As the Aussie on the jury in the ‘Pharma’ section, I’ll share a few of my thoughts. A little late and perhaps a little random.

First things first. Three days. Nine judges. One President. The time and the people to really drill down to the best.

I’ve read a few articles in the industry press around the world in the last week or two about how it is easier to create great work when one’s hands are ‘not tied’ by country-specific regulations. It raises the question of the extent to which judges should consider the degree of difficulty in getting ‘edgy’ work approved. In other words, should one take a softer approach when judging work from highly restricted markets?

My view is that great ideas are never easy to come up with and to get them approved and well executed is always a challenge. If there was work that didn’t stand out to us as judges then I can only assume that’s how the consumer or healthcare professional viewed it, too. I think that’s all that matters. They’re not interested in the marketing back story. And we should not be either. We are there to judge the work; not the politics.

Having said that, I was personally very happy that the three Gold Lions went to an HCP piece of film for a chronic pain product, a doctor advertising campaign focusing on MS and a multi-media consumer campaign about prescription pill substitution. Three Golds to three different countries from three different continents (US, UK and Australia).

So, that’s a good cross section of work/countries and it proves a Cannes Health Gold Lion can be won from all corners of the globe.

I’d also like to mention a wonderful piece from Brazil that made superheroes of children who were sick in hospital and a thoughtful campaign from South Africa for ‘Hope Soap’. Both these entries were stupidly simple and apply ‘life changing creativity’ in the most unusual of places.

And that’s another two continents doing some outstanding work.

When I showed the winning work to my own agency back in Australia, I hoped it would have real meaning. I hoped it would seem relevant. It did. And that’s a tribute to the successful agencies. They have created work to be proud of.

Some people have asked me about the relevance of digital in these awards. The advertising press sometimes makes it seem like digital is all that matters nowadays and yet the Lions Health ‘Pharma’ winners did not reflect this. Pharma marketers have been doing plenty of conservative eDetailers for healthcare professionals but in the public domain, perhaps understandably, they have been risk-averse. They are managing products that have serious side-effects so maybe that’s a major factor. Anyway, I think we’ll see more outstanding digital work rising to the top in the years to come. And who knows, maybe it will be a digital piece that picks up the first ever Pharma Grand Prix next year.

So that’s my take on Lions Health. I think a creative bar has been set. And it’s a very good one.

On a final note it was a pleasure to be sitting in a jury room with so many impressive, intelligent and articulate people.

Hugh Fitzhardinge is Creative Director & Founding Partner at Ward6. Inaugural Lions Health (Pharma) Juror.