Cannes Lions Health

2016 Cannes Lions Health in Review

What is Lions Health?

Lions Health was launched as part of the Cannes Lions festival in 2014, in order to debate unique issues and explore innovation in the world of healthcare communications. There was uncertainty about the need for a separate healthcare show, but amongst the skeptics, Lions Health was welcomed by those who understand healthcare needs to do things differently and find its own solutions. Lions Health provides an opportunity for the industry to showcase its brilliance.

Lions Health: Omnicom Health Group MedTech Expo

As part of this year’s Lions Health event, Omnicom Health Group sponsored a MedTech Expo. An inaugural event where Omnicom Health Group brought a diverse mix of healthcare industry innovators together to display how data and technology are transforming the future of the industry. Jo Ann Saitta, Chief Digital Officer at Omnicom Health Group & iVenturesHealth, stated, “The leading healthcare company in five to seven years will be a software company”. This school of thought was certainly evidenced throughout the MedTech Expo.

MedTech exhibits were provided by Annalect, IBM Watson, Twitter, Google, iVenturesHealth, Sutrue and Validic, showcasing cutting-edge healthcare technologies through cognitive computing and big data; wearables and home health devices; virtual and augmented reality; telemedicine and video visits; personalized medicine & genomics; artificial intelligence and 3D printing.

Cannes_Lions_Health_AnnalectI had the opportunity represent Annalect, by showcasing the Annalect Insights Platform. Explorer and Assembly demonstrations provided attendees with perspective around how to make data actionable, through our utilities that enrich reporting visualization and delivery.

Annalect was accompanied by IBM Watson in the cognitive computing and big data space. IBM Watson demonstrated iDAvatars, one of the most human mobile technologies around. The Avatar app, powered by IBM Watson, has the ability to answer questions about symptoms, set up appointments with physicians and create patient health reports.

Twitter’s healthcare campaigns exemplified the use of social networking as a form of communication between patients, caregivers and physicians. Periscope demonstrations illustrated how newly released features can be used as a healthcare communication channel.

Google demonstrated advancements in virtual reality with Excedrin’s, “The Migraine Experience” App. Google Cardboard helped to create the world’s first migraine simulator designed to unlock a new level of understanding around migraines and the impact they have on those who suffer from the condition. The Excedrin campaign also earned three Lions at the Lions Health Awards Ceremony.

iVenturesHealth presented demonstrations of DriiverSeat, a co-navigation iPad platform to deepen customer engagement and VIA, an electronic workflow system designed and developed for streamlining complex healthcare communications for agency processes.

Sutrue brought along their 3D printer and sample surgical tools produced by the machine. Additionally, their Robotics demonstrations showed how a surgical suture, or stich, can be performed by robot.

Validic showed delegates how their digital health platform connects with wearable devices in order to share patient specific data back to healthcare providers, pharmaceutical companies, payers, wellness companies and healthcare IT vendors.

More information about the OHG MedTech expo can be found here.

The “buzz” around Lion’s Health 2016

During the first two years of the Lions Health festival, the quality of work submitted to the awards program was questioned, with no Grand Prix awarded in the first year and some executives questioning last year’s Grand Prix winner. The 2016 health show prompted much different conversations amongst the Lions Health jury and attendees.

This year’s conversations had little to do with the quality of the entries and award winners deserving to win a Grand Prix. Instead, the talk focused on creative issues that most pharma marketers are currently grappling with, such as how best to incorporate technology into a marketing program, and how brands and companies are still falling short when it comes to taking into account the needs of the patient.

You can find more information here about what healthcare marketers can learn from this year’s festival.

2016 Lions Health Winners

The Lions Health 2016 Grand Prix Winner was MANBOOBS, yes manboobs! The campaign spreads awareness on how to check for breast cancer in a different way, through a video tutorial created on how to check for breast cancer on manboobs.

Lions Health Grand Prix, in Health and Wellness, was awarded to PROJECT LITERACY, a campaign that raises awareness of illiteracy as a root cause for many of the world’s biggest problems, including poverty, radicalization and inequality, urging consumers and policymakers to take action.

The Pharma Grand Prix was awarded to BREATHLESS CHOIR, which leverages cinematic storytelling about the use of medical devices. The campaign tells a story of a group of people whose breathing disabilities had gotten in the way of their love of singing.

The Full Lions Health winners archive can be found here.

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