Another Metro Trains campaign via McCann Australia sweeps second round of 2014 Sirens
Less than three months after dominating the 2013 Sirens with “Dumb Ways to Die”, McCann Melbourne and Metro Trains have teamed up once again, with a campaign promoting the rail network’s new “Notify” app, winning all categories in the second round of the 2014 Siren Awards.
The “Metro Notify” campaign written by John Mescall (right) and Pat Baron (left) and produced by Ralph van Dijk at Eardrum, was the overall winner of the round and also claimed the campaign category. The ad “Boss Man”, from the same campaign, won the single category, with the other ads from the campaign, “Baby Giraffe” and “Breakfast TV”, highly commended.
When asked what set this campaign apart, Mescall said: “Compared to most ads on radio, these have a reasonably unique tone of voice. Jean Kittson did a great job with the words we gave her. I also give kudos to the guys at Metro, who don’t have a problem admitting that your train running late is actually bad news. Honesty can be a rare commodity in advertising.”
Judge, Marty Braine from Brainestorm was full of praise for the campaign.
Says Braine: “Nice way to turn a negative into a positive… and good use of the product in the story. Great talent and use of music.”
The “Metro Notify” campaign is now in the running to win the Gold Siren for best radio ad of the year, which will be announced in May 2014. Writers of the best radio ad for 2014 win airfares, accommodation, plus automatic entry and tickets to the Cannes Advertising Lions Festival in June 2014. The client of the Gold Siren winning ad also wins a trip to Cannes and the festival.
“Boss Man”, from the “Metro Notify” campaign, also won the craft category. This time, the plaudits went to campaign director, van Dijk from Eardrum, and Myles Lowe from Song Zu. Both of the other “Notify” ads were highly commended once again.
Three further series of ads were highly commended in the campaign category; the “Trust/Loyal Advertiser/Listener/Friendship” campaign for Commercial Radio Australia, again by Eardrum’s van Dijk, “Country people don’t like asking for help”, by Clemenger BBDO Melbourne’s Ben Keenan & Russ Fox, and kwp! Advertising’s “Ultra Tune: Hyena doing Lamaze, Kookaburra with stutter, Octopus dribbling basketballs” campaign for Ultra Tune, written by Corey Swaffer.
Says Joan Warner, chief executive officer, Commercial Radio Australia: “It’s another great win for McCann Melbourne. The range of innovative ads entered into the Siren Awards, always impress with their creativity, and demonstrate how effective radio can be for advertisers.”
Round three of the 2014 Siren Awards is now open. Entries close for round three on 13 September.
12 Comments
The bad news is that the ads are rubbish.
You’re right
Unfortunately, and after many years in the darkness, we’re gonna have to get accustomed to see McCann and their people bloody everywhere from now on. That’s what one great campaign can do.
Is anyone else wondering if McCann has any other clients?
Although very admirable they have the rail safety corner of the advertising landscape well and truly dominated.
Look there’s another one. Quick, chop it down.
@ Tall Poppy
Yes Yes.. tall poppy syndrome.. very good observation.
But I think the real point here is we get bored so easily and it gets to this point where nobody really cares anymore and for those who did not create the campaign just want to move on and see something new.
And I suppose, McEverywhere, you would politely resist all opportunities to reap the rewards from an absolute fucking stellar campaign and retire quietly to your room?
Sod off and put your jealousy to better use.
How many clients did YOU win lions for this year? McCann won for three, which is probably three more than you.
I didn’t want to make this about myself but you have left me no choice. A a child I had a black labrador named Benjamin. Benjamin suffered from anxiety which let to bouts of diarrhoea and hair loss from his lower back area. One day Benjamin did diarrhoea behind the TV all over the cables and the 4-pack power adaptor. Everyone got angry at Benjamin but none more than me because the VCR stopped working after that and I really wanted to watch Terminator 2: Judgement Day that had just come out in video. I did see it at the movies but it was really good so I wanted to watch it again on video. So this anger with Benjamin lived inside me and one day I was walking Benjamin near the rail lines and I was not taking the care I should have. Benjamin then ran onto the tracks. Nothing happened but he could have been hit be a train. This made me think if only there was a rail safety message that Benjamin could have watched and that moment may have never happen.
You show a distinct lack of imagination by only hating on one McCann client.
McCann has in fact been extensively awarded at Cannes and numerous other shows over the past year across quite a few other clients and campaigns, including V/Line Guilt Trips, Impossible Orchestra / Care Aware, Corelle and L’Oreal, as well as Metro Trains.
So many dumb ways to hate…
question answered then. you have won zero lions this year, and so feel compelled to bitch about those who did.
oh, and unless i’ve missed something, this campaign isn’t dumb ways at all. so aside from envy, what exactly is the problem?
The problem isn’t with McCann. IT’s with the Siren judges rewarding rubbish. Again.