The Dumb Ways to Die Campaign: What We Can Learn
Discover the lessons behind the viral Dumb Ways to Die Campaign. Learn how the city of Melbourne, Australia used humor to reduce train incidents by 21% and generate $60 million in earned media.
Alex Garcia 🔍
Building a 9-figure media company while training to win the Crossfit Games. Sharing it all here. Building: Marketing Examined
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280M Youtube views.
— Alex Garcia 🔍 (@alexgarcia_atx) June 20, 2023
200M App downloads.
4 Billion game plays.
And reduced train incidents by 21%.
These are the numbers behind The Dumb Ways to Die Campaign that went viral 11 years ago.
$60,000,000 in earned media later, here's what we can learn: pic.twitter.com/eH4hNEhGNQ -
Let's rewind to 2012.
— Alex Garcia 🔍 (@alexgarcia_atx) June 20, 2023
Instagram was just bought.
Tumblr was relevant.
YouTube was the main viral channel.
Times were DIFFERENT.
BUT, the city of Melbourne, Australia had a problem. -
Accidents & Deaths from its Metro were rising dramatically.
— Alex Garcia 🔍 (@alexgarcia_atx) June 20, 2023
Rather than scold people...
It devised a more fun solution. -
Dumb Ways To Die was born.
— Alex Garcia 🔍 (@alexgarcia_atx) June 20, 2023
Local music group Tangerine Kitty came up with the signature jingle.
It became an instant hit.
Within 3 days, it had 4.7M views on Youtube.
And within 2 weeks it amassed 30M views. -
Every marketing channel was covered.
— Alex Garcia 🔍 (@alexgarcia_atx) June 20, 2023
• Dedicated gif sharing from Tumblr
• Released on iTunes
• Outdoor, instagramable murals to encourage sharing on social.
They even dropped a smartphone game.
It garnered 4 billion unique plays, from every country in the world. pic.twitter.com/gcQwBJAdi9 -
Each activation drove viewers toward the singular mission of the campaign:
— Alex Garcia 🔍 (@alexgarcia_atx) June 20, 2023
"I solemnly swear to be safe around trains."
This focus was a huge success.
Over 1,000,000 people took the pledge on their website. pic.twitter.com/uVZoGiHnnv -
Recently, the campaign has received a second life.
— Alex Garcia 🔍 (@alexgarcia_atx) June 20, 2023
It became a viral trend on TikTok.
The official sound has over 350,000 videos attached to it, and countless hilarious memes. -
The campaign is a masterclass in launch strategy.
— Alex Garcia 🔍 (@alexgarcia_atx) June 20, 2023
Their team covered all the bases...
• Digital
• Physical
• Shareability
Not to mention a timeless jingle. pic.twitter.com/m57JF3ayBA -
Did it actually work? Yup.
— Alex Garcia 🔍 (@alexgarcia_atx) June 20, 2023
In 2013, the city saw a 21% reduction in metro accidents & deaths.
It's now considered the most viral PSA of all time. pic.twitter.com/3TxMwtOGBj -
Couple more fun nuggets of info:
— Alex Garcia 🔍 (@alexgarcia_atx) June 20, 2023
📲 It was the most shared video on social in late 2012, beating out Rihanna's "Diamonds"
💻 Stayed on front page of reddit for 2 days after launch
🎶 Charted top 10 on iTunes in 28 countries -
Dumb Ways To Die is a fantastic example of marketing creativity.
— Alex Garcia 🔍 (@alexgarcia_atx) June 20, 2023
They took a morbid, boring subject.
And made it fun, playful, and enjoyable.
What resulted not only became a legendary marketing case study, but ultimately saved lives for years to come. pic.twitter.com/GIeDCJuC3M -
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— Alex Garcia 🔍 (@alexgarcia_atx) June 20, 2023
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