Smart wins bronze in the 2023 CLIO Sports Awards for its giant basketball MOA ad

PLDT mobile services arm Smart Communications has recently bagged bronze in the prestigious 2023 CLIO Sports Awards.

The Smart MOA ball

Smart 2023 CLIO Sports Awards bronze winner

The award is for turning the iconic SM Mall of Asia (MOA) landmark in Pasay City into a giant basketball for the FIBA World Cup 2023 basketball event hosted by the Philippines last August. 

Best Outdoor Ad' recognition

To those who do not know, CLIO Sports honors the best in sports advertising and marketing worldwide every year. This year, Smart is the only Filipino brand on its list of leaders. Other leaders are world-leading brands Adidas, ESPN, NBA, NFL, Nike, Under Armour, and Xbox, among others.

We dedicate this recognition to all basketball-loving Filipinos, whose passion for the sport inspired the world-class MOA Ball, said Lloyd Manaloto, FVP and Head of Prepaid and Content at Smart.

Basketball is deeply embedded in our culture, and it is only fitting that we build a world-class and larger-than-life basketball tribute for one of the biggest international sports events hosted by the Philippines. We share this award with all those who worked tirelessly to turn our vision into reality, he added.

Apart from the CLIO Sports award, the giant basketball was also recognized as the "Best Outdoor Ad" by BestAdsOnTV.com, which monitors the world's best ads, last September.

To recap, the MOA Ball was unveiled last August 15 to amplify the excitement of fans ahead of the FIBA World Cup opening. A total of 248 workers composed of site workers, engineers, safety officers, and designers built the captivating installation, which measured 1.5 meters in diameter inside a ring with 111 meters in circumference, readily visible from airplanes flying to and from Manila during the international tournament.

Smart said that the MOA Ball left an indelible impression on FIBA World Cup 2023 delegates and fans, who shared photos and videos of the landmark on their social media accounts.

Smart is a global partner of FIBA, the biggest global basketball tournament.

Smart and FIBA have also renewed their global partnership until after the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 in Qatar.