The rebranded agency looks at health and wellness marketing differently and wants to expand comms thinkers’ ideas on creative ideation
For this year’s International Festival of Creativity in Cannes, Havas Health & You is presenting a panel entitled “Probing Healthcare Frontiers Through Convergence of Art, Technology and Health.” The discussion, scheduled for Saturday, June 17, 14:00-14:45, on the Innovation Stage, will be led by Lucy McRae, TED fellow, science fiction artist and an early identifier of emerging technologies. McRae will be joined by David Hunt, European CEO of Havas Lynx and a recognized leader in global healthcare communications and Zuleika Burnett, London-based Executive Director, Creative and Innovation, at Havas Life Medicom.
The trio will challenge stereotypical beliefs and speak to the themes that connect science-inspired rock stars and the broadest possible stakeholders in healthcare—e.g., the hospital workers, midwives, nurse practitioners, etc.— and how those connections can drive innovation in healthcare communications. With examples of provocative imagery and unique and inventive campaigns, the assemblage will demonstrate how courageous thinking can unleash talent to create exceptional work that has the power to improve people’s lives.
McRae invented Swallowable Perfume and led Philips Electronics far-future research lab, developing stretchable electronics, an electronic tattoo and range of emotional sensing dresses. Her work has been exhibited at London Science Museum, the Royal Academy of Arts, Centre Pompidou and Venice Biennale. She has worked alongside Institutes including NASA, MIT and Ars Electronica.
“I’m interested in exploring the slipperiness of where science and technology meet the body—what sort of mindset do we need to be in when anticipating the fuzziness of our future—and asking questions like: ‘Does the body become the technology once we ingest it?’” said McRae.
“With the recent reinvigoration of our Havas Health & You brand to occupy the space where health and wellness intersect, this panel that pushes boundaries and challenges norms is supremely appropriate and on-message,” added Donna Murphy, CEO, Havas Health & You.
Hunt added: “I believe that we can find great inspiration from the healthcare professionals on the frontline of health and I look forward to exploring how, as a creative industry, we can leverage these insights to drive positive change.”“I am confident that thinking courageously will unleash the talent to build exceptional brands powerful enough to improve people’s lives,” said Burnett. “I am excited to bring this conversation to the creative hotbed of Cannes.”
Hunt is committed to improving health outcomes for society and delivering commercial success for his clients. The team has a track record of industry firsts across social, mobile, CLM and more recently emojis. To sustain the agency’s position at the forefront of innovation, the agency’s long-term strategy focuses on talent—its development and engagement through #LXAcademy, and its attraction and retention via #LYNXLife.
Burnett builds creative teams from the bottom up and has contributed significantly to the agency’s reputation, harnessing ideas, powerful connections and entrepreneurial spirit. She is a visiting lecturer at the University for the Creative Arts. Agencies and clients for which she’s worked include: Conran, Habitat, National Gallery, Eurostar, Hutchison3G, Sanofi, Novartis and GSK—where she has led groundbreaking consumer and professional campaigns.
