"'Dumb Ways to Die" is an Australian train-safety themed music
video that went viral and inspired karaoke-style parodies; was sold
on iTunes; and featured various digital components (including a
mobile game), to get people to interact with the campaign. The song
climbed the music charts in more than 20 countries and, more
importantly, client Metro Trains reported a 21% drop in accidents
and deaths on public transit compared to the same period last
year.
Why it won: Dove "Sketches" was a perennial
bridesmaid, winning Gold Lions in almost every category throughout
the week and often in contention for the Grand Prix before taking
the prestigious titanium Grand Prix on Saturday. "Friends outside
the advertising industry were sending it to me because it's such a
great message for women," said Margaret Johnson, a juror and
executive creative director and partner at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners.
"That's the mark of a powerful piece of content."
The integrated winner "Dumb Ways to Die," continued to dazzle
every jury it faced. Ms. Johnson noted that it presented a heavy,
serious message about avoiding death in a fun, quirky way that also
achieved the unusual feat of resonating with both adults and kids.
"It has about 10 touchpoints," said David Lubars, jury member and
chairman and chief creative officer at BBDO North America. "It's the most seamlessly
integrated campaign we saw. It shows a lot of love and respect for
its audience -- it's not just clever."
Controversy or clear winner: Jurors said
picking Dove "Sketches" for titanium was a pretty clear-cut
decision, given Mr. Wieden's guiding vision of what the titanium
award should be. In the integrated category, the closest
competition came from Dove "Sketches" and Procter & Gamble's
"Proud sponsors of moms" by Wieden & Kennedy, Portland, both of
which won integrated Golds.
Prudential Financial's campaign by Droga5, New York, about preparing for
retirement was a particular favorite of Mr. Wieden's, other jurors
said, and won a titanium Lion. "Here's a client working desperately
hard to figure out why people have trouble saving for retirement
… [and] to understand why people aren't making good
decisions," Mr. Wieden said.
Total number of Lions awarded: The jury gave 15
prizes, including the titanium and integrated Grand Prix awards.
There were also four titanium Lions—which are awarded simply
as Lions, without a distinction between metals—and nine
integrated Lions (two Gold, two Silver and five Bronze).