3 Things “Dumb Ways To Die” Can Teach Us About Creating a Viral Campaign
Within two weeks of its release, “Dumb Ways To Die” had 28 million views. It’s safe to say this humorous and well-written piece went completely viral. But let’s delve a little deeper to see what we can learn from the success of this video, and how we can employ those lessons to the advantage of any small business’s campaign.
The Internet places the power to publish in the hands of anyone with access to a computer. That’s both the beauty and the drawback of it. On the one hand, it could be argued that the ubiquity of access means the quality of Internet content suffers because any and all mundane or poorly-written thoughts can be shared. But on the other hand, good content becomes all the more valued due to the surplus of mediocre Internet material. Take for example, the “Dumb Ways to Die” video, a local PSA from the Melbourne Metro published in November 2012, which warned people to exercise caution around trains by means of a cute and catchy song and animated video. Within two weeks of its release, the video had been viewed 28 million times. The “Dumb Ways to Die” video now has over 80 million views, a popular mobile game, a track on iTunes, and multiple YouTube parodies. There was even a sequel video released this year for Valentine’s day. It’s safe to say this humorous and well-written piece went completely viral.
Karen Stocks of YouTube Australia suggests the video’s success can be attributed to “A snappy headline. A catchy tune that gets stuck in your head. And a message that is easy to understand and perfectly targeted.” But let’s delve a little deeper to see what we can learn from the success of this video, and how we can employ those lessons to the advantage of any small business’s campaign. We’ve come up with three straightforward steps based on “Dumb Ways To Die” that can help you generate better online visual content for your brand.
- Determine the message you need to communicate, at its most basic.
The video is effective in part because it communicates one succinct message: That train-related deaths are avoidable when people do not act stupidly and when they exercise caution.
In creating your own content, decide exactly what you want to say through your visual materials. Are you trying to tell your audience that your product can save them time? Or perhaps that you can offer them a solution to a specific problem? Whatever your message is, decide first how to say it concisely and directly, without any superfluous information.
2. Communicate the message in a new way.
Think of all the ways you’ve seen the same message communicated, and throw them all away. Seriously, write them down and cross them out. Now brainstorm ways you can say the same thing in a way you’ve never seen it said before.
“Dumb Ways to Die” is appealing mainly because it is surprising and new. The idea of creating a safety video detailing all the stupid ways you could die is both funny and fresh. John Mescall, executive creative director of McCann (who produced the video), said, “The aim of this campaign is to engage an audience that really doesn’t want to hear any kind of safety message, and we think Dumb Ways To Die will.” It challenged the idea that safety videos need to employ scare tactics to be listened to and to be effective, and as a result people paid attention.
3. Don’t underestimate good design.
Though you should always stay consistent with your company’s aesthetic, don’t be afraid to change things that look old or overly corporate. The new aesthetic of today is fresh, clean, and energized, and you don’t want to be left behind.
“Dumb Ways to Die” is a combination of two things: a catchy song and a colorful animation. Take one without the other, and you wouldn’t have nearly as successful of a video. Most important though is the recognizability of the illustrations.
Consistent branding will help your company stand out and be recognized by consumers, no matter where they see your logo, your written materials or your visual imagery. Coca Cola — perhaps one of the most recognizable brands in the world — sticks with their traditional red and white color scheme, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t freshened up their look or their graphics since the company was started in 1886. However, the key to their branding success remains in the fact that no matter what they do, the red and white always subtly reminds the audience whose material they are looking at.
To summarize, when creating visual content to represent your small business, don’t underestimate the importance of “pre-writing:” i.e. making sure you have a clear idea of what message you would like to communicate. Then, make sure you are communicating your message in a way that will stand out from the crowd. Even if you are saying something that might have been said before, if you can find a way to say it that is different, it will be interesting and memorable, and will catch the eye of your audience. Finally, when you have figured out what you want to say and how, you can decide what that message should look like. This last step of visual appeal will be the cherry on top for your content’s memorability. When it presents a clear message, says it in a new way, and looks good in doing so, then you’ll have succeeded in creating something shareable and effective.
Do you have any other strategies for developing effective visual content to stand out amidst the content over-saturation of the web? Don’t hesitate to share them with us — we’d love to hear what you have to say.
By Fernando Cuscuela, Co-Founder of Everypost
