Dumb Ways to Die

Michael Cash

If you are part of Generation Z, then you have most likely heard of the “Dumb Ways to Die” campaign from Melbourne Metro. For those who are not familiar with the operation, Melbourne Metro is a suburban rail network. In the year 2012, the company decided to create an ad campaign with the purpose of promoting railroad safety. The company took a more modern approach by creating a video, which was posted on the highly touted platform, YouTube. The video consisted of a catchy song along with cartoon animations, which represented different ways to die. The last clip shown was a cartoon character dying from a train. The video was a success as it now has over 200 million views and was the most shared YouTube video of the year in 2012. The immense number of shares caused many people to visit the operation’s website about train safety. The company also came out with a Dumb Ways to Die app, which was also affective to the cause. Following the ad campaign, the operation saw a massive decrease in train accidents.