‘DUMB WAYS TO DIE’ turns ECDs green with envy for a good reason: They’ve tipped the infectious PSA to win big at Cannes as it has at just about every global advertising show.
MASAKO OKAMURA
Executive Creative Director,
Dentsu Tokyo
Own network ‘The Ultimate Pencil: Old Man/Flower’ for Mars Lumograph: “Well crafted. You can feel the softness of the pencil and the human heart.” ‘Reversal of Roles’ for Helpage India from Taproot India (acquired by Dentsu in 2012): “A simple idea with keen insight. Everyone on this planet should see this masterpiece. FYI, the headline is ‘When Parents Become Children’.”
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Wish I’d done that ‘Dumb Ways to Die’ from McCann Melbourne for Metro Trains: “Tough material cooked in fresh ways to create a fantastic delicious campaign. Just jealous.” Ragu ‘Bedroom’, ‘Hamster’ and ‘Cheek’ TVCs from Barton F Graf 9000: “Love it. Can sing it even though I live in Japan! This campaign reminded me why I still love TVCs.”
JOJI JACOB
Executive Creative Director,
DDB Singapore
Own network ‘World Problems’ for waterislife.com by DDB New York: “Many brands have been holding open conversations on social media but ‘Water is Life’ is a smart integrated campaign that guilts people into donating money to solve real world problems rather than complaining about #firstworldproblems.
Wish I’d done that Dove ‘Campaign for Real Beauty’ by Ogilvy Canada: “A beautiful, inspiring piece of work anchored around one of the deepest human insights.”
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Executive Creative Director,
BBDO Guerrero
Own network ‘Chase’ TVC for HomePro from BBDO Bangkok: “Amazing stunts culminating in a really silly shopping scene. The abrupt change in the mood and tone of the story makes it hilarious.”
Wish I’d done that ‘Dumb Ways to Die’: “Because they could’ve done something gruesome for that brief, but instead they came up with a hypnotic material that glues you to the screen like a child watching Sesame Street.”
LOUIE SOTTO
Executive Creative Director, 

DDB DM9JaymeSyfu
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Own network ‘Water is Life – Hashtag Killer’, DDB New York.
Wish I’d done that Zonajobs.com ‘Grandma’ from Draftfcb Buenos Aires and Kayak.com ‘Brain Surgeon’ from Barton F Graf 9000.
SOMPAT TRISADIKUN
Executive Creative Director, 

Leo Burnett Bangkok
Own network ‘Seek a Volunteer’ from Leo Burnett Melbourne
Wish I’d done that ‘Bury the Past’ from DDB DB9JaymeSufu: “Love the idea and hope it will win.”
MARCUS REBESCHINI
Chief Creative Officer
Y&R Asia
Own network “Honestly it’s always hard to pick what will win as you have to take in a lot of considerations. Is the judge jetlagged? Hungover from the night before at the gutter bar? Rushing their judging process so they can be outside, sunning it up? What can win nothing all year can go on to win a Gold at Cannes. Or a finalist by one agency and a similar idea go on to win a Grand Prix five years later. I’ve experienced both scenarios. I can’t pick a certain piece from the region as nearly every office has something cool, but what really interests me is we have two ideas going into this year’s new Innovation category. I believe they’re both strong contenders so I guess it comes down to the above considerations if they progress to shiny status.”
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Wish I’d done that “Slim pickings, I must say for these last 12 months. ‘Dads in Briefs’, the name says it all. Hilarious and beautifully written and more so acted. ‘Nike + Fuelband’ and ‘Bridge of Life’ are some nice ideas, not to mention. ‘My Blood is Red’, ‘Homeless News’ as well as ‘Coke Download’. These are just some ideas that instantly pop into my head, which I guess is a good test of what engaged me throughout the year. But there
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can only be one idea I wish I’d done. Being a multiple SPCA dog owner, I really wished I had thought of ‘Driving Dogs’. I love the strategic thinking behind this campaign. The footage of the dogs driving MINIs cracks me up but, more importantly, makes me think of all the weird tricks I could teach one of these old dogs. Borderline weirdness but that’s why I love it so much. It might or might not win huge, but it’s what I wished I’d done. Save an SPCA dog and sell MINIs. Two brands I wouldn’t have expected to ever see working together. But gotta love it.”
THIERRY HALBROTH
Executive Creative Director, 

McCann Erickson Hong Kong
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Own network ‘Dumb Ways to Die’ from McCann Melbourne: “Will likely be the strongest contender to be the most awarded piece of creative worldwide and set a new record accordingly. Just seeing the current performance it’s pulled in AdFest, Webby, D&AD, etc. There’s simply no stopping it. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime rewarding campaign that every creative director should aspire to experience. So simple, so contagious. Right now, I’d wish my name was John Mescall.”
Wish I’d done that ‘Minewater Barcodrop’ from Cheil Korea: “The other campaign I wish I’d done. Something that will certainly change people’s behavior. Again, so simple, brilliantly executed and another little step for the good of humanity. Very jealous.”
ALI SHABAZ
Executive Creative Director
Grey Singapore
Own network ‘Lend An Eye’, a mobile app that helps the visually impaired move around with freedom, from Grey Singapore. “The blind person activates the app and calls a volunteer. When the volunteer accepts the call, the blind person hangs the phone around their neck with the camera facing out Now the volunteer sees exactly where the blind person is and guides him through the live video feed. The app has made a big difference to the blind so I think it stands a chance.”
Wish I’d done that Dove ‘Sketches’ for its ‘Campaign for Real Beauty’: “Where women get an artist to draw them as the perceive themselves and compare it with how others see them. It’s powerful and controversial. Perfect recipe for Cannes.”
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GUANHIN TAY
Executive Creative Officer
JWT
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Own network JWT Bangkok’s social media interactive four-part mini movie for Oriental Princess, Thailand’s largest cosmetic beauty brand: “I think this campaign is so unique is that it managed to (break) new ground for the category, adding an Asian take on the ‘femme fatale’ who aspires to have looks that can kill! The whodunit plot revolves around a male detective trying to solve a murder involving six beautiful women as suspects. As the movie unfolded, viewers were invited at certain points to click on a ‘get the look’ icon for each of the characters, which opened a seductive makeup video that showed women how to transform themselves into their favorite femme fatale. Within two weeks almost 300,000 people visited the microsite. Over 140,000 people participated in the game component and nearly 40,000 consumers watched the ‘get the look’ sequences.”
Wish I’d done that ‘Dumb Ways to Die’: “The Sunshine Coast Daily described it as ‘the Gangnam Style’ of train safety campaigns’, ‘Dumb Ways’ captured my attention the first time I saw it. Even now as I write this, the tune is still humming in my head. I know it has already won in a few major award shows and I’m certain it will do extremely well in Cannes. Especially in film. The mark of a successful campaign are the countless spoofs it manages to generate. This is one piece of work I’d wish I had done.”
THOMAS HONG-TACK KIM
Executive Creative Director,
Cheil Worldwide
Wish I’d done that P&G’s ‘The hardest job in the world is the best job in the world’ from Wieden+Kennedy: “The campaign shows everything moms do to help their children succeed. It is based on the most fundamental emotion, which is nothing new. However, the way it expresses such emotions is very refreshing and eye-catching. The strong affection between a mom and a kid is universal; therefore it is always touching and relatable.
Even without using any particular language, the campaign features international faces (both Asians and Westerns). It was also very timely, appealing to everybody in the world before and after the 2012 Olympic Games.”
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*As it appears in adobo Magazine’s May/June 2013 issue.
