Clio Awards

Breathing life back into a fading icon.

Challenge

Losing relevance • Losing money • Losing credibility

The Clio brand had lost its shine.

With five nights of awards and over 450 trophies on stage, it had become a bloated marathon no one wanted to sit through.

Solution

Simplify the story • Elevate the moment

We talked to the people who mattered most.

Chief creative officers around the world told us what they really wanted: an easier entry system and an award show with glamor, recognition, and something worth showing up for.

So we flipped the format.

We kept the big wins on stage and released the rest online—category by category, building buzz and attention over time.

Then we brought the show home.

We moved the awards back to New York and into the Museum of Natural History—complete with celebrity hosts and iconic honorees.

A simplified entry system. One glamorous night. That’s all it took.

We cut the clutter—from 380 categories down to 80—making it easier to enter, and more meaningful to win.

The red carpet returned. So did the relevance.

Result

80% fewer categories • 35% increase in entries • $5MM in new revenue

From industry afterthought to cultural moment.

Clearer categories. Bigger buzz. Record-breaking entries. And a brand that finally felt worthy of the work it celebrated.