How Metro Trains created a viral sensation (and saved lives in the process)
How did a rail safety campaign end up getting more than 300 million views?
Context
In 2012, Metro Trains was dealing with frequent incidents and injuries involving stations and crossings. While always tragic, many of these accidents can be avoided by behaving more safely and sensibly Metro Trains were tasked with reducing such incidents.
Objective
- Reduce the number of accidents and near-misses at stations and level crossings
- Generate public commitments to be safe around trains
- Increase public awareness of the risks around trains (especially amongst young people)
- Generate media buzz around rail safety
Challenge
Most public safety campaigns are dry and forgettable.
Strategy
“We decided to not adopt an advertising model, but a content model. Both the client and the agency were very determined to make the content good enough to compete against things you would otherwise pay for.”
–Executive Creative Director of McCann Melbourne, John Mescall
Results
Dumb Ways to Die earned more than 44m views on YouTube in 3 months, earned $19.2m in unpaid media, and achieved an ROI of 6506%. Most importantly, the campaign generated 127 million pledges from people to be safer around trains and reduced rail accidents and near misses by 31%.