The fact that the Cannes Lions folks decided to give healthcare its own event (and within that, pharma its own jury) says a lot about the uniqueness of the industry. But was it the right thing to do? A few days ago, I put this question to an esteemed member of the pharma jury, Alexandra von Plato, president and global chief creative officer at Digitas Health. “I think we’re going to find out,” she said. “The complexity around the pharma environment needs to be considered, and it needs the experience to really understand what are the issues, opportunities and constraints. There is some fantastic and important work being done, but if you were to mix that work into the general show, I don’t think it would have a fair chance. So I very much respect and appreciate that Cannes has given consideration to this work.”