Motivated
11
effective campaigning
“ Dumb Ways to Die” was one of my favourite campaigns in 2012. With over 43 million views on Youtube, also making a presence on Twitter, Reddit, Buzzfeed and more, this “train safety” campaign is definitely one of the greatest viral campaigns ever created. There were many aspects to why this campaign was so successful. First, it is obviously the incredibly catchy song, and it is even available on iTunes. After watching it only once over half a year ago, the song is still clear in my head. The public transport authority in Melbourne, Australia used an “unknown’ artist for this video, without incurring any media costs. The graphics makes it accessible for everyone all over the world, using jellybeans and various animals, not associating the idea of “dumb” to any particular demographic or location. The video seems to be targeting the youth, and they are definitely hitting their target market. Compare this video to the typical unwelcoming and emotional teen road safety advertisements; teenagers don’t prefer to be and are not easily emotionally influenced. This campaign subtly carries the message, not overwhelming the audience. Even though it seems that the main message may not be clear and relative to train safety, the fact that people are downloading it means that it shows consciousness amongst the audience and encourages responsibility for their actions in the long-term. It aims for behavioral change, something difficult to measure and effectiveness comes with time. Behavioral change marketing is very effective in this video, labeling tragic incidents as “dumb” instead of catastrophic. It is certain that this was at least impactful to one person out of the 43 million. Brillant.