Creative Liberation Intelligence Organization (C.L.I.O.)

The Clio Awards set out to distinguish themselves from other awards shows by launching a bold new suite of nontraditional categories. To spread the word, we went full-on undercover—creating a cheeky, multichannel stunt about a top-secret agency supposedly pulling the strings behind great advertising: the Creative Liberation Intelligence Organization.

secretwebsite.org (overview video)

C.L.I.O. Phone Calls

Disguised as a hungry ad student on the job hunt, the C.L.I.O. infiltrates top creative shops, looking to crack the code of great advertising from the inside.

C.L.I.O. Recruitment Video

To stir up buzz around the C.L.I.O., we “leaked” a covert music video—disguised as top-secret footage—and slipped it to bloggers and ad creatives like classified intel.

Call For Entries - Dossiers

A “confidential” envelope landed on ad blogs and in inboxes across the Clio Awards mailing list, packed with reconnaissance intel, creative trade secrets, and covert instructions on how to enter the competition.

call for entries.jpg

alex chicken.jpg

cross promo.jpg

Cryptic Print

Coded messages hidden in Clio ads across Adweek, Creativity, and Ad Age pointed curious minds to our not-so-secret destination: secretwebsite.org.

Clio Cams on secretwebsite.org

We “rigged” old Clio trophies with covert cameras, exposing raw creative moments, juicy office drama, and more nose gold than we'd care to admit.