When Elon Musk told advertisers to go forth and multiply in November 2023, he probably didn’t expect the ad sector to take him at his word. Yet seven months later, as the mercurial billionaire surprisingly took the stage at Cannes Lions 2024, he found an audience oozing with creative confidence – with brand submissions for Cannes up 6% on 2023, and media owner submissions growing by almost a third (31%).
Across almost every sector, brands are multiplying their investment in creativity. The results, showcased at festivals like Cannes, show the investment is paying off – solving business problems, and establishing creativity as a genuine growth driver.
So where does health feature in the conversation? In terms of awards submissions – hardly the best measure of creative prowess – it could be argued that progress has slowed. After a few years of post-pandemic boom, the number of submissions in health-related categories at Cannes has stalled. This year, Health & Wellness totalled 1,252 entries, a narrow fall from 2023, but the pharma category was much more subdued – its 224 entries a considerable drop from 354 last year. The decline is reflected in a disappointing set of results for the category. Despite this, there was much to admire in health at Cannes and much that the sector can learn from the experience.
Winning work
The pharma category was quieter than normal, yielding just seven winners. Of the 13 pharma companies shortlisted, only two won prizes (Biogen and Organon), with medtech firms once again dominating. The Pharma Grand Prix (and also Gold) was awarded to Siemens’ ‘Magnetic Stories’, children’s audiobooks that weaved the frightening sounds of medical equipment into fun stories so that kids might be less scared when undergoing an MRI.
Read the article in full here.