By Mark Rowland
Network Rail’s latest safety awareness video takes a different approach to the usual shock tactics that you see in a lot of transport safety campaigns.
Aimed at reducing the number of track-related incidents, primarily those involving young men, the video features rapper Wretch32 and spoken word performer George the Poet taking a ‘track test’ — trying to determine the location of an oncoming train based on hearing alone.
Viewers are then invited to take the test themselves — an online game in which players try to determine the direction of an oncoming train within a time limit, based on hearing alone.
This is not Network Rail’s first foray into viral marketing to increase safety awareness — Olympic hurdler Dai Greene tested his speed against that of a moving train last year, and CCTV footage of drunken accidents at stations made headlines this summer.
The viral approach — using humour and games to engage people on safety issues — is becoming an increasingly popular method for companies and organisations looking to reduce injury and improve safety standards.
One of the most popular examples — the Dumb Ways to Die song, animation and mobile app, put together by Australian rail company Metro, has been so successful that it has sprouted numerous parody videos and songs, each of them drawing attention back to the original video and its message. The Youtube video has racked up almost 59 million views since it appeared at the end of last year.
Other sectors are also using social media and online video to spread their messages. While Fire Door Safety Week, which is currently taking place, comprised of several events around the country, it also featured online fire safety tests and Youtube videos, including an undercover investigation of a hospital’s inadequate fire doors.
IOSH has also got in on the act with its message at the Political Party Conferences this year. Its animated graphic, A Shocking Diagnosis, based on the board game Operation, has made an impact both online and at the Liberal Democrat conference, where politicians such as Vince Cable and Nick Clegg played a giant version of the game on the IOSH stand.
But some have questioned the effectiveness of such campaigns. In a piece for the Melbourne Herald Sun, Susie Obrien criticised the Dumb Ways to Die campaign for trivialising a serious issue. Statistics also suggest that despite the video’s popularity, instances of near misses at level crossings in its target state of Victoria remain the same as when the campaign began. An article for safetyrisk.com.au also claimed that the campaign’s message has been muddied by reactions and parodies online, creating numerous cuddly endorsements of suicide.
It is clear that viral campaigns can get a message out to a big audience quickly. You can reach usually cynical audiences in a way that they will actively champion and share those messages. But it can be hard to control that message once that audience has taken it to heart.
Have your say: are viral videos, bold graphics and games a good way to engage people, or does the message get lost?
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