Video: PSA Uses Whimsy to Communicate Grim Message - somersault

Video: PSA Uses Whimsy to Communicate Grim Message

Public Service Announcements can be boring and people often ignore them. Yet, despite its 3-minute length, a video PSA (produced by McCann @McCann_Melb), reminding people to have common sense around the high-powered trains of the Melbourne Metro in Australia, has reached 31 million views since only Nov. 14. Why?

Titled “Dumb Ways to Die,” it’s a simple animated spot that’s heavy on the macabre — but in a whimsical way — with a song you’ll be humming all day. Adweek calls it an “adorably grim viral megahit.”

The many examples of dumb ways to die (eat medicine that’s out of date, use a clothes dryer as a hiding place, get your toast out with a fork) have nothing to do with train safety until the last 3, leaving the viewer to remember the focus of the spot even after it’s ended.

Simple video + catchy music + whimsy (even on a serious topic) = success.

See our previous blogpost, “The 3 Qualities That Make A YouTube Video Go Viral.”

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