For any advertiser to win an award at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity is an amazing feat. It’s what creatives live for. Now imagine a single campaign taking home five Grand Prix, 18 Gold Lions, three Silver lions, and two Bronze Lions. That quite possibly could be the best campaign ever made. And that creative team is going to need to pay for some extra carry-ons on their flight home from France.
That creative team is from McCann Melbourne, and you probably know that the campaign is “Dumb Ways to Die.” The fully integrated campaign is highlighted by an adorable and humorous three-minute video promoting train safety for Metro Trains. It has also appeared in newspapers, radio, outdoor, on Tumblr and is an extremely addicting gaming app.
The video mentions a handful of dumb ways to die, some of which are quite farfetched. It concludes with standing on the edge of a train station platform, driving across the tracks when the safety bar is down, and walking across the tracks. These are considered “the dumbest ways to die.”
That creative team is from McCann Melbourne, and you probably know that the campaign is “Dumb Ways to Die.” The fully integrated campaign is highlighted by an adorable and humorous three-minute video promoting train safety for Metro Trains. It has also appeared in newspapers, radio, outdoor, on Tumblr and is an extremely addicting gaming app.
The video mentions a handful of dumb ways to die, some of which are quite farfetched. It concludes with standing on the edge of a train station platform, driving across the tracks when the safety bar is down, and walking across the tracks. These are considered “the dumbest ways to die.”
Obviously, the message of this campaign is real simple. There are some pretty dumb ways to die, but trains shouldn’t be one of them. Negligence and a lack of patience can be idiotic. But if you just show some caution, you’ll be completely safe.
Unfortunately, I do have a gripe with this video, and considering all the awards and the 50 million hits on YouTube, my bet is I'm in the minority on this one. From a creative point of view, the cute animation and ridiculous deaths are a great way to get attention. But I think people could get caught up in the cuteness and miss the message. The message is train safety. What do using you private parts as piranha bait, taking your helmet off in outer space, and dressing up like a moose during hunting season have to do with train safety. Absolutely nothing. Waiting nearly three-minutes to even mention trains may get people wrapped up in the humor of the dumb ways rather than comprehending the dumbest ways.
Like I said, I’m clearly in the minority on this one. It is a powerful campaign and it definitely has a strong message. For me, I had to watch it a few times to truly grasp it all, and I think it could’ve been more impactful if trains were mentioned earlier on.
Unfortunately, I do have a gripe with this video, and considering all the awards and the 50 million hits on YouTube, my bet is I'm in the minority on this one. From a creative point of view, the cute animation and ridiculous deaths are a great way to get attention. But I think people could get caught up in the cuteness and miss the message. The message is train safety. What do using you private parts as piranha bait, taking your helmet off in outer space, and dressing up like a moose during hunting season have to do with train safety. Absolutely nothing. Waiting nearly three-minutes to even mention trains may get people wrapped up in the humor of the dumb ways rather than comprehending the dumbest ways.
Like I said, I’m clearly in the minority on this one. It is a powerful campaign and it definitely has a strong message. For me, I had to watch it a few times to truly grasp it all, and I think it could’ve been more impactful if trains were mentioned earlier on.
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