The health and safety training video was shared by a TikTok user, who was enthusiastic about their partner’s boring training topic being made more fun in a completely unexpected way.

The animation is a part of a project by Acteon for the Co-op (about what to do if you find asbestos in your building), and has generated a huge amount of attention from users and brands including Morrisons and Walkers. The consensus from viewers is that more companies should create training like this to get people actually wanting to complete mandatory compliance training – which is usually incredibly yawn-worthy!

Why it works - a short version of the science behind it:

The juxtaposition of a catchy song paired with an ultimately "dull but essential" compliance topic makes it memorable because…

1.       It’s unexpected 
People don’t expect to see a song about asbestos. But surprise is a great tactic for grabbing attention, especially on topics that are difficult to engage with. The human brain holds information better when it’s unexpected. And people want to share things they find funny or surprising.

2.       Music 
Music helps people remember information; it strengthens the associations our brains make between pieces of information, which encourages long-term memory encoding. This is an effective way to help people focus on the specific actions they need to take. In the case of asbestos – and in the words of our MC Hammer sound-alike - "Don’t Touch It" (report it).