Dumb Ways To Die named Australia’s top radio ad
McCann Melbourne’s ad campaign for Metro Trains, Dumb Ways To Die, has continued its winning run, picking up three of the four available trophies at this morning’s Siren Awards, recognising the year’s best radio ads.
The work won best single ad, best campaign and the client award.
Meanwhile, Earphone Bully, created by Eardrum Sydney, won the craft category.
Listen to the ad:
Since Dumb Ways To Die was launched in November it has found a global audience and won a series of awards around the world. The video version has accumulated more than 45m views now.
Metro Trains says that the Dumb Ways To Die campaign led to a 30 per cent reduction in near miss accidents in the first three months after launch.
The ECD of McCann, John Mescall said: “Our idea was to embed our rail safety message into a song. The inspiration was to make a radio ad that was nothing like a radio ad, but a lot more like the content on either side of the ads: the music. It’s a song first and foremost with a subtle but unmistakable message embedded into it. The fact that a lot of radio stations around the world have chosen to play the three minute version of our ad for free, as part of their music programming, tells us that we may well have pulled it off.”
The Sirens are organised by Commercial Radio Australia and were presented by Mix FM’s Tim Ross.
Winners credits:
Siren Awards 2013 Overall Category Winner (Gold Siren)
(also winner of 2013 Single Category)
- Agency: McCann Melbourne
- Creative Team: John Mescall & Pat Baron
- Client: Metro Trains Melbourne
- Commercial Title: “Set Fire to Your Hair”
Siren Awards 2013 Single Category Winner (Silver Siren)
- Agency: McCann Melbourne
- Creative Team: John Mescall & Pat Baron
- Client: Metro Trains Melbourne
- Commercial Title: “Set Fire to Your Hair”
Siren Awards 2013 Campaign Category Winner (Silver Siren)
(also winner of the Client Award – cash prize)
- Agency: McCann Melbourne
- Creative Team: John Mescall & Pat Baron
- Client: Metro Trains Melbourne
- Commercial Title: “Dumb Ways to Die” includes ads: “Set Fire to Your Hair”, “Sell Both Your Kidneys”, “Eat a Tube of Superglue”)
Siren Awards 2013 Craft Category Winner (Silver Siren)
- Sound Engineers: Ralph van Dijk & Michael Bates
- Production Studio: Eardrum, Sydney
- Client: Anti-bullying organisations, including Bullying No Way, Project Rockit and Reach Out
- Campaign Title: “Earphone Bully”
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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meh.
it’s reached the point where McCann = 1 Ad.
Tiring.
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“……led to a 30 per cent reduction in near miss accidents in the first three months after launch.”
Without wishing to rain on this awards-orgy, ABS figures indicate no reduction in rail deaths/injuries since the campaign launched. As for “near misses”, hello? Who concocted that statistic?
Think it through for one second: a reduction in something that didn’t happen.
Hmm???
Not diminishing the über cute and fun campaign, however it’s pretty clear that über cute and fun aren’t necessarily effective. Getting middle class hipsters humming is different to getting working class teens off the railways tracks.
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gonna hate.
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Will be interesting to see how they follow this one up. I always thought the real bonus of this ad for the client was the building of some good will towards them; rather than it making a big impact on safety.
In regards to safety, its hard to reason with stupid – so stupid will continue to do as stupid does.
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Wow there’s a radio version too!!!.. that will make Melbourne’s bear miss accidents around trains go down by more than 1000% if they use the same dodgy stats!! Get some new material McCanns this one has had its 15seconds
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