The Clios

MUSE sat down with the voices shaping what's next in culture and creativity: 🎵 Adrian Martinez of STURDY. on Musicians Translating Their Sonic Worlds IRL 🪴 Sharoz Makarechi of SUBSTANCE and Plaid America Takes a Humanist Approach ⭐ Chris Birch and Jonathan Parker of VCCP on Finding Creativity in Ordinary Places 🤺 Phil Andrews of USA Fencing on Creating a School Dedicated to the Sport

We open on a solitary patient in a hospital room at night, with monitors and an IV nearby. He sits for a moment, dejected, seemingly lost in thought, his face impossible to read. Suddenly, he’s racing through the corridors, his blue gown billowing as his legs pump furiously. As he speeds along, lights wink on everywhere, piercing the gloom, casting a confident glow. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma survivor Brandon Throop stars in the spot and narrates. The film alludes to his appearance in the 2023 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon. He ran the gown in a johnny, raising awareness and $120,000 for the cause. The spot, from Broken Heart Love Affair and directing collective King She, plays like a short art film. It provides memorable visuals and an upbeat message, but the moody tones and disorienting vibe keep things real. "Brandon’s story wasn’t just compelling—it was the embodiment of what “Carry The Fire” (the hospital’s broader brand platform) stands for. His determination to run a marathon in a gown marked both vulnerability and strength. It made him a powerful symbol for the ongoing journey of those who face cancer," Carlos Moreno, Partner/CCO at BHLA, tells Muse. https://clios.io/49cU8xw

At Creative Summit, we learned the balancing act of brand integration in livestreaming through hands-on experience. During this session led by Twitch’s Patrick Moses, attendees played branded games while exploring how creators navigate sponsored content without losing their authentic voice. We  analyzed what makes branded content fall flat, what makes it feel forced, and how to find the sweet spot in between. 

Music isn’t just a background track, but one of the most powerful tools brands have to communicate identity and build lasting cultural relevance. This Create Summit panel on how holistic music strategy shapes brand identity explored the evolving role of music strategy in brand storytelling and how a cohesive, intentional approach to sound can define a brand just as distinctly as its logo or visual identity. Universal Production Music’s Jamie Glenn universal led a conversation that explored her personal musical aesthetic and how it informs the strategies she develops for top global brands. Joined by Elias Audio Branding’s Zach Golden, the session unpacked how music choices are made, what made them memorable and why a holistic sonic approach is no longer optional for brands that want to lead the cultural conversation.

What does it take to build a wildly successful global brand rooted in purpose? At Creative Summit, author and The New York Times climate reporter David Gelles and Patagonia’s Vincent Stanley joined us for a thought-provoking discussion on how Patagonia became a global leader in “doing well by doing good.” They explored how the brand’s bold, values-led approach is inspiring other companies to lead with integrity, responsibility, and long-term impact. It was such an important lesson for anyone rethinking what brand leadership can—and should—look like.

Rural America has long been defined in marketing and advertising by outdated tropes that overlook its diversity, innovation, and cultural relevance. Getty Images’ Tristen Norman shared data-driven insights and broader creative strategies to help brands challenge those stereotypes and be a catalyst for change. Drawing on Getty Images’ unique research approach through their VisualGPS insights platform, powerful visual examples, and extensive client partnerships to identify gaps, Norman illustrated how brands can leverage visual storytelling to more accurately reflect various underrepresented communities and position them as a driving force in shaping the cultural and creative landscape of tomorrow.

In an era where attention is fleeting and loyalty is hard-won, brands who are engaging influencers to develop a distinct and consistent aesthetic are rising above the noise. This conversation at Creative Summit, moderated by HAUS OF SÔS' ASHLEY RUDDER, explored how cultivating “taste” through content creators, visual identity, and cultural fluency is more than a creative decision, it’s a strategic one. BBDO New York’s Alex Booker, Oatly’s Jeremy Elias, and Away’s Quynh Dang examined how an intentional aesthetic can deepen brand loyalty, signal values, and drive long-term engagement.They also highlighted the brands setting the standard, from beauty to lifestyle to food, that are proving just how powerful good taste can be.

As the lines between creativity and technology blur, a new generation of storytellers is leading the charge - harnessing AI not as a shortcut, but as an opportunity for bold and original thinking. This Creative Summit roundtable discussion featured three finalists of the AI Challenge Powered by Dream Machine, a first-of-its-kind collaboration between The Clio Awards and Luma AI, inviting creatives to explore what’s possible when the power of AI meets the art of advertising. Through 10-second vertical ads built with Luma’s Dream Machine, the finalists reflected on their creative process, the challenges and surprises of working with generative tools, and how AI is shaping the future of content creation for a new era of advertisers and audiences. Congratulations to our finalists: Estefanía López, Strategy Director Daniel Ayala, Project Manager & Marketing consultant at VIA Innovative  Owen O'Dell, Brand Lead at Silverside AI 

It’s such a treat watching these creatives cook up extraordinary experiences, on episode 6 of On Brand, for an iconic brand 🏠 🧑🍳 Are you #TeamPyper or #TeamBianca? Tell us below 👇 👀

FanDuel Casino launched a monthly rewards program that serves as the next phase of its “Calling All Thrillionaires” campaign. A :60 from Orchard, directed by Andreas Nilsson of Biscuit, explains the perks of being a Rewards Club member with a never-ending tandem bicycle and an earworm rocking a saxophone solo. “We knew for this to work, the song had to actually be catchy,” says Conor Dooley, CD at Orchard. “And it started with David Kolbusz texting me a voice memo of him just singing ‘Calling all, calling all, calling all Thrillionaires.’ So, using that as a sort of rhythmic baseline, I started building out the other components of the track. Creating a couple little musical breakdown moments where we talk about the Rewards Club and set up a heroic sonic return to our main musical structure. Can never have too much sax, in my opinion.” "Our brainstorm sessions led to the idea of a ridiculously long tandem bike, made for every FanDuel Casino thrill-lover," adds Dan Kenneally. "Bringing it to life wasn’t an easy feat! But the production team made a fully functional, 15 person tandem bike, which was extended by Parliament in post to fit a thousand more people.”