Earworm - Alarm
This must be mentioned here - for the sake of completeness, and because I am an unconditional fan!In 2012 the Metro Train Society Melbourn started this safety campaign - with a special focus on kids as target audience:
Within ten days "Dumb Ways to Die" got more than 25 million views on YouTube. The song ended up as No. 10 on the iTunes - charts on it's day of release. And the campaign was awarded on the Cannens festival of creativity 2013 with the first place. It was one of the best viral campaigns of the year. The compagny claimed a reduction of near train missing accidents of 30% in the following year: See the article - even if there are voices critizising this number
The often brutal deaths still remain within the playful frame and clearly take the humor of children serious (Remind yourself of your schoolyard jokes in primary classes). And the song is a catchy tune. After two times you can already sing along ... but let's put focus on something else:
What can be better than a video that is shared hundreds of times? Well, a video that is a hundred times imitated. This is exactly what happened here, so to speak the King Leauge of viral successs. This video i n s p i r e d! - here's my favorite example:
Dumb Ways To Die - The Paper Version
Of course, the agency of the Melbourne Metro Company had to follow up after success knocked on their doors - and again they found the perfect tool - especially for kids: A game! Can be used as app or as a website where you can re-enact some of the most wonderfull deaths: Dumb Ways To Die - Game.
