Does It Work?: 10 Principles for Delivering True Business Value in Digital Marketing

APPENDIX B

DUMB WAYS TO DIE: DETAILED ANALYSIS OF CLAIMS

INTRODUCTION

In November 2012, McCann Australia and Metro Trains, an extensive and highly utilized suburban rail system in Melbourne (Australia), released a video and website campaign titled Dumb Ways to Die.

The video became an international sensation, with more than 100 million views and numerous parodies. By some, it has been called the most successful ad campaign in history. This Appendix examines the claims around the impact of the campaign—and its true impact and success. In the end, we conclude that for all its popularity, it is impossible to say with any certainty that the campaign was effective.

DATA SOURCES

Most of the data used comes from Transport Safety Victoria (TSV). Established ...