Purpose-led work takes 2020 eurobest Grand Prix

Given the extraordinary year we’ve all had, I’m delighted to report that creativity is alive and well across healthcare communication.  As a member of the 2020 eurobest healthcare jury I wasn’t sure what to expect as I sat down to join the virtual jury earlier this year.

The work that shone were those with a clear idea at its centre, many pieces of work while innovative was overly complicated in the pursuit of integration.  The absence of ‘selling’ work was notable and balanced by an abundance of purpose-led work.  COVID-19 did not feature significantly, but I suspect we’ll see a lot of COVID-19 work in next year’s awards.

A Hard Pill to Swallow took the Healthcare Grand Prix and was reflective of the very best work we saw across the entries. Purpose-led, it was a simple idea well-executed.

Swedish pharmacy chain Apotek Hjärtat took an issue that was widely unknown – water contamination associated with pharmaceutical manufacturing – and elevated it to a level in Sweden and India where environmental policy change is now imminent.

Apotek created a new kind of medicine made from the active substances extracted from water polluted by manufacturing sites.  This new type of medicine became the foundation of a PR campaign that led to consumer anger putingt pressure on politicians to propose stricter environmental laws.  PR driving great creative work in healthcare was a clear trend, something that has been growing for several years.

Gold was awarded to Printed by Parkinson’s.  While art exhibitions to illustrate disease are not new, the concept of creating a machine affected with a human disease for the first time was novel.  Charité Berlin University Hospital recorded the kinetic and neurological data from patients living with Parkinson’s disease and used it to create six unique data sets.  They then 3D-printed the patients most beloved object while the printer was affected by their personal tremor data – visualising the impact Parkinson’s is having on the daily lives of patients.   A stark way to break through the clutter stressing the urge for more understanding and research.

Volvo Lifesaver picked up a silver by equipping Volvo’s with an AED, connected them to the Dutch national emergency desk and via Volvo On Call drivers navigated to a cardiac arrest victim to offered help.  Getting an AED to someone in cardiac arrest in first 6 minutes is crucial for survival.  This campaign, though small, has the potential to have a significant impact on one of the biggest killers.

Check out the full list of winners on eurobest unwrapped.

 

Orla Burke, Senior Partner & Director, FleishmanHillard