Cannes, France—I had the opportunity to attend the very firstLions Health in Cannes this last weekend. The event not only awarded the top work in healthcare advertising, it also brought together thought leaders from around the industry and beyond to talk about the opportunities ahead for life-changing creativity. This week and next, we’ll post some of the highlights here, but you can see all the live blogs and tweets from the event floor at the inVentivLions tumblrand #inVentivLions.
Here’s the first best-of post:
Jim Stengel, CEO of the Jim Stengel Company and former P&G CMO, believes we create work that changes lives, but we’re not doing enough today.
He said, your work “feels predictable; it feels expected. It feels like P&G 15 years ago. I know you’re regulated, but there are things that aren’t regulated that you can change.”
Elevating that work means having a big brand idea, creating a story and telling it, and being the kind of organization that has something to say.
These are the big shifts changing our opportunity and industry:
1. Big brand ideas
The work that breaks through starts with an idea that transcends advertising. A single idea people think about when they think about your brand, one that’s rooted in a universal truth, is authentic to the brand, and starts with a defined purpose.
One of his favorite big idea examples is Metro’s safety campaign (an award winner here last year). It reduced near-miss accidents by 30% and earned most of its media with a simple big idea and a shareable, fun video.
2. Told in great stories
Share stories that are authentic and rewarding. Those can be stories that the brand tells or ones it’s audience does. A favorite example is Sanofi’s Connecting Nurses. It has brought together 14 million nurses from over 130 countries to share their ideas on how to bridge the gaps in healthcare and resources that happen around the world.
Sanofi is extending the program to patient communities next.
3. By energized organizations
Jim believes talent and organizational energy are the new competitive advantage.
Just 13% of employees around the world feel engaged at work today. That’s a huge gap because companies with higher engagement have 22% higher profitability. (Gallop)
Changing that starts with engaging everyone with a purpose. Employees who find purpose in their work have 1.7 times higher job satisfaction and are 1.4% more engaged in their work.
