A story about the Sad Bus that no one likes. Children are afraid of it. No one loves it. It just makes you want to hug it, make it feel better, rescue it from its fate. But we’ve decided to… kill it! Because there’s no mercy for faulty buses that transport our children!

The Center for Information Technology (COI) at the Ministry of the Interior has created an application that allows users to check buses. Thanks to www.bezpiecznyautobus.gov.pl we can, for example, check whether a bus has passed a recent technical inspection or if its insurance is valid.

Our task was to advertise this service. The goal was clear – maximum buzz on a minimal budget (if 10 000 euros can be called an advertising budget).

2 million views on YouTube (zero media support!)

5 million additional viewers during the TV news in one evening

The campaign was discussed in 750 official publications on the internet, in the press and on TV (500 000 euros free media coverage).

31% of internet users know the "Sad Bus" campaign. The campaign is the third most recognizable social campaign in Poland.

At the end of the campaign, 33% of comments regarding it were negative, 30% were positive and 37% were neutral.

26% of people who had school-age children and heard of the campaign visited www.bezpiecznyautobus.gov.pl

60% of people declared that they will check a bus on www.bezpiecznyautobus.gov.pl in the future.

35000 buses were checked over the summer. Statistically, one in three buses registered in Poland was checked using the service!

The police stopped over 5000 Sad Buses. That’s 100% more than the previous year.

The campaign consisted of uploading a movie to the YouTube channel of the Ministry of the Interior and informing journalists of the start of the campaign. The rest happened by itself…

From the very first day the movie generated very extreme and opposing reactions. People started creating fanpages, alternative endings and memes. Within 24 hours, the debate moved from the internet to television, the press and radio. The Sad Bus appeared in all of the most important media outlets in the country. It was also discussed abroad. Online stores started selling t-shirts and gadgets with the titular character, and someone created a mobile game in which you could rescue the Bus. The creators of the movie were vilified (“Duzy Format” called us Nazis) and the agency even received threats.

Looking at the gigantic wave of negative comments, one might think that we created the worst and most hated social campaign in the history of Polish advertising. However, the results show something different.

Total budget: 10,000 euros

Every year, hundreds of buses transport children across Poland to their summer destinations. Over 60% of buses registered in Poland are over 14 years old. Many of them are faulty. They pose a danger to their youngest passengers.

All over the world, the owners of dilapidated buses do everything they can to hide their state of disrepair. They paint them in pastel colors and decorate them with various gadgets. They do everything to make sure the moving wrecks are not frightening, they want them to be nice and friendly. But when it comes to the safety of children there is no room for compromise. Regardless of how friendly they may seem…

That’s how the story about the Sad Bus that no one likes was born. Children are afraid of it. No one loves it. It just makes you want to hug it, make it feel better, rescue it from its fate. But we’ve decided to… kill it! Because there’s no mercy for faulty buses that carry our children!