NEALE’S JOURNAL OF SKETCHES FROM THE CANNES AD FESTIVAL
Published in Reel Chicago, June 2015
When AbelsonTaylor Senior VP Stephen Neale described the responsibilities of being a jury member for the Pharma Lions in Cannes — a lengthy orientation meeting on Sunday followed by a full week of nine-hour days reviewing and analyzing work — we stopped being jealous that he was one of the ten selected this year to do it.
When he asked if we’d like to vicariously live the experience through his daily sketches, we jumped at the chance.
Since being introduced last year, the Pharma and Health & Wellness Lions have stirred up more than the typical amount of passion and debate associated with the International Creativity Awards. Besides representing two completely new categories, they market a form of commerce that is regulated quite differently throughout the world.
“The amount of legal copy required to be in a pharmaceutical television commercial in the United States is this,” Neale explains by holding his hands wide apart. Then, as he gradually brings them within inches of one another, says, “But in other countries, it’s only this.”
It begs the question: Since commercials in the US have to spend so much time satisfying the needs of the FDA, do they compromise the creativity of the agencies that make them?
No doubt, Neale and the jury will discuss the issue at length.
AbelsonTaylor, based in Chicago, has been honored as Agency of the Year three times and most creative agency eleven times by MedAdNews. When AT’s work comes up for review at Cannes this year, Neale will recuse himself and, we hope, find time for a little fun.
