Record advertising awards tally for Australian 'Dumb Ways to Die' film
An Australian public service film that became an internet hit for its black-humoured list of reckless ways to die - such as "poke a stick at a grizzly bear" - has scooped a record number of international advertising prizes.
An Australian public service film that became an internet hit for its black-humoured list of reckless ways to die - such as "poke a stick at a grizzly bear" - has scooped a record number of international advertising prizes.
The three-minute short, Dumb Ways to Die, was co-produced by government rail service Metro Trains to teach people to be careful around trains.
It has notched more than 50 million views on YouTube since its release last November, led to hundreds of parodies and even become a smartphone game.
The clip employs a catchy tune and colourful, animated blobs which die in amusingly foolish ways, including "keeping a rattlesnake as a pet" and "selling both kidneys on the internet," before culminating in train-related deaths described as "the dumbest way to die". It swept the awards at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in southern France, winning a record five Grand Prix awards, 18 Gold Lions, three Silver Lions and two Bronze Lions, the most ever awarded to one campaign in the festival's 59-year history.
"The idea stemmed from our staff seeing people doing risky or dumb things around trains," said Leah Waymark, of Metro Melbourne, which partnered with advertising agency McCann Melbourne to produce the video.
The song has hit the charts in 28 countries and rocketed into the top 10 on Apple's Australian iTunes chart within 24 hours.