Health equity, diversity and inclusion
The festival emphasized the critical importance of inclusivity and equity, especially in healthcare marketing. Discussions focused on crafting campaigns that authentically represent and address the diverse needs of patients.
“The great challenge for brands is to connect not only with people's tastes, but with their values and purposes. In that sense we saw that many brilliant campaigns presented worked on the idea of helping the inclusion of people and patients and surely this continues to be the line to follow next year, putting the human being at the center of the story.” – Victor Iraizoz, Creative Director, IPG Health in Spain
“Innovation, purpose and ideas that drive inclusivity and EDI again had starring roles this year; Many ideas centered around product/tech innovation, but the biggest winners were ideas where the patient was at the center and the tech was an enabler, not the other way around.” – Guy Swimer, Executive Creative Director, McCann Health London
“Health equity emerged as a crucial trend, highlighting the need to separate science fact from biased information. The only way to combat this bias is to listen, watch, and innovate around new ideas and solutions to ensure marginalized groups aren’t left behind in the future of data.
Eavesdropping on a Young Lions session, I was struck by the powerful declaration: 'Leaders need to engineer inclusion.” It's a call to action, emphasizing that inclusivity requires deliberate effort and daily practice.'" – Chinkara Singh, Group Director, Production, AREA 23
“In healthcare advertising, we have a special opportunity to enhance inclusivity further. By making sure every environment we create is accessible and welcoming to all, we ensure that everyone feels seen, heard, and respected. The more we see ourselves reflected in the environments that nurture creativity, the more inclusive work we inspire globally.” – Lisa Lim, Creative Director, FCB Health New York
“AUTHENTICITY = Connection. It is not enough to represent those diverse individuals as a token role in someone else’s story — they should be central and with their lived experiences accurately and authentically shared. Unique perspectives should be celebrated.” – Philip Schneider, Executive Producer, Creative Production, IPG Health
"There is a noticeable rise in inclusivity and a significant focus on creating engaging and interactive experiences. This trend potentially correlates with a shift away from purely AI-driven solutions to work that focuses on real people and their health engagement. An example is The Heart Surgeon’s Cookbook, an interactive cookbook that isn’t just something to read but an engaging tool and experience. Another standout is the Grand Prix-winning Magnetic Stories [AREA 23], an MRI scanner children’s audio story enhancing the patient experience." – David Prater, Executive Creative Director, FCB Health London
"For the past few years, DEI in advertising has seemed more like a token driven theme, where advertisers were really just trying to tick off as many boxes as possible. For example, representation in ads that are more inclusive in terms of the kinds of people they cast for any given campaign. This is a step forward, but is somewhat superficial, hence the label 'token representation.'"
"What struck me this year, however, was the number of award-winning campaigns that went beyond simple representation and built daring campaigns around the most under-represented groups." – Melissa Brunet, Executive Creative Director, IPG Health in France
“Inclusion = Income. As the session ‘How to Win In 2029’ pointed out, the idea of the nuclear family is dying, so brands must update their portrayals of families to include same-sex couples, blended families, and adults living with parents. This adaptation is not just socially responsible but also profitable.” – Eric John, Associate Creative Director, FCB Health London
