Metro: Dumb Ways to Die

This case study describes a rail safety campaign in Melbourne, Australia, which used a creative online film to engage people with the message.

Metro: Dumb Ways to Die

Agency: McCann Melbourne

Advertiser: Metro

Authors: Danish Chan and Adrian Mills

Total Campaign Expenditure: Under $500K

Executive Summary

"Dumb Ways to Die" turned a message about rail safety that our target needed to hear into a cultural phenomenon people wanted to engage with. Our strategy was built on a simple premise: give people a reason to listen to us by creating content worth their attention. Safety around trains would become front of mind by treating our communications like entertainment, not advertising. In four months, the campaign became the 3rdmost...

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