Adidas, Michelob Ultra Win Multiple Grand Clios at Clio Sports

Adidas won four Grand Clios and Anheuser-Busch’s Michelob Ultra won three Grands at the 2023 Clio Sports Awards. The gala was held last night at Warner Bros. Discovery Offices & Theater in NYC and hosted by the Broadcast Boys.

Adidas and TBWALondon won two Grands for “The Official Leak of the World Cup Kits.” The brand scored another with Johannes Leonardo for “Remember the Why.” Adidas Japan K.K. and TBWAHakuhodo won a Grand for “The Unofficial Launch.”

Michelob Ultra and FCB New York picked up three Grand Clios for “DreamCaster.”

NFL Network, Saucony, MEO and FanDuel each scored one Grand apiece.

Also, FCB New York repeated as Agency of the Year from 2022; Adidas was named Brand of the Year; Borussia Dortmund won kudos as Team of the Year; the NFL picked up League of the Year honors; and NFL Media took home the prize for Media Company of the Year. Those latter two categories were new for 2023.

Check out the 11 Grand-winning campaigns below, and see all the honorees—including Gold, Silver and Bronze winners—at Clios.com.

Anheuser-Busch’s Michelob Ultra, ‘DreamCaster’

Grand Clio: Creative Use of Data
Grand Clio: Digital
Grand Clio: Innovation
Entrant Company: FCB New York

Born blind, Cameron Black’s dream of becoming a sports broadcaster came true, with help from an AI platform that Black helped to create. Surround-sound speakers, haptic feedback and real-time Braille stats put him inside the action.

Adidas, ‘The Official Leak of the World Cup Kits’

Grand Clio: Fan Enagement
Grand Clio: Social Media
Entrant Company: TBWALondon

Targeting Gen Z prior to the 2022 World Cup, Adidas hid kits in plain sight—examples include a barbershop in Argentina and manga comics in Japan—then let social media take the wheel.

Adidas Japan K.K., ‘The Unofficial Launch’

Grand Clio: Direct
Entrant Company: TBWAHakuhodo

Adidas Japan K.K. leaked the nation’s 2022 World Cup kit inside a manga. Debate raged on social media about whether the reveal was unintentional, but Adidas eventually confirmed the opposite.

Adidas, ‘Remember The Why’

Grand Clio: Film Craft
Entrant Company: Johannes Leonardo

This one’s all about checking distractions at the door and ignoring haters. Train hard to elevate your game. Once the noise is blocked and the mind firmly focused, great things can happen.

NFL Network, ‘Diana Flores—Super Bowl Commercial Surprise’

Grand Clio: Film
Entrant Company: NFL Media

Diana Flores didn’t tell her family she was the star of the NFL’s Super Bowl commercial.

This is the moment she revealed it to them. ❤️? @diana_flores33 pic.twitter.com/TqOeffVK7i

— NFL (@NFL) February 15, 2023

There’s no crying in baseball, but tears fall in this video with flag football star Diana Flores. As her parents and sister view Diana’s Super Bowl spot for the first time, pure joy and love flow.

Saucony, ‘The NIL Student Nurse Initiative’

Grand Clio: Partnerships & Sponsorships
Entrant Company: Doner

Four students at the Galen College of Nursing were treated like elite athletes when Saucony signed them to NIL deals. Nursing students run the equivalent of a marathon every week. The campaign celebrates these future essential workers as if they were sports heroes.

MEO, ‘The Forgotten Team’

Grand Clio: Public Relations
Entrant Company: Dentsu Creative Portugal

MEO, sponsor of Portugal’s 2022 World Cup team, paid tribute to the 6,500 workers who died building the event’s infrastructure. “Forgotten Team” jerseys sported the number four, symbolizing Article 4 of the Human Rights Act. These Jerseys were banned from the stadium, but the effort drove awareness and raised funds for families.

FanDuel, ‘The Kick of Destiny’

Grand Clio: Sports Betting
Entrant Company: MikeWorldWide x FanDuel

FanDuel enlisted tight end Rob Gronkowski to attempt a 25-yard field goal during a live Super Bowl spot. Gronk missed. But FD enjoyed a month of media hype and provided a surprise happy ending for fans.