CANNES, FRANCE: Work categorized as PR won two gold, four silver, and five bronze, including one for Ruder Finn, in the Cannes Health Lions awarded on Friday in the South of France.
Ruder Finn won bronze for its work on Protecting Our Tomorrows: Portraits of Meningococcal Disease for Novartis Vaccines’ Bexsero brand in the Pharma Product Groups Communications to Non-Healthcare Professionals, Pharma, Vaccines & Biotech category.
In the Healthcare and Wellness product groups, the Grand Prix was won by Leo Burnett Mexico for its Intimate Words work for Procter & Gamble’s Always brand. The campaign also won gold in the OTC/Products/Devices category of the Consumer Products section.
Health and wellness chair of judges Andrew Spurgeon, executive creative director at UK-based healthcare advertising agency Langland, said of the Grand Prix winner: "Cervical cancer is the leading cause of death among women in indigenous Mexican communities and there is a stigma attached to discussing ‘women’s issues.’
"This campaign developed a new vocabulary around women’s reproductive organs that enabled them to talk to doctors like never before. This is life-changing creativity."
The Grand Prix in the overall Pharma product groups went to the integrated digital Take It From A Fish campaign by DigitasLBi for AstraZeneca, which also won gold in the Education & Services category of the Communications to Non-Healthcare Professionals section.
"The campaign took a complex topic and broke it down into easily digestible chunks," said Pharma chair of judges Rob Rogers, co-CEO, the Americas at global healthcare communication network Sudler & Hennessey.
"It’s an example of a traditionally conservative client doing something really groundbreaking. It targeted men with unhealthy lifestyles, guys who love beer and hotdogs and don’t always listen, as well as their partners and kids."
In terms of other work categorized as PR, Ogilvy Brasil in Sao Paolo took gold for its Bald Cartoons work for NGO GRAACC in the Fundraising & Advocacy category of the Education & Services section of the Health and Wellness Product Groups. The agency also won gold for its integrated work in the same category.
The other PR-related gold went to 3SG-BBDO in Tunisia for The Backup Memory for Samsung Tunisia, in the Corporate Image & Communication category of the Health and Wellness groups.
Health and Wellness silvers categorized as PR work went to J. Walter Thompson Sydney, with a joint credit for Hill + Knowlton Sydney, for Cancer Council NSW; Geometry Global and MEMAC Ogilvy in Dubai for Lucky Iron Fish; Ogilvy Brasil Sao Paolo for Sol De Janeiro; and Ogilvy & Mather Mexico for Casa de la Amistad.
The other bronzes went to Hakuhodo in Tokyo for Kagome, Saatchi & Saatchi Switzerland for Vangardist, Leo Burnett Tailor Made in Brazil for the Brazilian Association of Organ Transplantation (ABTO), and NBS in Brazil for Purina.
"Boobs, balls, and tanning were big trends," said Spurgeon, adding that "big brands are getting with the program and developing initiatives to benefit mankind and other businesses. Companies such as P&G, Unilever, and Kimberly-Clark are reaching out in a way that only they can scale."
There were almost 1,900 entries in the Health Lions, of which 450 were in the Pharma product groups.
"The work represents a substantial recognition that the show is coming of age," said Rogers. "Although it is still in its ‘teenage years’ – it was a substantial improvement on last year."
