How Music Propelled the Most Popular Campaign of the Year: McCann’s ‘Dumb Ways to Die’
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There aren’t any grizzly bears or piranhas in Australia, but the lyrics of “Dumb Ways to Die” — the Australian PSA that’s been the biggest ad hit of 2013 — feature them prominently.
The secret to the campaign’s popularity was all in the music. Its signature silly lyrics and catchy tune were the brainchild of McCann Melbourne creatives. John Mescall, executive creative director, explains, “we wanted the song to have global appeal.”
And it has; the music was what propelled millions around the world to take note of the campaign, view its music video or download the song. It was also a clever way to respond to a straightforward brief from a small, local marketer: the Australian Metro. McCann was tasked to encourage people to be safe around trains, an attempt to try and curb the number of yearly rail accidents the country was seeing.
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