Lions Health Takeaways: A Perspective from the Account Management Side

 

By Brad Peebles
Senior VP, Group Management Director
Area 23, an FCB Health Company

 

More than any other awards program or conference, Lions Health makes me think about the work we do and ask: What is good? What is great? What is, in fact, Lion-worthy? For me, the best part of the festival is the discussion, debate, and even arguments we have with each other, especially about that last point.

After Cannes this year, as an account guy, my mission is clear: when, where and how do I have that same deep discussion with clients? Can I use the work and the recognition it received as a starting point? Philips’ Breathless Choir shows us that the product itself can be everywhere but never seen, that it can be the hero without being the center of attention. Novartis’ Slam Poetry shows us that we can depict the arresting reality of patients’ lives without physicians interpreting it as criticism of their performance. GSK’s Slums (Housing Colony) for Worms shows us how a powerful metaphor becomes even more powerful when we invest in the craft and production of the idea.

Being in the south of France, out of my usual element but “in” with a global community of creators and communicators, reinforced what I already know, that account people play a vital role in producing great creative, and it motivates me to do that even better this year.