'Dumb Ways to Die' big winner at Cannes ad festival
Laura Petrecca
June 18, 2013
A campaign for Metro Trains in Melbourne that promotes rail safety features an ad called "Dumb Ways to Die." The ad, which is a top contender for an award at the Cannes ad festival, shows animated, anthropomorphic blobs that die in ridiculous ways.
Quirky views of death led two advertising campaigns to top honors at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
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(Photo: File)
Story HighlightsCANNES — A public service campaign with an unusual "Dumb Ways to Die" theme won two of the four top honors on the first awards day at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
- Dumb Ways to Die campaign won two of the four top honors given out
- A quirky campaign featuring dogs that drive cars was also honored
- A Heineken ad with ultrasavvy beer drinkers also scored
The safety campaign for Metro Trains in Melbourne features animated blobs that die in very odd ways, such as swimming with piranhas or poking a bear with a stick. The campaign message: Of all the stupid ways to die, acting unsafely around trains is the most inane.
It was created by ad firm McCann Melbourne and won the Grand Prix award in both the public relations and direct marketing categories.
It was also a top contender for the Grand Prix in the promotional and activation category — ads that spur people to action. It missed out on that top award but won a gold Lion, as the trophies are called.
Dumb Ways to Die is "fun, engaging" and "a clear winner," said David Gallagher, CEO of Ketchum Europe and president of the PR Jury.
The first-place winner in promo and activation also touched on the topic of death. The "immortal fans" campaign was created by ad firm Ogilvy & Mather Brazil for the Sport Club do Recife soccer club. It encouraged passionate team fans to sign an organ donor card. That way, when they died, their body parts could go on cheering their favorite team. More than 51,000 Sport Club do Recife fans signed up.
As for the Dumb Ways to Die campaign, it not only resonated with festival judges, it also has been well received by audiences across the world since it launched in November with a three-minute video.
The YouTube video has reaped nearly 50 million views. Its catchy "Dumb Ways to Die" jingle is popular on iTunes, kids sing it in school and guitar players post their versions on YouTube.
The campaign "captured the attention of the world," said Mark Tutssel, worldwide chief creative officer at ad firm Leo Burnett, who is president of the direct marketing jury.
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