Havas announced the launch of its Welltainment effort at the 2023 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity on Wednesday.
The revised creative approach aims to close the health equity gap with entertainment content that is not only inclusive but also motivates and advocates for underserved patient populations.
The advertising giant said it will collaborate with content creators to get Welltainment off the ground and work pro bono with brand partners on addressing six major global health challenges: hypertension, diabetes, obesity, mental health, pediatric asthma and sexual wellness.
The company highlighted its previous work that strategically combines education and entertainment, including most notably the ‘Everyday Heroes’ custom comic book. This was borne out of a collaboration between Pfizer, BioNTech and Marvel Comics to promote COVID-19 booster vaccines.
Havas deemed health inequity to be one of the “greatest threats to humanity in this generation” and has pledged to create content that integrates education and entertainment to foster trust and hope among consumers.
“Welltainment is a new style of creativity that bridges the global health equity gap through creative experiences that enable people to build a more authentic relationship with their well-being,” Donna Murphy, global CEO of Havas Health & You and Havas Creative Network, said in a statement. “By creating entertainment content with culturally relevant voices, equitable representation, and joy, Welltainment™ can have a meaningful impact on addressing the global crisis.”
Meanwhile, Eric Weisberg, the global chief creative officer of Havas Health & You, added that the goal is to move from the top-down nature of agencies leading creative and instead embrace “the power of genuine co-creation with culture drivers and entertainment partners.”
Welltainment is expected to be a major part of conversation for Havas throughout Cannes, with actors Tiffany Haddish and Jason Lee participating in company-sponsored panels promoting the initiative.
Thus far, Havas has performed well at the annual advertising festival.
Red Havas Middle East has a joint idea creation credit with sister agency Havas Middle East for Superstar Ravi for Adidas, which resulted in a Bronze PR Lion. Republica Havas Miami also earned a Bronze Lion for its campaign, The Name Confusion for A.L.M.A./Racing Club in the Entertainment Lions for Sport category.
Additionally, several agencies in the Havas network were named to the 2023 MM+M Agency 100 list released last week.
