A pair of campaigns with nautical themes and riveting real-world activations each won three Grand Clios at Tuesday night's Clio Awards.
We Believers' environmentally conscious "Plastic Fishing Tournament" for AB InBev's Corona Beer scored its Grand prizes in the Direct, Experiential/Activation and Public Relations mediums.
Ogilvy Honduras' "Morning After Island" for women's rights organization Grupo Estratégico PAE won its Grands for Direct, Out of Home and Public Relations.
FCB New York's "McEnroe vs. McEnroe," created for AB InBev's Michelob Ultra, snagged a pair of Grand Clios in Creative Use of Data and Branded Entertainment & Content.
Ten other Grands were awarded—to DDB Paris, Ogilvy Brasil, Serviceplan Germany and Korea, McCann Worldgroup India, Mischief @ No Fixed Address, Virtue Worldwide, VMLY&R New York, FCB India and Chicago, Wieden+ Kennedy Portland and Impact BBDO for various campaigns.
The following awards were also bestowed...
- Advertiser of the Year: Corona
- Agency of the Year: FCB New York
- Independent Agency of the Year: We Believers
- Network of the Year: Ogilvy
- Production Company of the Year: SMUGGLER
Learn more about the 2023 Grand winners below, and see all the winners—including golds, silvers and bronzes—at Clios.com.
AB InBev, 'Corona Plastic Fishing Tournament'
Grand Clio: Direct, Product/Service (Experience/Activation)
Grand Clio: Experience/Activation, Product/Service (Events)
Grand Clio: Public Relations, Product/Service (Environmental)
Entrant Company: We Believers
Too often, for fishermen the world over, garbage is the catch of the day. Such pollution fouls the oceans, chokes the life from fish, and threatens the planet's delicate ecological balance. Corona drove awareness by rewarding fishermen for hauls of plastic trash (later sold to recycling companies). "Our environmental commitment is rooted in preserving and protecting our oceans and beaches," says Felipe Ambra, global vice president at Corona. "We feel it is our responsibility to protect paradise for generations to come, and we want to lead the way and inspire others to do the same."
Grupo Estratégico PAE, 'Morning After Island'
Grand Clio: Direct, Public Service (Experience/Activation)
Grand Clio: Out of Home, Public Service (Ambient)
Grand Clio: Public Relations, Public Service (Public Affairs)
Entrant Company: Ogilvy Honduras
"Denied our rights on land, we took to the sea"—and brought about real change for an entire nation. Women's advocacy group GEPAE built a platform in international waters and supplied hundreds of women with the morning after pill, long illegal in Honduras. Ultimately, "We were invited to a meeting with the President, after which the government made a public commitment, putting forward a broad legislative proposal defending the sexual, reproductive and civil rights of 3 million Honduras women," Ogilvy says "This proposal was finally made law, allowing for the legal use of the pill for the first time in 13 years."
Michelob Ultra, 'McEnroe vs. McEnroe'
Grand Clio: Creative Use of Data, Product/Service (Real Time)
Grand Clio: Branded Entertainment & Content, Product/Service (New Realities)
Entrant Company: FCB New York
Sports, tech and entertainment collided on center court as present-day John McEnroe played matches against avatar versions of himself from key points in his Hall of Fame career. A 45-minute special aired across ESPN2 and ESPN+, hosted by John's brother Patrick. "Who wouldn't want an opportunity to literally be able to look back at where you started and celebrate how much you've grown and learned along the way?" Mac said. The journey is paramount, and that theme dovetailed with Ultra's "It's Only Worth It If You Enjoy It" mantra.
AnNahar Newspaper, 'Newspapers Inside the Newspaper Edition'
Grand Clio: Print, Public Service
Entrant Company: Impact BBDO
Some nations take freedom of the press for granted. But not Lebanon, where dozens of outlets have shut down amid stifling political pressure. Some journalists—including AnNahar editor Gebran Tueni—have died at the hands of assassins. To remind the public of what's been lost and how much remains at stake, AnNahar's revived newspapers of the past in its own pages (with copy by scribes who once led those publications). The initiative feted the indomitable spirit of truth, calling for an unfettered flow of information.
Clash of Clans, 'Clash From the Past'
Grand Clio: Film, Product/Service (5 Minutes and Over)
Entrant Company: Wieden+Kennedy, Portland
Happy 10th birthday, Clash of Clans—you sure don't look 40! To celebrate its first decade, the game faked four decades of history, immersing fans in fauxstalgia with a 20-minute documentary and other throwbacks to the '80s, '90s and aughts. The fab fraud hit fantastic heights with a General Mills cereal tie-in and Champion capsule collection, plus a Reddit AMA with a "Clash founder" who not only didn't launch the property in 1982, but doesn't actually exist.
Dell and Intel, 'I Will Always Be Me'
Grand Clio: Audio, Product/Service (Use of Technology)
Entrant Company: VMLY&R New York
Dell and Intel worked with author Jill Twiss to create a book that helps those diagnosed with MND (motor neuron disease) to "bank" their voices before the malady robs them of speech. The book explains what it's like to have MND. When read aloud, it allows patients to create amazingly lifelike, synthesized versions of their voices in less than 30 minutes, with the text containing each sound and syllable required.
Dot Inc., 'Dot Pad'
Grand Clio: Design, Product Service (Product Design)
Entrant Company: Serviceplan
This tablet-style system boasts a robust tactile graphics display engineered to reveal new worlds of understanding for blind and visually impaired people across the globe. Dot Pad facilitates accessibility to complex, image-based information—such as charts, models and graphs. The technology accepts content from virtually any source, providing braille translation and integration with Apple devices. It reduces the need for pricey textbooks and audio descriptions and sets a new standard in the marketplace.
Eos, 'Bless Your F*cking Cooch'
Grand Clio: Creative Effectiveness, Product/Service (National)
Entrant Company: Mischief @ No Fixed Address
When TikToker Carly Joy shared her hack for a smooth shave down there, Eos didn't shy away from the shout-out; instead, they leaned into it. Joy's "Bless Your F*cking Cooch" video went viral. And when Eos sent her a single-batch edition of shave cream, quoting Joy's tutorial on achieving a "smooth-ass hooha" verbatim, demand for the product soared. The campaign resulted in 150,000 items sold in one week, a 450 percent increase in website visits and 700 million+ earned impressions.
Magazine Luiza, 'Lu from Magalu'
Grand Clio: Media, Product/Service (Use of Talent & Influencers)
Entrant Company: Ogilvy Brasil
Back in 2021, "Lu from Magalu" was already an established influencer for Brazil's biggest retailer. Turbo-charging that platform, Magalu and Ogilvy boosted Lu's stardom and sales power exponentially. She appeared in music videos, modeled clothes, provided commentary for soccer matches and competed on Strictly Come Dancing. Now, she's among the world's biggest virtual brand stars, with more than 1 billion TikTok views and 30 million followers—each a perspective Magalu customer digging the positive vibes.
Polycam x UNESCO, 'Backup Ukraine'
Grand Clio: Innovation, Product/Service (Product Innovation)
Entrant Company: Virtue Worldwide
This elegant and poignant use of technology allowed average Ukrainians to back up key elements of their cultural heritage in the cloud, safe from Russia's onslaught. Citizens simply used their smartphones to capture and upload images of monuments, art treasures and the like. Now, if the IRL artifacts are destroyed, they can be accurately rebuilt, down to the last detail, using data stored in a 3D archive.
SOS Children's Villages, 'Chatpat'
Grand Clio: Media, Public Service (Use of Talent & Influencers)
Entrant Company: FCB India & FCB Chicago
India's most iconic commercials—for Cadbury, Tide and others—morphed into social film remakes that raised funds for the nation's 30 million abandoned and impoverished kids. A 10-year-old influencer, Chatpat, recreated the adverts and offered them to the brands in return for donations. Ultimately, the youngster earned celebrity status, money flowed and SOS enjoyed a 62 percent rise in contributions year over year.
Ujjivian Small Finance Bank, 'Shangun Ka Lifafa'
Grand Clio: Creative Commerce, Product/Service (Cultural Experiences)
Entrant Company: McCann Worldwide
In most Indian households, men manage the money and control access to bank accounts. In this system, women get shortchanged in more ways than one. To disrupt that dynamic, Ujjivian leveraged the tradition of "Shangun Ka Lifafa"—cash gifts given in decorative envelopes at weddings (with a 1 Rupee coin attached for luck). The bank made special lifafas available at trendy wedding shops, inviting couples to open joint accounts and share equally in family finances.
Volkswagen France, 'Inside Jobs'
Grand Clio: Media, Business to Business (Specific Target Audience)
Entrant Company: DDB Paris
The new Trojan horse? It's a Volkswagen! Seeking mechanics for its service network, the automaker dispatched VWs to competitors' garages across France with job offers hidden on parts requiring maintenance. "It's a true honor for us to receive this Grand Clio," said agency creatives Clara Noguier and Olivier Lelostec after the show. "Winning a prize is always a powerful and gratifying moment. But appearing on a New York stage, in front of the industry's greats, is an exceptional sensation."
Clio Awards Brand Trailer
Finally, a look at how the Clio Awards has stayed relevant for more than 60 years and plans to move ahead. MOCEAN filmed this mini doc during last year's Clio Entertainment Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles:
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