The ad campaign is going viral thanks to the video, released Nov. 14, but the ads also extend to a Tumblr blog, Twitter and Facebook pages, and even an iTunes version of the catchy tune.
Dumb Ways to Die uses illustrated characters to show the more foolish ways to snuff yourself out. Lyrics include: “Invite a psycho killer inside/ Scratch a drug dealer’s brand new ride/ Take your helmet off in outer space/ use a clothes dryer as a hiding place.”
Since the campaign comes from Metro Trains, a few lyrics also point to transit safety missteps: “Stand on the edge of a train platform/ Drive around the boomgates at a level crossing/ Run across the tracks between the platforms/ They may not rhyme but they’re quite possibly/ The dumbest ways to die.”
Created by Australian ad agency McCann, the video has surfaced on the top of the sub-reddit for videos.
“The safety of our customers is our single most important consideration. So it’s terribly sad to see so many preventable accidents or near misses on our train system,” commented Chloe Alsop, marketing manager of Metro Trains. “This campaign is designed to draw people to the safety message, rather than frighten them away. Especially in our younger segments. We want to create a lasting understanding that you shouldn’t take risks around trains, that the prospect of death or serious injury is ever-present and that we as a community need to be aware of what constitutes both safe and dumb behaviour.”
McCann executive creative director John Mescall and creative partner, Pat Baron, developed the campaign with animation by Julian Frost and digital team, Huey Groves and Christian Stocker
