Last night (2/12) in Glendale, Arizona, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in a tight game and Tubi’s “Rabbit Holes” from agency Mischief @ No Fixed Address beat out a tough crowd to win the 2023 Super Clio Award, a special honor given out by the Clio Awards for the most creative commercial to air during the Super Bowl. On advertising’s biggest night, many brands leaned into nostalgia and famous faces to win over consumers, but “Rabbit Hole”–directed by Tom Kuntz of MJZ–stood out for its slightly subversive and dark humor, engaging storytelling and impeccable craft.
The Super Sunday commercial followed the everyday lives of various people who are unexpectedly plucked out of the real world by oversized rabbits and dropped into the magical world of Tubi’s library of content where options for entertainment and escapism are virtually limitless.
Being thrown down what amounts to an entertainment rabbit hole is quite the eye opener. The ad’s parting super reads, “Find rabbit holes you didn’t know you were looking for.”
The concept behind the literal tossing of unsuspecting people into rabbit holes is the metaphorical expression of rabbit holes that Tubi fans can comfortably fall into when exploring the depth and range of content on the platform. Every rabbit hole that opens is unique to the person; their clicks threading together their very own experience of what comes next.
The Super Clio was introduced in 2015 in collaboration with WPP’s global chief creative officer, Rob Reilly. He has served as the competition’s non-voting commissioner since its inception and was on hand this year to announce the winner on NBC “TODAY” with hosts Al Roker, Sheinelle Jones, Craig Melvin and Dylan Dreyer. Reilly and Clio Awards CEO Nicole Purcell recognized a need to highlight the revolutionary work that’s introduced during the Super Bowl with an honor selected by the people who make ads and understand the nuances of producing a groundbreaking commercial for the big game.
The lineup of judges who determined the Super Clio winner for Super Bowl LVII consisted of:
- Amy Ferguson, CCO, TBWA/Chiat/Day New York
- Brian Monaco, president, global chief marketing officer, Sony Music Publishing
- Caleb Jensen, executive creative director, Wieden+Kennedy
- Danny Robinson, CCO, The Martin Agency
- David Lubars, chairman/CCO, BBDO
- Glenn Cole, founder/chairman, 72andSunny
- JJ Lim, creative director, R/GA
- Josh Fell, partner, CCO, Anomaly LA
- Judy John, global CCO, Edelman
- Katherine O’Brien, group creative director, VaynerMedia
- Kathleen Hall, chief brand pfficer, Microsoft
- Liz Taylor, global CCO, Ogilvy
- Michael McIntyre, CEO, MOCEAN
- Selman Careaga, president, The Coca-Cola Company
- Shana Barry, head of celebrity, entertainment, and influencers, Anheuser-Busch
- Sharon Otterman, CMO, Caesar’s Digital
- Sherman Winfield, executive creative director, VMLY&R
- Susan Credle, global CCO, FCB
- Vida Cornelious, VP, creative, The New York Times
“So many creative aspects go into making a great Super Bowl ad that most people wouldn’t know are happening behind the scenes,” said Purcell. “At a time when consumers are really engaged with the bold ideas that brands and advertisers are putting out, we just love to capture that energy and use our platform to celebrate the community with a special award made to match the iconic nature of the game itself.”
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 Mischief @ No Fixed Address this week.
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More