Weber Shandwick and GSK Consumer Healthcare hit a nerve at Cannes with headache relief campaign win
Global agency Weber Shandwick was awarded a Bronze Lion in Health & Wellness at the 2017 Cannes Lions Health Festival this week for its GSK Consumer Healthcare's Excedrin #DebateHeadache.
With earlier research indicating that seven out of ten Americans reported that the 2016 presidential election campaign caused them more headaches than any other election in recent memory, the #DebateHeadache campaign was launched as a way to offer pain relief caused by not only the election season but the third and final US presidential debate.
Leading up to the debate, Excedrin distributed pain relief kits to journalists, teasing that a big headache was coming and that Excedrin would be there to provide relief. On debate day, Excedrin shared a message on Twitter: "The possibility of a #DebateHeadache is high. Be prepared with Excedrin."
This is the second year in a row Weber Shandwick and GSK Consumer Healthcare have earned a Cannes Lion in Health & Wellness for Excedrin.
"Creativity in healthcare is not only about big ideas, but about improving lives," said Gail Heimann, president of Weber Shandwick. "Partnering with GSK Consumer Healthcare has allowed us to raise the bar on both fronts. It's an honor to be recognized for our work together again for the second year in a row."
#DebateHeadache was also shortlisted in two additional Health & Wellness categories, including OTC Oral Medicines for Digital: Social and OTC Oral Medicines for Branded Content and Entertainment: Digital + Social.
Also at Lions Health, Stacey Bernstein, executive vice president and head of Weber Shandwick's global digital health practice, served as a member of the 2017 Health & Wellness Lions Jury. Participating in the "Inside the Jury Room: Health & Wellness" session, Bernstein noted the best creative work in health is "almost always rooted in universal truth."
Weber Shandwick's global healthcare practice has been among the firm's fastest growing practice areas, spanning North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America with expertise in cardiology, immunology, CNS, oncology, anti-infectives, antivirals, metabolic disorders, eye care, orthopedics, pediatrics, women's health, medical devices and more.