McCann Healthcare Sydney scores Best of Show at 2011 IPA Best of Health Awards in London

McCann Healthcare Sydney and Langland, London took home the highly coveted Best of Show awards at the 2011 IPA Best of Health Awards, held at Quaglino’s in London.

McCann Healthcare Sydney was the big winner at the awards, scoring Best of Show to Healthcare Professionals, 2 Golds, 2 Silvers and 3 Bronze awards.

Other Australian winners were UrsaClemenger, Sydney with a Silver and a Bronze each for Sydney shops Ward 6, Saatchi & Saatchi Health and Sudler & Hennessey.

McCann Healthcare’s Best of Show was for its ‘Rational Explanation’ campaign for Pfizer. The mixed media campaign encourages healthcare professionals to screen elderly patients for Alzheimer’s during routine consultations, so that it can be detected in its early stages. The creative work sensitively demonstrates life with Alzheimer’s and features images of a pair of slippers in a toaster, a tomato ketchup bottle next to the shower gel, and crockery piled up in a chest of drawers, accompanied by the tagline ‘There’s a perfectly rational explanation’.

Says Jeremy Perrott, McCann Healthcare’s worldwide creative director: “Great work rises above mediocrity, set standards and new horizons. Mccann Healthcare Sydney prove more than that, not just with gold and silver and bronze, but best of show. Enough said.”

Says June Laffey, creative director of McCann Sydney, who was in London to pick up the awards with Perrott: “We’re a small team, but our passion and commitment is huge. This is a prestigious show, and we’re so happy for our work to be noticed.”

The IPA Best of Health Awards showcase and reward the best in creativity in healthcare advertising from all mediums. From the 374 entries entered into this year’s competition, six Gold, 26 Silver and 63 Bronze awards were presented, as well as the two Best of Show awards and Special Prizes for best use of photography, illustration, copywriting and art direction.

The other big winner on the night was Langland, London, awarded ‘Best of Show’ for advertising to consumers, for its questival.co.uk campaign for Bayer HealthCare. Questival is an interactive website, involving the creative use of webcams, microphones and festival-style graphics and language that provides important information for teenagers and young adults with haemophilia. Topics on the site provide advice regarding travelling abroad, festivals, body art, sex, and more.

Says Steve Stretton, founding partner, Archibald Ingall Stretton and Chairman of Judges: “As the Department of Health’s recent report has shown, healthcare advertising works; if you cut budgets lives are put at stake. It is therefore reassuring to see that the winners of the Best of Health Awards demonstrate that healthcare creativity is alive and well and helping to successfully communicate important healthcare messages. Congratulations to all the winners, particularly the Best of Shows: two great examples of creativity in healthcare communications from opposite sides of the world.”

Says Frank Walters, non-executive chairman, Frontera London and Convenor of Judges: “I was one of the founders of the Best of Health Awards back in 1995, which was formed with the mission to reward and showcase the best in healthcare creativity. This year’s 63 Bronze Awards; 26 Silvers and six Golds are shining examples of this mission and all of them should be very proud of their achievements and in standing out in this highly-regulated sector.”

To view photos from the event, CLICK HERE.