#025 · 22 June 2024

Happy weekend to you all,

I am writing to you from the past, because this weekend I am in fact partying my little ass off at the Isle of Wight Festival. Yet another celebration in the academic year all my school friends and I turn 40!

With that, I offer you this festival playlist to listen to in the background.

Well things just feel relentlessly busy at the moment. We even cancelled our Father’s Day plans here because we’re all just knackered. We did buy a new TV this weekend though. After a huge crack “mysteriously” appeared on the current one. When I asked my 4-year-old about this; his response was he didn’t do it, but he did see what happened. In the four years that he has graced this earth, we now appear to be on our fourth television set. Coincidence? Well we don’t call him “J the destroyer of things” for nothing. And the new washing machine and Xbox upgrade fund is now at zero.

I will have had my MRI results by the time this comes out too, as mentioned before, it was completely precautionary, so I’m hoping to be discharged from ENT at the consultation on Wednesday.

*Edit - all is well, my ears and brain are the picture of health. Wanna see my brain? Stunning.

I’m also starting a career coaching journey this week. I’ve reached a bit of an awkward place where I need some objective guidance to coax out all the things and answers that I know are inside me. It was suggested by my CEO (thanks Beverley), and luckily it’s a perk of the job at VCCP. Looking forward to sharing some of this journey with you all.

Right then, I am imposing some serious writing restrictions on myself for this issue, with the view of showing up in inboxes… and (hopefully) not skimping on the quality. So, right now it is late Sunday afternoon…rose on ice in hand… and let’s see where I get to by Wednesday evening, when I’ll need to get this uploaded and scheduled for the weekend ahead.

And seeing as I am at a music festival, I’m gonna sprinkle in some bonus content that wouldn’t usually sit here… because inspiration can come from anywhere right?

Right then, shall we jump into it?

I must admit I was super disappointed to read that only 21% of all artists at major UK festivals this year identify as female. It’s 2024. This is still a thing. It’s stupid. With that, here is a list of new female artists you should listen out for this year! 

The female body is incredible

From growing life to space flight

Onto way better women news… and the incredible female human body.

Turns out, women may be more resilient than men to the stresses of space flight. These are preliminary findings, because (sadly) so few female astronauts have been studied. BUT if the trend is confirmed, it will be major in terms of the shape of future crews, for high altitude, lunar and deep space missions. Can you just imagine an all female crew?

So what’s going on?

Well, according to the study authors, males appear to be more affected by spaceflight for almost all cell types and metrics. Gene activity was more disrupted in men than women and took longer to return to normal in men once back on earth.

The study concluded that it’s unclear why women might be more resilient to space flight than men, but being able to cope with the demands of pregnancy might be key:

Last week my 6 year old said to me: “Mum, if you like space so much, why is your job advertising?” It’s a fair question. So maybe there is a little more room for relevant, human space news in the issues to come. Anyways, I’m holding out for the all-female crew space flight and I just hope NASA has sorted out the ‘female friendly’ space suits problem… Oh don’t worry, Prada is on it!

Sticking with women… because why the **** not!?

It’s only been a minute since it was announced, but the UK general election is fast approaching. And I love the work that lingerie brand Lemonade Dolls is doing to encourage women to vote. According to the brand's research, 20% of UK women are still undecided on who to vote for (that's 6 million votes). Women literally have the power to determine the election outcome. Lemonade Dolls’ election campaign from Havas London and featuring comedian Jayde Adams, is asking women to “Swing It”. Empowering, educating and encouraging us to engage in politics - I’m here for it!

12 Dreams lost in an instant

Why British Heart Foundation’s new football murals will save lives

This one has been doing the rounds in the marketing media and LinkedIn over the last week or so, so I suspect many readers will have seen it already. What you may not have seen is this great piece from Marketing Beat who did a deep dive into why this campaign will be effective.

But let's start from the beginning. British Heart Foundation (BHF) and Saatchi & Saatchi have launched a new campaign alongside the Euro’s to raise awareness and funds for research into sudden cardiac death. According to BHF, 12 people under the age of 35 in the UK are lost every week to this devastating condition.

At the centre of the campaign are 12 dreams lost in an instant.

12 real stories of people who tragically lost their life to sudden cardiac death.

12 young lives that have been immortalised in beautiful, hand-painted and carefully considered murals. 

Profound is an understatement. Utilising football as a medium for storytelling, is really powerful. It's so good. It says everything it needs to without saying much. A clever line, steeped in truth. The perfect cultural context. A message for everyone. 

Do take time to read the write up from Marketing Beat - there are some GREAT lessons in there to bring into your own work. I’m gonna keep an eye on the impact this one has.

And talking of impact. If you’ve been touched by these stories you can donate to British Heart Foundation here. And you’ll also be supporting amazing little humans like my little nephew who was born with a heart defect.

The likelihood that I am sipping a margarita whilst you are reading this is high. So I’m just gonna leave this here. A delightful little ad from Pantelones Organic Tequila and Maximum Effort featuring Matthew and Camilla McConaughey. If you are a parent, with the summer holidays coming up, I am sure you can relate to the need for a little me time, amidst the chaos that comes with the end of the school year.

A climatic finale

Regency Romance without the Risk.

To coincide with the Bridgerton finale, condom brand Pasante have teamed up with Brook and Leith Agency to bring to our attention a big scandal. STIs are on the rise across the UK, with 1 in 5 people claiming to never use condoms.

It’s very silly, but there’s nothing wrong with a bit of humour to help a message like this cut through. Ridiculously posh lady of the manor talks of rumbles in the rosebush and getting saucy on the chaise longue and condemning infectious love to the history books… it just works. Bravo! 

This gorgeous little video popped up in my instagram feed and I just had to share it with you all. And just to say, music is amazing. Did I mention I was at a music festival?

And finally, I cannot avoid Cannes now can I? I’m not gonna dive into the winners and the creative right now, as I’d risk missing my ferry to the Isle of Wight. Plus, at the time of writing, we’re not even halfway through the week, and announcements still to come in. However, what I can do, is give you a quick run down of the key stats and stories from the health categories, which were announced on Monday:

Health & Wellness Lions

• 1252 entries

• 38 Lions awarded: 5x Gold, 14x Silver & 18x Bronze

• Grand Prix: ‘The Last Barf Bag’ for Dramamine by FCB Chicago, USA.

Pharma Lions

• 232 entries

• 7 Lions awarded: 1x Gold, 2x Silver & 3x Bronze

• Grand Prix: ‘Magnetic Stories’ for Siemens Healthineers by Area 23, New York, USA.

I am happily tuning out of Cannes fever this week/weekend. Why not let me know your faves inside and outside of healthcare and I can give a run down in the next issue. Go on, I’d love to hear from you all.

OK, gonna try something new here, in homage to my favourite long-term newsletter Pop Bitch…

Dad (healthcare) jokes corner

I felt super exhausted after giving blood. It's such a draining procedure.

OK it’s Tuesday night, I have no idea how I’ve pulled this off, but I’ve done it. Dedication and an extremely healthy collection of internet tabs. Please excuse any/many typos this week in my haste to get something ready to schedule a publish.

One thing I want you to all promise me is this: no Doctor Who spoilers whilst I am away please… Who am I kidding, I’ve probably already watched it in the tent! Seriously though, there’s some great TV out there at the moment. If you are stuck for something to watch, check out this great guide from NYT.

I guess all that is left to say is… 

If you have found something useful, interesting or insightful in this week’s off topic issue, please give POPhealth a share. I’m forever grateful for your support.

Until next time,

EML ✌️