Rhubarb’s ad campaign for the 2022 Clio Entertainment Awards captured the essence of winning with their bold shift from previous years to focus on the ultimate prize: the Clio itself. Their concept? A Clio Award is so coveted, you’d carry it everywhere. With stunning imagery shot by Tye Nave and inspired by iconic Hollywood moments, Rhubarb delivered a campaign that celebrates the award’s allure, joy, and prestige. It’s no surprise this campaign earned its own Graphis Advertising Award.

By: Andrew Irving, CCO & Founder, Rhubarb

The Clio Entertainment program, a pivotal part of the Clio Awards, is renowned for celebrating creativity in the entertainment industry. As one of the most prestigious international awards for advertising, the Clio Entertainment Awards annually highlights the best in film, television, live entertainment, and gaming through a distinctive advertising campaign.

For the 2022 Clio Entertainment campaign, Rhubarb was tasked with crafting a fresh and innovative approach. Previous campaigns had centered on Hollywood icons and the process of creating movie posters. Our vision was to focus on the euphoria of winning a Clio Award itself. Our campaign centered on the idea that a Clio Award is so cherished that you’d want to carry it everywhere.

Collaborating closely with Clio Entertainment executive director Ashley Falls and Clio marketing director Catherine Amelio, we developed scenarios incorporating various entertainment facets. Inspired by Terry O’Neill’s iconic portrait of Faye Dunaway at the Beverly Hills Hotel the morning after she won the Oscar for Best Actress for Network in 1977, we imagined scenes in a bar, theater, swimming pool, and restaurant, showcasing the award itself and its omnipresence in our muse’s life. We were also inspired by stunning product and food photography. We commissioned one of the top prop stylists in Los Angeles, Dana Kapustin, to design and style incredible setups for our scenes.

One idea that was universally loved but was understandably killed was a view of Clio Award and the model’s legs seen through the bottom of a bathroom stall—because if you won, you’d really want it everywhere! 

Once we had our ideas down, it was time to make them come alive. Fun fact: The awards are named after Clio, the Greek Muse of history, and we had our own one for this campaign. Model Adut Atem served as our muse, embodying the elegance, beauty, fun, and poise that perfectly aligned with our campaign’s spirit. Her performance, combined with the artistry of photographer Tye Nave, brought our vision to life. Over three days, we produced and directed a custom photoshoot in-studio and at the iconic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel pool, a fitting choice given its prominence in Hollywood and as the venue for the Clio Entertainment after-party.

In order to get to the point right away, and in consideration of today’s short attention spans, the campaign incorporated extremely bold typography with unexpected colors, and contemporary copy that had a sense of urgency. 

The campaign was featured in the Hollywood Reporter, online platforms, and displayed at key venues. Its departure from past campaign formats resonated well, earning recognition from Graphis with its own award.

It was a genuine privilege for Rhubarb to collaborate with the Clio Entertainment team on this project. The Clio Awards are a beacon of excellence in the industry, and being invited to contribute to such a prestigious platform was an honor. While we typically specialize in key art, this project allowed us to explore a more traditional advertising style, push creative boundaries, and have a lot of fun!

Rhubarb is an award-winning entertainment advertising agency that pushes boundaries, defies convention, and specializes in creating artist-led visual masterpieces for television, movies, and streaming. Founded in 2017 in Los Angeles, Rhubarb’s artists and partners occupy every continent on planet Earth, with the exception of Antarctica.

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