The first pharma advertising honors have been handed out at the 2024 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
The coveted Lions Health Grand Prix for Good was awarded to Child Wedding Cards, created by UN Women and Impact BBDO.
The campaign, which was unveiled in the fall of 2023, was created to raise the minimum marriage age to 18 in Pakistan.
Of the more than 220 entries for the Pharma Lions, five were selected for Silver Cannes Lions or Bronze Cannes Lions on Monday morning.
Magnetic Stories, created by Siemens Healthineers and Area 23, a 2024 MM+M Agency 100 honoree, as well as Airquity, created by EarSwitch and Havas Lynx, another 2024 MM+M Agency 100 honoree, both received Silver Cannes Lions.
As the name would suggest, Magnetic Stories centers on creating a library of children’s audiobooks that make the loud, chaotic noises produced by MRI machines into a more tolerable — even enjoyable — experience. The project was shortlisted five times.
Later on Monday, Magnetic Stories earned the Cannes Grand Prix for Brand Experience and Activation.
Meanwhile, Airquity is a non-invasive biometric sensor supported by U.K.-based health startup EarSwitch. The device records medical-grade, real-world and racially inclusive health metrics all in an effort to counter the health disparities perpetuated by biases and improper readings produced by medical devices.
Magnetic Stories was entered into the Patient Engagement category, while Airquity was entered into Innovative Use of Technology: Patient or Healthcare Professional.
Taking home a Gold Lion for Innovative Use of Technology: Patient or Healthcare Professional was Voice 2 Diabetes from KVI Brave Fund and Klick Health, another 2024 MM+M Agency 100 honoree.
Additionally, Not a Lonely Journey from Biogen and VML, another 2024 MM+M Agency 100 honoree; Mis[s]Diagnosed from Organon and McCann Health Dubai; and Heart Surgeon’s Cookbook from Getinge and Forsman & Bodenfors were selected for Bronze Cannes Lions.
Ultimately, 17 other entries were shortlisted for the Pharma Lions, which were led by Collette Douaihy, global chief creative officer of health at Dentsu Health and a 2024 MM+M Health Influencer.
“The best way to exemplify the power of creativity is by having a direct impact on people’s lives,” she said in a statement. “The winning work did just that by producing audiobooks for children undergoing MRI scans, transforming a disorientating and frightening medical procedure into an engaging and immersive experience. The stories were meticulously crafted by renowned authors and sound designers to precisely sync each sound of the scan with exciting story moments, alleviating fear and enhancing the experience. This is storytelling at its best.”
On Tuesday afternoon, Douaihy and fellow jurors Roberta Raduan, MD of LATAM at Klick, as well as Pierre Loo, executive creative director of greater China at McCann Health, will host a 30-minute session to take attendees inside the jury room and detail how the winning efforts were selected.
The event will take place at the Basement Stage at the Palais.
In addition to the Pharma Lions, the Health and Wellness Lions were announced Monday morning, including 14 Silver Lions, 18 Bronze Lions and 97 shortlisted pieces of work from 1,252 entries.
Note: This story has been updated.
To see who won the 2024 Cannes Lions for Health and Wellness, click here.
