Winners across the 2023 Health & Wellness and Pharma Lions show different creative approaches for brands driving a wellness agenda. Draw inspiration from their experiences and apply the actionable insights to the brands on which you work.
Integrate healthy habits
Hacks and workarounds for health-related routines or even diagnosis show how patients can integrate health best practice into their everyday lives. How could your brand help in this way?
Find a place for humour
Humour can be an extremely effective way to break down barriers, particularly around any health conditions that might be embarrassing. Find the fun and appeal to people in a relatable, human way.
Care for the carer
A more holistic approach that includes the key roles played by carers is becoming more common. Make sure you care for the carer as well as the patient, whether that’s a parent, a spouse, a nurse or a surgeon.
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Integrate healthy habits: Eurofarma ‘Scrolling Therapy’
Facial masking is the term for when a Parkinson’s Disease patient loses the ability to express themselves facially. A daily 45-minute facial exercise routine can significantly improve symptoms, but only 3% of patients follow it. This is because it is tiring, frustrating and emotionally tough for patients to watch themselves in the mirror when their faces no longer honestly represent their feelings. Latin American company Eurofarma developed Scrolling Therapy, a mobile app that used facial recognition to help people living with Parkinson’s Disease to do these exercises more comfortably. Every day, when they scrolled their social media feeds, their scrolling time also became their facial exercises. This was because the most important facial therapy exercises – smiling, eyebrow-raising and frowning – became commands for the newsfeed. So by moving their faces, patients could scroll up and down, like and play video content. It launched in 10 countries and was made available for free to 8.5 million patients.
SCROLLING THERAPY | EUROFARMA
DENTSU CREATIVE, BUENOS AIRES GRAND PRIX PHARMA LIONS | 2022
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Joshua Prince President, Omnicom Health Group Jury President, Pharma Lions 2023
“Facial recognition exists on every device we have in our lives. The sheer innovation and creativity of using the time we spend scrolling social media into an exercise regimen to maintain muscle tone and the ability to express oneself was an insightful and brilliant idea. It’s an inspiring piece that shows the power and value of incredible creative thinking, as well as a slick and seamless execution.”
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Find a place for humour: Partners Life ‘The Last Performance’
Partners Life’s ‘Last Performance’ took an unconventional approach to engaging an apathetic audience in New Zealand by partnering with popular crime series The Brokenwood Mysteries. The health and life insurance company connected with audiences by integrating with the show’s storylines and showing the ads after each episode had ended. This prompted a 135% increase in visitors to its website and a 75% increase in direct leads.
THE LAST PERFORMANCE | PARTNERS LIFE
SPECIAL, AUCKLAND GRAND PRIX HEALTH & WELLNESS LIONS | 2023
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Mel Routhier Chief Creative Officer, VMLY&R Chicago Jury President, Health & Wellness Lions 2023
“Nobody wants to spend money on life insurance. This was a pure, well-crafted product play that used media in a clever way. It reminded us to communicate brands in a simple, clear and delightful way.”
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Care for the carer: Biogen ‘Invisibles’
To demonstrate to people in Spain the lengths that carers of people with Spinular Muscular Atrophy (SMA) have to go to, this film left them out. Created by biotech company Biogen, it shows a child growing up and being cared for - but the reveal comes at the end: that she has SMA and her carer is constantly behind her.
INVISIBLES | BIOGEN
VMLY&R, MADRID GOLD ENTERTAINMENT LIONS | 2020
![](https://assets.foleon.com/eu-central-1/de-uploads-7e3kk3/24926/copy_of_josh_prince_01.2c4f101c1bc8.jpg?)
Joshua Prince President, Omnicom Health Group Jury President, Pharma Lions 2023
“The journey that patients go on through their childhood, through all that time, there’s somebody behind them, brushing their hair making them food and taking them outside. It’s heartbreakingly good but also honours and celebrates the invisible caregivers. It’s a great example of pharma not just focusing on the products that will be helpful from a health standpoint with patients but also acknowledging other people.”