Clio Awards

There may be one thing funnier than the name Dick Orkin's Radio Ranch: its radio spots. That, at least, was the opinion Thursday night of those judging one of the most coveted awards in advertising--the Clio Awards. The Los Angeles production company walked off with three Clios. That led all other West Coast competitors, although the New York office of the Venice agency Chiat/Day/Mojo also won three.

A series of humorous TV commercials for Little Caesars Pizza and a Nike ad in which soccer players compete against the devil were among the top prize winners Friday at the 37th Annual Clio Awards in San Francisco, the best-known awards ceremony for advertising. But the Grand Clio for TV ads went to a grainy black-and-white British commercial for Levi's 501 jeans.

Milk got it. The "Got Milk?" commercial featuring a historian trying to talk with his mouth full of peanut butter won one of the most coveted awards in advertising Saturday night--the Clio Award for the best television commercial of 1993. And the complete ad campaign for Apple PowerBook, which features diverse people who use the same personal computer for a variety of reasons, won the Clio Award for the best multimedia ad campaign of the year.

The Angels continue to struggle with a low team batting average. Makes me think of Devon White, Dante Bichette, Mark McLemore and other former Angels who were big hitters in the minors, were brought up to the Halos, went into batting slumps, then were let go to other teams where they regained their hitting prowess. Rod Carew was a wonderful hitter, but is he an effective batting instructor? JAMES J. BENNETT Oxnard

Joe Pytka has done it again. Of course, he had the help of people like Michael J. Fox and Michael Jordan. Fox, with the help of a photocopier, turned a photograph into a can of Pepsi.Jordan hit a slam dunk for Nike. And Pytka got it all down on film. Monday evening, those television commercials earned the advertising industry's highest honors--the Clio awards.

About the only time people notice light bulbs is when they blow out. Yet a trio of TV commercials for a light bulb company--including one where two men are trying to defuse a time bomb when the lights go out--not only got noticed Monday evening, they also walked off with the top award in advertising.

Imagine a small California company, headquartered in Venice with 15 full-time employees, running off with some of the top New York awards in the advertising industry. It came true Monday night for Joe and John Pytka, two brothers whose production company, Pytka Productions, picked up six prestigious Clio awards for four notable television advertising campaigns, including the Pepsi "Archaeology" commercial.

The biggest news at Tuesday night's Clio Awards ceremony--often dubbed the Oscars of advertising--is what didn't happen: * For the first time, the United States didn't win the top prize--the coveted Clio for the best national TV campaign. That was picked up by Migros, a giant Swiss department store chain and its Swiss ad agency, Comsult/Advico Young & Rubicam.

Clios May Be Sold: A Chicago-based investment group has tentatively agreed to purchase the troubled Clio Awards advertising show and competition. Ruth Ratny, owner of the film production publication Screen magazine, said she has signed a letter of intent with Clio owner Bill Evans that gives her group 75 days to inspect Clio's financial records and complete the deal. She declined to identify her partners.

The Clio Awards, the ad industry's most familiar--and most humiliated--competition, is about to give Madison Avenue a dose of, well, Madison Avenue. Clio, with the help of two ad women, is desperately trying to resell itself in a new and improved package and repair an image tattered last year when one gathering erupted in a statue-grabbing ruckus and another ceremony was canceled because the Clio Awards owner couldn't pay his bills. The 1992 awards ceremony is scheduled for Sept.

Milk got it. The "Got Milk?" commercial featuring a historian trying to talk with his mouth full of peanut butter won one of the most coveted awards in advertising Saturday night--the Clio Award for the best television commercial of 1993. And the complete ad campaign for Apple PowerBook, which features diverse people who use the same personal computer for a variety of reasons, won the Clio Award for the best multimedia ad campaign of the year.

Termite Campaign a Multiple Winner: A two-man agency in Newport Beach recently won a Clio statue, the Northern California Broadcasters Assn. award and placed in the finals for the Mercury award, all for a radio campaign about termites. Creative director Bill Kalionzes and copy writer Larre Johnson created the campaign for Long Beach-based Tallon Termite & Pest Control. The Long Beach company uses cold to rid homes of termites. "We freeze their little buns off," the ads promise.

The biggest news at Tuesday night's Clio Awards ceremony--often dubbed the Oscars of advertising--is what didn't happen: * For the first time, the United States didn't win the top prize--the coveted Clio for the best national TV campaign. That was picked up by Migros, a giant Swiss department store chain and its Swiss ad agency, Comsult/Advico Young & Rubicam.

The Clio Awards, the ad industry's most familiar--and most humiliated--competition, is about to give Madison Avenue a dose of, well, Madison Avenue. Clio, with the help of two ad women, is desperately trying to resell itself in a new and improved package and repair an image tattered last year when one gathering erupted in a statue-grabbing ruckus and another ceremony was canceled because the Clio Awards owner couldn't pay his bills. The 1992 awards ceremony is scheduled for Sept.

Clios File for Chapter 11: The future of the troubled Clio Awards, the "Oscars of advertising," has grown even more uncertain as Clio Enterprises Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The filing comes just weeks after the new Chicago-based owners of the Clios announced plans for a September competition.

Clios May Be Sold: A Chicago-based investment group has tentatively agreed to purchase the troubled Clio Awards advertising show and competition. Ruth Ratny, owner of the film production publication Screen magazine, said she has signed a letter of intent with Clio owner Bill Evans that gives her group 75 days to inspect Clio's financial records and complete the deal. She declined to identify her partners.

James Crabe, an award-winning cinematographer, died Tuesday at a Sherman Oaks hospital of the complications of AIDS. He was 57 and was nominated for an Oscar in 1980 for "The Formula"--the George C. Scott and Marlon Brando thriller--and won an Emmy for the television film "The Letter." He received Emmy nominations for "The Entertainer," "Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years" and "Baby M." His other motion pictures included "Save the Tiger," "Rocky" and the first two versions of "The Karate Kid."

The Clio Awards, regarded as the Oscars of advertising, was forced to suddenly cancel its annual ceremony for the nation's top TV commercials Monday when promoters in New York couldn't pay their bills. The cancellation is a serious embarrassment for an industry that makes its living shaping images. The ad industry has already taken some tough hits during the past year, with ad spending flat and the quality of much recession-weary advertising also in a rut.