ASIA-PACIFIC – AUSTRALIA, FEBRUARY 28, 2013 – McCann’s quirky campaign for Metro Tains became the most shared public service campaign in history, topping iTunes charts around the world and spawning a series of related covers and parodies. Now ‘Dumb Ways to Die’ has become the first Australian ad to be included in TED’s list of top 10 Ads Worth Spreading.
The list was procured through nominations from a panel of judges made up of renowned TED speakers, rising stars from the advertising industry and some of the industry’s leading minds. Among the industry “advocates” are advertising household names such as Crispin Porter + Bogusky chairman Chuck Porter, Leo Burnett Worldwide chief creative officer Mark Tutssel and Droga5 creative chairman David Droga.
‘Dumb Ways to Die’ is the only Australian ad to be honored among the Ads Worth Spreading, revealed at the TED conference in Long Beach, California on February 27.
McCann Australia executive creative director John Mescall was in Long Beach for the presentation. “It’s a genuine thrill to have our work honoured at TED. Mainly because the crowd here is amazing,” said Mescall. “There are roboticists, inventors, a 15-year-old who developed a cancer detector, dolphin researchers, a 14-year-old who achieved fusion from a reactor in his garage, a yo-yo champion, and someone whose job title is ‘shepherd of electrons’. Coming from an industry where the sexiest job title is Creative Technologist, it’s a bit of an eye-opener.”
Part of a campaign that aims to reduce the number of serious and fatal accidents on Metro Trains rail network in Melbourne, the three-minute music video of ‘Dumb Ways to Die’ claimed the number one spot on the Viral Video Chart within 24 hours of launch last November.
The video has received more than 40 million views (and rising) on YouTube, with an additional 11 million views of related covers, parodies and re-posts taking it to an overall count of 51 million.
