MELBOURNE METRO, "Dumb Ways to Die" (animation/illustration: Julian Frost)

'Dumb Ways to Die', the all-time most awarded campaign in Cannes Lions' history: 5 Grand Prix, 18 Gold Lions, 3 Silver Lions, 2 Bronze Lions!

“Dumb Ways to Die” is an integrated advertising campaign designed to curb the number of train-related deaths. The campaign is centred around a three-minute animated music video - in which adorable blobs make the stupidest decisions and gruesomely pay the ultimate price -, highlighting the many dumb ways there are to die, with being hit by a train - a very preventable death - among them. 

The video passed 50 million YouTube views and the song itself—written by Australian musician Ollie McGill from the band The Cat Empire and performed by Emily Lubitz of Tinpan Orange—was made available for sale on iTunes. Within 24 hours of its release, it was in the top 10 on the iTunes chart and on 18 November 2012 was the 6th most popular song globally, ahead of "Diamonds" by Rihanna. 

It was described as "Australia's biggest ever viral hit".

Australian designer Julian Frost did the animation. “We gave him the most open brief we could: just make it really funny and really awesome and do it to please yourself,” said Executive Creative Director, John Mescall. 

The visual reference points ranged from Edward Gorey’s The Gashlycrumb Tinies to Monty Python’s “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”.

“Julian was keen to contrast the extreme situations described in the lyrics with the simplest animation possible. Otherwise it would become just too much.” 
After the spot blew up online, Frost wrote on his website: “Well, the Internet likes dead things waaay more than I expected. Hooray, my childish sense of humor pays off at last.”

The campaign has taken 5 Grand Prix Awards at Cannes Lions 2013, the most that a campaign has ever notched up at the awards. It has won the film, radio, PR, direct and integrated categories.

John Mescal (Executive Creative Director) and Adrian Mills (Group Account Director) from McCann Australia interview :

A round of applause for Julian Frost's illustrative & animated work, and... for the client, Metro, whose feedback included “add a piranha to his private parts please”, as Julian reported in his website (see link below).

Julian Frost's website: http://julianfrost.co.nz/things/