#004 · 30th June 2023

By the time I get around to publishing this, I’m sure you lot will already be sick of Cannes. But if not, please keep reading. I did toy with the idea of publishing something a little sooner… but that’s not what this newsletter is for. I enjoy reading in and around health, advertising, and culture. I enjoy reflecting on what I read. And I enjoy writing about it. With zero pressure. I work, I commute, I’m a mum of two demanding boys, I do the lion's share of childcare in the evenings and weekends when my partner is on duty, I like to think I have a healthy(ish) social life… and for some reason, I think I have time for a newsletter.

So, on a Sunday evening with a final moment of peace, I find myself sitting down to write. But I imagine it won’t be until Thursday that I finish. No pressure after all. Although I must confess, I feel like I’m cheating a little with this issue. As come Tuesday, I’ll be presenting some Cannes Lion’s winner case studies to some clients, so I’ve already had a lot of time to think about what I want to share in the newsletter too.

But before we get into it, Haiku anyone?

So seriously will 2024 be the year of the Rose-Gold Lion?

I get there’s a lot of cynicism attached to Cannes and other awards festivals. And rightly so. The cost of entering, the cost of a ticket to attend… with well over 100,000 entries and 15,000 delegates, I don’t even want to think about how much they are making. But the cynicism aside, celebrating creativity is about finding new sources of inspiration, finding emerging trends in the ways we reach customers in the real world and gaining a new perspective on how your brand/the brands you work with could make a positive impact on the planet.

And some quick stats on this year’s awards:

• 26,992 entries for 2023, an increase of 6% from 2022

• 354 Pharma Lions entries, with 13 Lions awarded

• 1,297 Health & Wellness Lions entries, with 37 Lions awarded

• New category alert: Entertainment Lions for Gaming

Ok, so here are my top picks from the world of health and what it’s got me thinking about…

Lions: 1x Grand Prix, 1x Silver, 2x Bronze, 7 shortlists

Well, I couldn’t not mention the only Grand-Prix winner for Pharma now, could I? Scrolling Therapy from Eurofarma is a clever app that turns social media time into exercises for Parkinson’s symptoms. By using facial expressions they scroll through and engage with content on their feed, while getting some much-needed physiotherapy time.

The interesting thing for me is that this idea isn’t anything new from a health perspective. A well-established behaviour change technique is forming habits by attaching them to another habit or routine. We’ve seen this time over when it comes to adherence and prompting; pop this device next to your toothbrush and do this whilst you’re doing that (pelvic floor exercise whilst breastfeeding just came screaming back to me). So why all the hype?

Scrolling is quite the cultural phenomenon and a problem in itself. Repurposing this for a positive health outcome and bolting on a bit of AI gives the perfect combination of relevancy and innovation to take this age-old behaviour change technique to the next level.

Lions: 1x Bronze, 2x Shortlist

I love this campaign from Mind.  The charity recognised that whilst mental health awareness is on the rise, there is still a huge disconnect from the mental health system. Many people don’t see themselves in the very campaigns that are there to help them, so don’t reach out to mental health services.

Mind took a unique approach to overcome this through a partnership with Universal Music. Upcoming artists were paired with real people going through experiences of mental health from the same cultural background. They collaborated to create spoken word pieces performed by the artist to tell a more authentic and relatable story. And packaged up with a beautifully effective call-to-action tagline: if this speaks to you, speak to us.

And effective it was. Over the course of the campaign, Mind experiences a 40% increase in enquiries to their services.

For me, this really highlights the need to step away from the typical green-screened-talking-head-videos we see day in and day out when sharing patient stories and case studies in healthcare. Because these films hit a little harder when they are as raw, real and creative as these stories from Mind.

Lions: 1x Silver, 1x Shortlist

Now here is an entry where nothing has been spared when it comes to craft. And it’s all in service of the idea.

Astra Zeneca’s Lokelma is a treatment for hyperkalaemia, an area that hadn’t had any advancement since the 1960s until its introduction in 2018. This film depicts a hospital in the 1960’s and the dedication to attention to detail (as you’ll see in the case study film) is phenomenal. There’s very little dialogue, but the message is clear to doctors who remain in the dark about Lokelma.

And the one thing that might be even greater than the production values, is the bravery. I had a hot debate about this with some colleagues and clients. There was a high level of discomfort in the idea of pointing out to healthcare professionals that they may be “living under a rock”. But it did beg the question: “What’s the one thing you wish you could say to a customer, but don’t have the balls to?”. It’s a great prompt to spark creativity and a good reminder that we shouldn’t shy away from problems but lean into them.

Lions: 2x Silver, 2x Bronze, 10x Shortlist

That isn’t a typo. Yes, it does say HORNIcultural society. This genius campaign from Relate aims to raise awareness of the growing number of STIs in the over 65s by linking it to their favourite pastime: gardening. It’s cheeky, it’s fun and executed to perfection… seed packets for condoms and (naturally) plenty of fruits and vegetables representing genitalia in educational materials 🍆… every tiny detail that could be used to push the theme was used.

And it was effective too! Billions of impressions through the masses of coverage and a whopping 95% of single pensioners who saw the campaign said they would now use a condom.

When we talk about emotive advertising, humour can often be forgotten in favour of a tear-jerker. But making people laugh (when done tastefully and appropriately), can be an effective way to approach sensitive subject matters like STIs and sex in the over 65s… and it can change behaviour too. It has certainly got me thinking about ways of communicating with and reaching this cohort for other conditions.

Lions: 1x Bronze, 2x Shortlist

Making brands and campaigns work authentically in gaming is tough enough. Now throw the healthcare category into the mix… and the perfect marriage seems almost impossible. Almost.

Because CRIS Cancer Trust in Spain wasn’t afraid to go there…and this is why:

Despite leukaemia being a leading cause of adolescent deaths (40,000 per year), 60% of young people just aren’t aware of this type of cancer. Traditional channels that disease awareness campaigns aren’t cutting through with this generation, and besides awareness and education alone is not enough to make them care.

CRIS found the answer in gaming. Utilising the popular practice of modifications or ‘mods’ and took this to one of the world’s bloodiest games – DOOM Eternal. Creating a modified game environment that depicted the brutality of leukaemia by representing disease-related challenges and enemies with the aim of fostering empathy and actions through this immersive experience.

It’s all on point. It’s not a ‘for the sake of’, but an experience that genuinely understands and compliments the gameplay. And the results speak for themselves – an army of gamers were up for supporting this, and the charity has seen an 800% increase in support from young people.

This is a true gem worth exploring and special thanks to JA for reminding me to include it in my Cannes wrap-up.

But remember this is the Cannes Lions, and there are far far more amazing campaigns, initiatives, experiences and activations to explore. Look outside of the Health Lions and you’ll see the boundaries already being pushed by our category:

🕹️ Sanofi’s shortlist for Ready Player Mom in the brand-new gaming category in the Entertainment Lions

📻 NextMeds 3x shortlists for LifesavingRadio.com in Radio and Audio Lions

⭐ And these 2 excellent pieces of work I’ve already written about – The Most Beautiful Sound and Working with Cancer.

And no one likes a super expensive paywall, so check out Love the Work More for accessible inspiration. Here are a few bonus (non-health) picks from me to get you started:

🍼 IKEA – Proudly Second Best

🍟 Tip for Heinz 

⚔️ Clash of Clans - Clash from the Past

I really hope you enjoyed my Cannes Lions round up. Even if we are all a bit over it! Normal service resumes next time.

Until then ✌️