– As told to Alokananda Chakraborty
Campaign: Dumb Ways to Die
Brand: Metro Trains Melbourne
Agency: McCann Melbourne
Why the campaign rocks:
The “Dumb Ways to Die” campaign of Metro Trains Melbourne by far is one of the most successful implementations of how advertising creatively solves a real problem. The campaign, which was started in 2012, was primarily aimed at reducing the instances of accidents caused by trains which in the process emphasised the perils of being insensitive to the importance of safety at the metro stations. The special thing about it was that it was a crossover with a fun, conscientious tone while delivering such an important message.
The campaign was based on a catchy, comical song that was assisted with a computer-generated video that showed cute cartoon characters dying in odd yet preventable ways. The concept was not complicated but immensely powerful: taint the picture of foolhardy behaviour that people would take the matter of life and death lightly away from the train tracks and always set it within the narrow limits of sound judgment. By presenting death in such a comical and entertaining way, the advertisement drew people’s attention, which served the message in a humorous way.
-Pavan Punjabi, Chief Integration Officer, Makani Creatives