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.
Jennifer Kent On Why Her Feature Directing Debut, “The Babadook,” Continues To Haunt Us
"The Babadook," when it was released 10 years ago, didn't seem to portend a cultural sensation.
It was the first film by a little-known Australian filmmaker, Jennifer Kent. It had that strange name. On opening weekend, it played in two theaters.
But with time, the long shadows of "The Babadook" continued to envelop moviegoers. Its rerelease this weekend in theaters, a decade later, is less of a reminder of a sleeper 2014 indie hit than it is a chance to revisit a horror milestone that continues to cast a dark spell.
Not many small-budget, first-feature films can be fairly said to have shifted cinema but Kent's directorial debut may be one of them. It was at the nexus of that much-debated term "elevated horror." But regardless of that label, it helped kicked off a wave of challenging, filmmaker-driven genre movies like "It Follows," "Get Out" and "Hereditary."
Kent, 55, has watched all of this — and those many "Babadook" memes — unfold over the years with a mix of elation and confusion. Her film was inspired in part by the death of her father, and its horror elements likewise arise out of the suppression of emotions. A single mother (Essie Davis) is struggling with raising her young son (Noah Wiseman) years after the tragic death of her husband. A figure from a pop-up children's book begins to appear. As things grow more intense, his name is drawn out in three chilling syllables — "Bah-Bah-Doooook" — an incantation of unprocessed grief.
Kent recently spoke from her native Australia to reflect on the origins and continuing life of "The Babadook."
Q: Given that you didn't set out to in any way "change" horror, how have you regarded the unique afterlife of "The... Read More