Cannes Health Lions – You Never Forget Your First Time

By Brenda Molloy, VP and Creative Director, Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide

There has been a lot of ongoing commentary since last year’s Cannes Lions Health, including some discussion and frustration centered around the need for regulated and non-regulated Pharma, and even over the rightful place of Pharma within the festival. Would the overall turnout be less this year? Would this year’s festival be better? Would it be worth the trip? 

This was my first year attending Cannes, so I can’t make any comparisons, but I can say this — it was definitely worth the trip. And not just because it’s the South of France, where the rosé truly does flow like water, though I’d have to say it didn’t hurt.  Being surrounded by so much work from an industry that has been my livelihood, and one that I’m proud to be part of, would have been inspiration enough. But I also had the chance to listen to speakers, some of whom I’ve only had the opportunity to admire from afar until now, talk about the latest use of insights and data and how that information is being used to help save lives. Not to mention the opportunity to network with incredibly talented people from around the world.  As far as the actual work goes, yes, there were definite pieces that stood out from the others, but no matter, I can’t help but bow at the altar of all the creatives who were able to get their work into Cannes in the first place. For this is where we all aspire to be.

Designating the regulated and non-regulated work was a definite plus, too. It made me less frustrated and a tad less jealous when I was comparing the winners. And even though Disease Awareness will always have a bit more freedom of expression compared to the branded, regulated work, one thing that united it all was the incredible craft that went into each of the top campaigns this year.

There were some great highlights. The Stiolto–COPD Disease Awareness campaign was brought to life in a harsh, unapologetic way about smokers and their disease.  Everything was shot on set.  No CGI. Pretty impressive. Conversely, the Elanco DTC campaign and Mundipharma HCP campaign both had incredible, even awe-inspiring CGI executions. That said, the campaign that stood out the most for me was actually the simplest in its execution.  It was the most creative. Most life-changing. And the one that everyone was talking about: Blink to Speak, which appropriately won the Gold Lion. Blind to Speak showcased a new eye language that was created to help provide people with paralysis a way to communicate. Brilliant concept, impressive strategy, and a life-changing solution for these patients. And the campaign was both beautifully designed and executed. 

I was also inspired by what seemed to be a common theme both inside and outside of the Palais: the indispensable need for our work to not just be highly creative, but unquestionably authentic. We are living in a climate that demands increasing transparency, and our audiences are placing more value in brand trust than they ever have before. So, as we continue to find and use innovative ways to access and leverage data—which, as marketers, can be very exciting and maybe a little daunting–we must also not forget our responsibility to the people whose lives we want to make better.