For its second year at the American Museum of Natural History, the Clio Awards looked to craft a more dynamic presentation and celebration, while keeping the show short, engaging, and meaningful. The event—the night in which the Prometheus Global Media-owned brand presents awards for the most creative work done by advertising agencies and executives—kept many of the changes made in 2011, including limiting the number of honors announced onstage to only the most prestigious. (All winners were announced before the gathering via the Clios' Web site, Twitter, and Facebook.) The organizers also stepped up this year's on-site social media efforts, tweeting live during the ceremony and displaying Instagram photos from guests tagged with #InstaClio and #SpottedatClios.
In terms of visuals, decor producer Stoelt Productions sought to give the historic Upper West Side institution something of a makeover, putting the focus on the host brand rather than the museum's exhibits. This entailed placing oversize versions of the trophy at the entrance, at the center of the reception area in the Theodore Roosevelt Rotunda, and in the middle of the bar at the after-party, which itself was flooded with red lighting.
The stage presentation was also given a bit of a revamp, with LED panels, uplit columns, and plenty of dramatic lighting. Produced by Phoenix Productions, the show saw a new host, Joan Rivers, and special honorary awards go to photographer Annie Leibovitz and chef/author Anthony Bourdain.