Dumb Ways to Die clean-sweeps in latest Sirens round
McCann’s Dumb Ways to Die song for Metro Trains, sung by Emily Lubitz from Melbourne band Tinpan Orange, has won in every category in the latest round of radio advertising awards the Sirens.
The campaign – written by McCann’s John Mescall and Pat Baron – won in the single, craft and campaign categories, and two executions were highly commended.
‘Set Fire to your Hair’, ‘Sell Both Your Kidneys’ and ‘Eat a Tube of Superglue’ won best campaign. ‘Set Fire to your Hair’ won single and craft, and the other two were highly commended in those categories.
The only campaigns to come close were CumminsRoss’s ‘Stay strong’ for Vok Beverages, Clemenger BBDO Melbourne’s ‘Hard earned thirst’ for Victoria Bitter and DMG Radio’s ‘Mr T… O Y S’ for Mr Toys Toyworld, which were highly commended in the campaign category.
Chief executive of Commercial Radio Australia, Joan Warner said it was rare for an ad to win all categories. “This campaign highlights how well radio combines with other media, particularly the internet, to engage the audience and get a message across. It really exemplifies the strength of good radio advertising.”
Rem Bruijn, CD at brainheart, who was a judge, said: “For me ‘Dumb ways to die’ is the idea of the year. It integrates beautifully in any medium, but on radio it’s a belter. The ad that doesn’t sound like an ad. It’s a great comedy sketch, a cracking song and an advertising earworm all rolled into one. It’s a ‘likeable’, sharable, sweet-macabre masterclass on the use of dramatic counterpoints, that only gets better with every listen. I could crap on all day about it. It’s that good.”
The winner of the Sirens will be announced in May, and will get flown to Cannes for the advertising festival.
This ad really annoys me… it’s a blatant rip off of ‘Dont Sit Down Cos I’ve Moved Your Chair’ by Arctic Monkeys… Listen to the song and tell me it’s not the same.
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