Hugh Fitzhardinge’s Cannes Diary: Day 2 + 3

Hugh Fitzhardinge, creative director, Ward6 is a judge on on the Cannes Lions Health Pharma jury. Fitzhardinge, writes of his experience on the final two days of judging.

Day 2: My plans for a twilight dip in the Mediterranean outside my hotel room were in tatters when I noticed it was pitch black as I emerged from behind the barricades after 12 hours of judging.

This jury is serious. Instead of spending our lunchtime talking about the food and wine and the wonders of the region, we spoke about the amazing things we could do in healthcare communications.

Our Jury Chairman, Jeremy Perrott, mentioned that next year he would like to invite a patient like Michael J Fox to come along to Cannes to talk about living with Parkinson’s.

The conversation amongst the judges is refreshing because we all know the cynics have traditionally seen healthcare creative as being a bit, well….uncool. And it is true that a lot of healthcare work has been weak and predictable. But so has a lot of work for financial services brands. And supermarket products. And the rest. But after spending a day with some of the sharpest minds in the industry I’m convinced that there is momentum behind the current shift in attitude. The new approach to creativity in our business.

Now is the most exciting time to be working in healthcare. Particularly with new technology and the variety of digital platforms being embraced by healthcare clients. We get to work on briefs that are truly life changing and when done well, we compete with the best work in any category. It seems this jury is determined to dig and dig until they find the cream of the healthcare crop. The winners will deserve their accolades.

And as I head off for another day of looking at award entries from the far flung reaches of the world, I notice there’s a bit of a spring in my step. If we’re done by sunset, maybe I’ll even make it for that fantasy plunge into the Mediterranean.

Day 3: My dream of a twilight swim in the Mediterranean was once again thwarted when we were held captive in the judging room until after 9.30pm.

But not all was lost. En route to The Hotel Martinez, in an effort to placate the tired and weary souls beside me, I gave into temptation and sampled the beverage selection at the bar over the road.

The judges all perked up; apart from one who’d disappeared. A Brazilian with some lame excuse about a sporting event about to kick off in his home country.

There’s a real buzz on the street as Lions Health gears up for the two day education festival and I meet colleagues from previous working lives who are here to attend the seminars and network. The expectation is that one day there will be thousands of clients here – but that will take time.

Back in the judging room, after seeing over 600 entries (many films and case study videos), we feel we have an impressive mix of work on our short list. And there are some real standouts. You know these ones because when they are shown the tired judges come to life and the discussion becomes passionate and focused.

The next time we meet we’ll be pruning the short list. And that will determine the winners of the first ever Cannes Lions Health. The debate will be heated but it’s what we’ve come for. This is our World Cup.