Healthcare Connection - June 2025

The Healthcare Connection

June 25, 2025

Creativity isn’t just about winning awards – it’s about breaking through barriers to reach patients and healthcare providers in meaningful ways.

That’s why I’m especially proud to share that Real Chemistry and 21GRAMS made history at this year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, where we achieved something unprecedented: a Gold Lion for branded pharmaceutical work – something that’s never happened before at the festival. It’s a milestone that demonstrates how powerful creativity can be, even in our regulated industry.

Of the 28 campaigns shortlisted in the Pharma category worldwide, eight were ours, spanning work for seven different clients across various therapeutic areas – from rare diseases to women’s health to oncology. Each one represents a unique challenge solved through creative thinking and bold ideas that helped our clients connect with their audiences in powerful new ways.

But here’s what matters most: this recognition validates our belief that breakthrough creativity is essential for driving better health outcomes. When we combine deep scientific understanding with unexpected creative approaches, we help your innovations reach and resonate with the people who need them most. That’s not just award-winning work – it’s life-changing work.

With this year’s results, we’re more committed than ever to push creative boundaries while staying grounded in science and strategy. When you need to cut through the noise and make meaningful connections with healthcare professionals and patients, we’re here for you.

Wendy Carhart
Chief Communications, Culture and Purpose Officer

Celebrating Creativity at Cannes

Cannes is about so much more than the awards. Here are highlights from the fascinating conversations we had during the Festival of Creativity:

“[Friedrich’s ataxia] is…an orphan disease that’s very rare. There aren’t that many of us in the world, and the fact that this is the campaign that’s goofy and… better than everyone else’s…that’s such a flex.”
— Fiona Cauley, comedian and Friedrich’s ataxia patient advocate on Cannesplaining: Behind the Main Stage
“Like brain fertilizer for memory, people remember you when you’re funny.”
— Chris Charles, Executive Creative Director at 21GRAMS, a part of Real Chemistry, for Fierce Pharma
“I always present it as it’s just good for business. I mean, it’s half the population. You don’t want to leave any of that on the table. Cancer. Heart disease. These are not women’s diseases or men’s diseases. They’re just diseases.”
— Jim Weiss, Founder and Chairman at Real Chemistry for “Women’s Health is Just Health: How Men Are Supporting the Women in Their Lives” at Cannes

Join the #MedComms Day Conversation

As we celebrate #MedComms Day 2025 today, our Medical Affairs team is focused on making science both personal and impactful. Our goal is to forge meaningful connections that extend beyond just sharing data.

See how we’re:

🔍 Simplifying Complexity
By translating complex medical terminology into clear, relatable language for patients and families, we improve their understanding and participation in care.

💻 Innovating Digitally
By crafting interactive content and engaging videos, we make research findings both accessible and actionable.

🤝 Empowering Patients
By enhancing patients’ knowledge, we give them the confidence they need to navigate their healthcare journey.

Join us in transforming medical communications. Together, let’s make a difference!

Leading with Boldness

Our CEO, Shankar Narayanan, sat down with PRWeek to talk about what it really takes to lead: how powerful communication sparks change, why creativity can’t be boxed in, and what it means to show up on the world’s biggest stage.

Listen to The PRWeek Podcast →

BIO 2025: New Insights for Emerging Biotechs

Whether you’re developing breakthrough gene therapies or other innovative treatments, these strategic perspectives will help you build trust, drive adoption and ensure your innovations reach the patients who need them most.

“A campaign [that] health could learn from is Coors Lights Out. It’s a master class in relevance, based on a cultural moment, in which Shohei Ohtani hit a foul ball that broke the Coors Light sign at Citi Field. Coors created a viral, limited-edition can that reflected this moment, showing the brand was in tune with the audience. Health is a critical part of culture but struggles with being culturally relevant. Agility and being more tapped into what the audience truly loves and shares is our next frontier.”

— Frank Mazzola, Global Chief Creative Officer, for Real Chemistry’s MM+M Agency 100 Profile

– The Team at Real Chemistry

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