Cannes Lions 2024 showcase highlights key trends shaping future pharma marketing

In a historic first, the award-winning work and critical insights from Cannes Lions, the International Festival of Creativity, were presented last week at a series of events held across Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Gurugram. Hosted in collaboration with Medulla Communications, a healthcare advertising agency, the events brought together industry leaders to explore the creative and strategic trends that will shape the future of pharma and healthcare marketing in India.

Revolutionising pharma and healthcare marketing

The events provided a platform for India’s top pharma and healthcare marketing professionals to analyse and discuss the most impactful campaigns from Cannes Lions 2024. The discussions revealed several emerging trends that are set to redefine the industry, highlighting the importance of creativity, technology, and patient-centric approaches in driving future success. 

Rise of Customer-Patient Experience 

Patient centricity is rapidly becoming the cornerstone of modern healthcare. With patients’ expectations evolving—fuelled by the seamless experiences offered in other industries—healthcare providers are increasingly prioritising patient-centred approaches to enhance overall care. 

Achin Gupta, CEO – One India Business, Cipla shared, “It is happening today, all of that is changing and all of that is changing towards what we are now calling ‘patient centricity.’ It’s been around for a while, but there are newer dimensions to it. Starting with awareness, which is a very important thing, especially for emerging markets like India where there’s a lot of prevalence but a lot less awareness about the disease.”

Integrating Healthy Habits

Adopting new behaviours is often challenging for patients and consumers, especially when it comes to managing complex health conditions. The event highlighted the barriers consumers face in integrating new habits into their daily lives, such as the lack of awareness about lifestyle factors and the psychological resistance to change. 

Shivam Puri, MD and CEO, Cipla Health said, “One of the first things we were taught when we started marketing was that try to stay away from categories which are doing category development. And, within a couple of years, I was taught another fact, which was that try not to do category development in categories which involve habit change. So, categories which require consumers to shift their habits, stay away from those categories because it becomes very difficult for you to succeed. Now you know at Cipla Health, you actually realise there is a third category in this where you are trying to do category development in categories which require a habit shift where the habit is one of the stickiest habits that exists.”

Do Doctors Know Everything? 

Disease awareness has become a critical component of pharmaceutical marketing, aiming to educate both healthcare professionals (HCPs) and consumers. These campaigns not only help HCPs make informed decisions but also empower consumers to recognise early symptoms and seek timely medical intervention, ultimately improving health outcomes.

Vikrant Shrotriya, MD & Corporate Vice President, Novo Nordisk went on to say, “I’m not here to prove to you that doctors know everything, but I’ll put across a point that they are part of the ecosystem in terms of the treatment which is provided to the patients. Many times we call them customers because we do sell like doctors, sell their practice.”

Increasing Access in Healthcare through Technology 

Technology is revolutionising healthcare, making it more accessible and efficient. The event showcased how advancements in AI, machine learning, and telemedicine are transforming patient care and experiences. From improving diagnostic accuracy to enabling real-time health tracking through smart devices, these technological innovations are empowering patients and healthcare providers alike. 

Aditi Sood, Business Leader – Sleep and Respiratory Care, Indian Subcontinent, Philips India spoke on access through technology and said, “Coming to how technology can really unlock access to healthcare. So, when we talk about healthcare, of course, technology is there in multiple ways. You know it could be patient, doctor, or industry-facing. But when we look at it specifically from the consumer or the patient lens. This then is typically the health continuum. You have watches which tell your ECG. You even have for more serious diseases such as cancer, AI-powered machines which can diagnose solid organ cancers which was not possible before. The era of robotic surgery. Now coming to India. Robotic surgery does not eliminate the need for a doctor. But in fact, it makes it more accurate and precise. Which means organs which were not accessible before, (like) tumours of the lung, which a doctor could not access in surgery before, are today possible.”

Other trends that emerged over the multiple events ranged from HCPs are Humans Too, CMOs in Today’s Times, Does Being Socially Inclusive Pay for Brands?, Hospital Communication Can Touch Lives Just Like Hospitals Do and Being Socially Inclusive.

The events offered invaluable insights into the evolving pharma and healthcare landscape, sparking discussions on the future direction of the industry. With creativity and technology at the forefront, the future of pharma and healthcare marketing in India is poised for significant advancements, paving the way for improved outcomes for both healthcare professionals and patients.