NEW YORK, USA — Last night in LA, the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in a nailbiter of a Super Bowl game that was cinched by a 1-yard reception. However, the competition was a lot tighter during the commercial breaks, where advertisers scored points with viewers by using celebrity star power, nostalgia, and humor to tell their stories. But it was Coinbase’s internet-breaking QR Code that won the night. A jury of representatives from Pepsi, Reddit, VaynerMedia, Activision Blizzard, 72andSunny, and more huddled after the game and decided that the most creative spot of Super Bowl LVI was Accenture Interactive’s “Less Talk, More Bitcoin” and would be awarded the coveted Super Clio.
The Super Clio was introduced in 2015 in collaboration with WPP’s Rob Reilly, who has served on the competition’s jury since its inception. Reilly and Clio Awards CEO Nicole Purcell recognized a need to celebrate the cutting-edge work that’s introduced during the Super Bowl with an honor selected by the people who make ads and understand the complexities of pulling off a creative victory during the big game. The Clio Awards have long been an advertising competition with pop culture roots—from televised ceremonies to Johnny Carson segments and plotlines in shows like “Mad Men”—so it made sense to develop a special award for the moment when advertising would be in the mainstream spotlight.
To determine which commercial hit the spot both creatively and culturally during Super Bowl LVI, the Clio Awards enlisted:
- Adam Harter, SVP, Media, Sports & Entertainment, Pepsi Beverages N.A.
- Amy Ferguson, CCO, TBWA\Chiat\Day New York
- Danny Robinson, CCO, The Martin Agency
- David Lubars, Chairman/CEO, BBDO
- Daymond John, CEO FUBU & Talent on Shark Tank
- Fernando Machado, CMO, Activision Blizzard
- Gary Vaynerchuk, Chairman/CEO, VaynerX/VaynerMedia
- Glenn Cole, Founder/Chairman, 72andSunny
- John Koller, CMO, Hard Rock Digital
- Judy John, Global CCO, Edelman
- Keith Cartwright, Founder/CCO, Cartwright
- Liz Taylor, Global CCO, Ogilvy
- Mark Cuban, Owner, Dallas Mavericks
- Menno Kluin, U.S. CCO, dentsu Creative
- Omid Farhang, Founder, Majority
- Rob Reilly, Global CCO, WPP
- Roxy Young, CMO, Reddit
- Shayne Millington, Co-CCO, McCann New York
- Susan Credle, Global CCO, FCB
- Tiffany Rolfe, Global CCO, R/GA
- Tim Nudd, Editor in Chief, Clio Awards and Muse by Clio
The Super Clio trophy, which towers above a standard Clio at 22 inches, matching the height and look of the Lombardi trophy, will be inscribed and presented to Accenture Interactive this week.
“Super Bowl Sunday is the night when the whole country falls in love with advertising, and the type of work that we celebrate all year round becomes a kitchen table topic,” said Nicole Purcell, CEO, Clio. “We’ve made it our business to mark this cultural milestone with a special type of recognition and we’re always investing in new ways to offer consumers an insider’s perspective on the most buzzed about moments in advertising—past and present.”
Last night, jurors offered insight into their favorite spots, commented on themes and trends from the night’s most successful ads and took live questions during the big game as part of a Reddit AMA hosted by the Clio Awards.
Earlier this year, the Clio Awards revealed its latest venture into consumer-facing Super Bowl content, with a 16-part digital series titled “Clio Awards Presents: The Most memorable Super Bowl Ads of Time.” Featuring commentary from some of the biggest names in sports, pop-culture, advertising and entertainment, the series offers an inside look at the most iconic Super Bowl spots ever and stars Eli Manning, Tyler Cameron, Michele Tafoya, Daymond John, Jai Rodriguez, Yamaneika Saunders, Rob Reilly, Judy John, David Lubars, Tiffany Rolfe, Danny Robinson, Fernando Machado, Tim Nudd and Susan Credle.
