To halt the dramatic rise of teenage railway fatalities, we launched a youth safety campaign disguised as a fashion label with a message that spread far beyond the target audience.

Challenge

The number of railway fatalities in The Netherlands tripled since 2016. Most victims being teenagers. To halt this dramatic rise, Dutch governmental railway company ProRail had to get through to a young, hard to reach and even harder to impress audience.

Idea

We launched ‘Victim Fashion, created by accident’: a youth safety campaign disguised as a fashion label. The collection is based on the clothing victims wore when the fatal accident happened. Influencers, who were in on the project, hyped the ‘brand’ beforehand, teasing the audience with close-ups of the clothing's ‘distressed look’ in unboxing videos. Followers (including secondary influencers) were invited to the launch event at an Amsterdam Fashion show.

Results

Hundreds of teenagers and influencers attended. In front of cameras, the press and key influencers, the shocking truth behind the collection was revealed. The message of Victim Fashion spread far beyond the target audience and made headlines everywhere.

Ogilvy Social.Lab Amsterdam wins Gold and Grand Prix for ProRail

During the Influencer Marketing Awards Show Ogilvy Social.Lab Amsterdam was recognized twice for ‘Victim Fashion, created by accident’ – a youth railway safety campaign disguised as a fashion label. It not only won a Golden Award for Most Creative Influencer Campaign but also a Grand Prix, as being the very best work the industry has to offer.

‘Having talked to scientists, victims, youth and parents, we learned that an intrusive but respectful campaign was needed to bring our message across. We knew it would be controversial.’

Joost van Liemt — Strategy Director

“We are very pleased to see our campaign being recognized globally with this Grand Prix award. It also shows that using influencers isn’t always about endorsing products but also doing good”

Tolga Buyukdoganay — ECD