill time and to let Ariel cool off. It’s all about finding a happy medium between letting the clutch out and giving it enough gas, something I have yet to master. I also have driven to Denver a handful of times. I’ve found that city driving and stop and start traffic is very effective. It’s kept me on my toes and alert at all times, which I believe is a safer way to drive. Also, sorry if you call me while driving. I can’t do that many things at once, and talking on my cell whilst driving is a recipe for disaster. That means I would only have one hand to shift and steer, all the while my feet are dancing around the clutch, brake, and accelerator. Bad news.
It’s definitely been a learning experience for me, and if anyone is looking for a new car, don’t get a black Subaru Outback because it’s my car and I know everyone in Colorado drives a Subaru but still… I like to think I can make it my own.
Anyway if you do decide it’s the car for you, make sure you get a model that has standard transmission because what I’ve heard is that having this certain type of skill set is proven to make you up to 20% hotter. Definitely something I’m striving for…
In February of this year, Hyundai motor company unveiled the Equus, a $60,000 full-size luxury sedan designed as a competitor to such flagship models as BMW’s 7-series, Mercedes-Benz’s S-Class, Audi’s A8, and the Lexus LS. The Equus became available in South Korea on March 11, but it remained unclear whether or not the car would ever be marketed in America. Recent speculation suggests that it will—reports have been circulating that the 2011 Equus model will hit the US in July of next year.
Obviously, Hyundai wants to enter the luxury market. And honestly, that’s all fine and dandy with me–they’d hardly be the first Asian automaker to do so. In fact, the big Japanese companies have done this extremely well. Toyota, Nissan, and, to a lesser extent, Honda, all managed to sneak into the luxury club by promising premium vehicles equal in quality and lower in price than their German counterparts. They’ve delivered on that promise, consistently giving its consumers a meticulously engineered product that’s technically on par with–and often more reliable than the likes of Mercedes, Audi, and BMW.
Hyundai has largely stuck to the formula. Last year, it made its first foray into the luxury sector when it introduced Genesis, so named because it’s supposedly the first of many Hyundai luxury cars. It’s priced at a manageable base of $33k for the V6 model and $38k for the V8–about $10,000 less than comparable cars. They’ve held up on the quality front too. The car’s features and performance testify that Hyundai is more than capable of producing a top-of-the-line ride. The Genesis has received critical acclaim and was named Consumer Report’s top luxury car, Cars.com’s new car of the year, and crowned 2009 North American Car of the Year.
To this I say: Good for you, Hyundai. So you can build a sweet ride. Great. I still think your company’s luxury move monumentally idiotic. Why? It’s not because I doubt the quality of their product. Quite the opposite– I think that I’d recommend a Genesis over a Mercedes E class, any day. It’s because in trying for luxury success, Hyundai has forgotten who they are.
What comes to mind when you think about Hyundai? Despite evidence to the contrary, I still think ‘crappy economy cars for people on a budget’. There are countless examples of such stigmas attached to particular automakers, and what’s more, these stigmas are hard to shake. Think about Buick. Most people immediately think ‘old peoples’ car’, right? Well, in an effort to change that, Buick hired Tiger Woods as the brand’s young and freshfaced spokesperson:
After a nine year endorsement, and millions upon millions of advertising dollars, we’re all still thinking that there’s no way that Tiger Woods ever drove a Buick– that car is for old people.
The Japanese companies understood this quite well when they entered the market, and realized that people driving BMW and Mercedes autos were not going to want to drive a Toyota, Nissan, or Honda, no matter the vehicle’s caliber. So what did they do? They launched new brands–Toyota has Lexus, Nissan has Infiniti, and Honda has Acura. Hyundai has…. Hyundai?
Sure enough, Genesis sales in America have been modest–not bad, but modest. Hyundai moved 6,167 in the first five months of sale, and since then has sold about 2,000 more. So what does Hyundai do? Why, it puts out another, bigger luxury car, of course. Never mind that in the present economy, most other automakers are clamoring to downsize their product lineup. Aston-Martin, for example, recently proposed Cygnet, a $33k SMARTcar sized concept which is likely to enter production. Genesis is already equivalent in size to a Lexus LS. Now consider that Equus will be even larger- sized at what can only be described as positively monstrous. Hyundai, just as easily, could have spent money on developing a new brand, or focused their attentions on the sales of the smaller, sportier Genesis Coupe.
Between 2004-2006 in America, Volkswagen marketed the Phaeton, a full size sedan which, like Equus, was designed to compete with the 7 Series, S-Class, A8 and the like. The Phaeton was critically acclaimed, beautifully engineered, quality-controlled, and a complete failure. Why? Because people looking to spend $75,000 on a car didn’t want to drive a Volkswagen. Mazda’s Amati brand didn’t even make it into production. Even Infiniti, a well-established luxury brand, discontinued production of it’s flagship sedan, the Q45, because it couldn’t hack it in the American market.
That said, Hyundai needs to wake up and realize that, sad as it is, America is not a society in which quality or even reputation can trump brand image. If the behemoth hits the showrooms next July and they still think that luxury consumers are going to spend $60,000 on a Hyundai, they’ve got another thing coming.
Today is my father’s 50th birthday, and though I try my best to keep the spectacularly dull details of my personal life out of this blog, I thought that this particular event was an appropriate exception. So, even though I don’t think he reads this, I thought I’d do a post on things that, like him, turn(ed) 50 years old in 2009.
Ben-Hur
Despite my objections to its overtly religious undertones (Its unofficial title is Ben-Hur: A Tale of Christ), I can’t deny that this film is a Hollywood institution. It was released in 1959 and won 11 Academy Awards in 1960–a feat to this day equaled only by two other movies, 1997’sTitanic, and 2003’s Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. If you haven’t seen the flick, it’s worth it if only for the chariot race scene which I argue to be one of the sweetest chase scenes in cinema. Learn more here.
LEGO
Until I went to do the research for this post, I had no idea that LEGO was so old. But it is, and believe it or not, the toy has a really rich history. I won’t go into too much detail here but suffice it to say that I learned that there is an annual conference tailored to adult LEGO hobbyists. Furthermore, there is an official list of LEGO ambassadors, and a select few LEGO certified professionals. Yeah. So. I guess that’s…cool…
Alaska
I mean, its worth mentioning. In 1867, America purchased it from the Russians for two cents an acre. In 1959, after numerous administrative changes (from land to organized territory), it finally became the largest state in the union (by area). It’s the least densely populated state (averaging 1 person per square mile), as well as the state with the highest male:female ratio (1.7:1). In areas outside the cities, this ratio can get as high as 5:1. It’s also about 7o% caucasian. So basically, because of Alaska, Sarah Palin and a bunch of white dudes living in isolation are proud to call themselves Americans.
In all seriousness though, Alaska’s dramatic landscape and biodiversity is without comparison. If you’re interested in going, there are opportunities for all kinds of travelers, from crunchy backpackers to resort-types. If you guys like to ski, you should make it a life-goal to go to Alyeska. It’s sweet.
Mini
From its iconic British roots to BMW’s classy modern reinterpretation of the 1959 original, this is one of the most adorable cars ever put on the market. Interestingly, it’s the first car to be developed primarily as a fuel saver– it was originally launched in response to the fuel shortage caused by the 1954 Suez Crisis. What is the 1954 Suez Crisis? Uh, beats me.
Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue
If you want to lead a happy and fulfilled life, you will go listen to this album, immediately. I’m not joking. Really, I’m not.
The St. Lawrence Seaway
The Seaway is is system of canals and locks that follows the St. Lawrence River between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. The stretch of river has long been used for shipping, but legal, political, and logistical issues between the United States and Canada, building wasn’t approved until 1954. The seaway opened in 1959, having racked up a total cost of $470 million. 75% was payed for by the Canadian government, and 25% by the Americans. The two countries collaborated in the seaway’s formal opening, for which Queen Elizabeth II and President Dwight D. Eisenhower took a short cruise aboard Royal Yacht Britannia after having delivered a joint address in St. Lambert, Quebec.
I’ll end by saying that it’s difficult to convey the connection that the Québecois feel with the St. Lawrence. Understand, though, that there is a deep and almost intrinsic cultural reverence for it. My father, born and raised in Montreal, is no exception– he loves the St. Lawrence so much that he often refers to it as “mon fleuve”, or my river. Seeing as it’s his birthday and all, I thought it fitting to finish with that.
tweedle dee tweedle dom 