The 'Why Do' project aimed to tackle the widening generation gap through the innovative use of technology.

A live online question and answer service enabled adults to gain a better understanding of young people, by asking volunteer under-25s questions about their attitudes and behaviour. Through the innovative use of new technology we provided a forum that was safe, inviting and easy to use for both parties.

Meanwhile an interactive video adventure, 'What's your street age?', put users in the shoes of a young person to see how they fared. This was hosted on Facebook.

As well as raising awareness of some of the issues and challenges faced by typical young people, the video adventure boosted traffic to the Why Do site hub and increased word-of-mouth around the campaign.

Results

During the campaign 170,000 people calculated their Street Age on Facebook, while O2's Facebook Likes went up by a massive 68%. 85,000 people visited the Why Do hub and asked the volunteer young people 2,500 questions. And this without any above-the-line media presence.

'Why Do' provided a concrete demonstration of O2's 'We're better, connected' philosophy and its 'Think Big' programme of community and pro-social action.

But it also showed the power of social media to generate useful and interesting content. As well as a safe and helpful way of connecting different generations, it became a fascinating record of the concerns and attitudes of modern Britain.