CLIO Sports – the creative competition celebrating the best in sports advertising and marketing

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Clio-Sports-deadline.jpgSonia Bijelic, Head of Marketing, Cricket Australia was Australia’s representative on the CLIO Sports Awards, the international creative competition celebrating the best in sports advertising and marketing. The annual event will take place tonight (Thursday, July 7) in New York. Here’s her review of the judging process, exclusive to Campaign Brief.

I think I’m one of the luckiest marketers in Australia.

It doesn’t get much better than working on Australia’s true passion and Australia’s favourite sport, cricket. So when I got the call inviting me to be a judge for the CLIO Sports Awards, I had to pinch myself to believe my job just got even better!

The CLIO awards have long been recognised as the pre-eminent awards for marketing and advertising in the world, and the CLIO Sports Awards specifically recognise the best in sports marketing.

Whilst I personally feel proud to have been invited to judge the CLIO Sports Awards, I am more proud of what it means for Cricket Australia.

It’s a testament to the profile and leadership position that Australian Cricket has on the world stage, but more importantly it emphasises the talent of the whole team at Australian Cricket who work tirelessly to grow the sport.

As a judge for the CLIO Sports Awards, we’re tasked with evaluating award submissions based on creativity and originality. In other words, it’s about “the idea”. We’re looking for things we haven’t seen before, work that connects sports brands and fans in new ways.

With hundreds of entries from across the world across numerous categories, I got to see some amazing creativity and ingenuity.

Entries included truly ‘out there’ ideas that push the boundaries like FIFA’s “Grass Kicks”, soccer boots that sow grass seeds on the soccer pitch with each step; simplicity at its best like the Bank of Montreal’s idea for supertall ATMs to service, of course, the NBA’s supertall players; campaigns that trap the pure joy and adoration a child feels when they connect with their sporting hero like in the NBA “Hands” TVC; campaigns that challenge our preconceived notions like England Rugby’s “Balls to Stereotypes” print campaign; and even the impact of sport on (literally) creating whole new generations of kids with the Nike “Super Bowl Babies” ad. There were so many wonderful entries, each unique in their creativity, so deserving of awards and so wonderfully inspiring.

That’s what I personally enjoyed so much about being part of the CLIO Awards judging experience. Being immersed in so much creativity, meeting some of the wonderful minds behind the work, and coming out of the experience re-inspired as a marketer all over again.

And that’s why platforms like the CLIO Sports Awards are so important. They allow the best in sports marketing to be surfaced, providing inspiration for all of us to see, inspiration that is so critical to our roles and success as marketers.

I call on all sports marketers in Australia to enter next year. Whether you’re a league, a Club, a governing body, a brand or an agency, if you’re creating great sports marketing, then showcase it to the world by entering the CLIO Sports Awards.  After all, it’s only right that as the world’s greatest sporting nation that we Aussies showcase our winning form on the world’s sports marketing stage!

cliosportsprintjuryLATEST.jpgPhoto from L to R: Print Jurors Todd Howk, SVP/Executive Creative Director, AEG Creative; Adam Dettman, Director Sports, Entertainment & Licensing; Casey Hall, Group Vice President of Marketing for the National Hockey League; Sonia Bijelic, Head of Marketing, Cricket Australia; Michael Bucek, Vice President Marketing & Business Development, Kansas City Royals; Peter Judd, Creative Director / Partner, Hub Strategy & Communication; and Jill Gregory, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Industry Services, NASCAR