The business of fun
Filed under: business, corporate, gadgets and gizmos, innovation, lifestyle, trends
I love a bit of fun as much as the next person. Well actually, a bit more than the next person. If something is too serious for too long, I have a compulsion to make it silly. It’s really beyond my control. But has anyone noticed that fun seems to be creeping into business plans across the globe?
I think my sense of fun is as much about boredom as it is about enjoyment. My friend Byron and I sat down one night to watch Akira Kurosawa’s version of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Idiot. Yes, Kurosawa and Dostoevsky in 166 minutes of black and white deliciousness. Boy did the white come in handy as most of it is set in snow.
From minutes 0 to 30 we were quiet and reflective.
From minutes 31 to 60 we made small, meaningful comments like “Gee the symbolism is powerful” and “They really are masters at painting the perfect portrait of human existence”.
By minute 61 we had started to do our own movie with the sound turned down.
Byron did Mori Masayuki as an over-enthusiastic kindy teacher from New Zealand and I did Hara Setsuko as an angry leprechaun with violent tendencies. Our dialogue went something like this:
“Will thet’s un icksillunt, wee rock you’ve got usn’t ut?”
“Shut up or I’ll kneecap you and I’m at the right height to do it.”
Sorry, but it was fun.
Back to the business world. I would like to posit the theory that the fun factor is increasingly important in the boardroom. I have a fantasy that corporate types in suits and other uniforms will develop marketing strategies following the “4Ps and 1F” principle.
Some examples of fun-led product development: The Flip taking 13% of the camcorder market because it’s simpler and easier (and fun). Google Docs could rival Microsoft Office because, they say, web-based document building is more collaborative (and fun). And last, but seriously not least, Chrome OS runs a browser that promises to deliver more time for all the fun stuff we like to do.
It’s not just the challenger brands who are at it. Take Volkswagen and their most excellent work turning a staircase into a piano keyboard. Who doesn’t love that? And Ikea using Facebook photo tagging to open a new store. Of course, Telstra has been at it too. We’ve recently launched Cabbie-oke and one wag has already suggested that the only way for Telstra to truly be cool is to put David Thodey in a rock band. Do you know something about David that we don’t know?
Before we all start to think I should switch to a career as suggested by Barbie I do think there is a serious side to fun. Just can’t think of it at the moment. It will come to me though.
What do you think? When is it OK for corporations to have fun?
Kristen, its great to promote fun!
Seriously.
Far too often we get so worked up about an “issue” at the office that, if taken aside and looked at in another situation, we wouldn’t bat an eyelid.
Lets face it, we all spend far too many hours at work not to have some degree of fun.
The best example of “institutionalised” fun I know of was the setting up of a free hospital by Dr Hunter “Patch” Adams. The Gesundheit! Institute was established ( http://www.patchadams.org/hospital-paper) – originally planned to be in the shape of a nose – to provide free medical care for patients in need. It also provided a fun environment, truely living up to the old saying “Laughter the best medicine”.
Patch Adams was, I believe, the original Clown Doctor – helping to put a smile back on faces of patients. The Clown Doctor legacy is worldwide – showing you can have fun in a serious way! (http://humourfoundation.com.au/index.php?page=1)
Hi Kristen,
Great to have fun but at the coal face your Customers are suffering with your archaic billing system
I have what I would say was a VERY average service bundle.
2 $20 business mobiles
a land line and
a 12 Gig ADSL account
The 3 phones and the ADSL are on 2 separate accounts because when I converted my dail up to ADSL, single billing was not an option.
I expect that I am in the majority with most, “GOOD” IE long time,Telsra customers, who would have migrated to the current technology ( ADSL) and been stuck with two accounts.
Through this time on this 1 service bundle Telstra have gone from
4 Bills Mobile Landline and dial up combined ……to
16 Bills Mobile and Land line x 4 + monthly ADSL to
24 Bills Mobile and Land line monthly + monthly ADSL
I have been hassling for 2 years to get onto the single billing system. I am told as of yesterday that this is still 6 months away.
1. No customer should be subjected to 24 bills a year for what is a very average bundle of connectivity services. Especially if purchase from the 1 provider.
2. With the above service bundle as a new account, the subscriber would be entitled to a $10 discount for the grouped mobile and $10 for the ADSL. I suspect that for most dual account holders this discount is not applied, and Telstra keeps the $10 or $20 a month…..And these by definition are Telstra’s best customers. I was advised by Bigpond CS this week that by going on to a single bill, they could do my 12 Gig account for $39.95 instead of $59.95 due to the multiple service discounts.
These group discounts should be applied by Telstra, for all dual account holders, from when that discount was available on a new service bundle.
No fun here
Hi John
You’re right – life isn’t all fun. We do take customer service seriously and I believe your comment has been passed on to our online help team.
I’m sorry you’ve had this experience with Telstra and I also hope it’s resolved to your satisfaction soon.
Kristen