< Back
JURIES : WENDY CHAN ADFEST JURY PRESIDENT: “SOMETIMES, RESTRICTION SPARKS GREATER CREATIVITY”
ADFEST Jury President, Wendy Chan, is Health Creative Lead, APAC, Edelman, Hong Kong. She is the ultimate all-round creative, moving effortlessly between traditional, social, client, pharma and PR during her career at major agencies in China and Hong Kong such as McCann, Ogilvy, Saatchi & Saatchi, Grey Group and Batey Ads. She has won more than 80 awards, including China’s first-ever Cannes Lions. She has been selected as Global top 50 influencer by MM&M in 2019. And top Creative 100 by Adweek in 2020. Her past accolades also include selection as one of the China Top 10 Art Directors in 2007 and she has supported the industry by joining juries at Cannes Lions, Spikes Asia, One Show, ADFEST, LIA, Long Xi and China 4A.
Chan presided over the Entertainment Lotus, Media Lotus and PR Lotus juries. Health advertising and PR are difficult sectors to master. Here, Chan the master of both, explains their complexities and opportunities.
What drew you across to health from a classic creative career path? What skills/attributes have been your greatest allies as you rose to the top?
Wendy Chan: After years of a ‘classic creative’ path, I have actually taken a few leaps to different places – first to a digital agency, followed by working client-side; then a health agency and now in PR and integrated communications. Each change has opened my mind to a new world, giving me different ways of thinking, understanding and seeing things.
When I first joined a health company, I didn’t know much about the industry. But I found it deeply interesting. My FMCG background helped me develop the discipline to understand complex medical knowledge. FMCG marketing is about RTB (Reason to Believe), while Pharma marketing is focused on MOA (Mechanism of Action). It’s amazing to be able to understand how certain drugs work, the biochemical interaction through which a drug substance produces a pharmacological effect.
What are you most proud of?
Wendy Chan: The campaign, Breath of Life, makes me proud, not only because it won a Grand Prix at Cannes, but more importantly because it turned a complicated disease awareness campaign and turned it into a simple, interactive, and culturally relevant call-to-action. The team made the impossible happen.
Health advertising is complicated by its rules. Do you find restraints useful or a hindrance to great creative? Are there any examples of recent health that advertising stand out to you as being excellent?
Wendy Chan: Sometimes, restriction sparks greater creativity. When you are not allowed to take a straight path, suddenly 100 possibilities open up. That’s why it takeS people with a Pharma background to judge the Pharma work. As they will understand the restrictions and level of difficulty.
The quantity and quality of Health and Pharma continues to improve. It’s difficult to pick just one piece of work. The last performance (in Health & Wellness) and Letters for Law (in Pharma) are two I’m always excited to re-watch. ‘The last performance’ boldly partners with ‘Murder Mystery’ and uses the murdered characters as spokespeople. HumoUr is rare in this category, yet they pull it off skillfully. Letter for Law is a simple letter to demonstrate the before and after treatment of the patient, talking to opinion leaders to change the law – the letters became the 2nd most supportive initiative in the new constitution being currently written. It’s alwayS heartening to see positive changes being made in the world through work like this.
How has the rise of wellbeing impacted health advertising?
Wendy Chan: It’s promising to see more work focused on self-acceptance, self-love, emotional health and equality. In fact, some non-health brands are increasingly embracing health angles to reinvigorate their products and marketing. I think this crossover approach is good. The more that companies promote wellbeing, the greater benefits to everyone’s health.
What are the essential ingredients of a great PR campaign? What are the most common failures?
Wendy Chan: Earned media is the essence of classic PR, but today Earned is broader. If you think about the rise of social platforms and the influence of culture, Earned is everything beyond paid media. We’re always thinking about how do we earn people’s attention, interest, advocacy?
The best campaigns always have strong insights, relieve tensions, or tap into culture - then tie these elements back to the product or brand. For example, Eternal Run showcased one’s endless potential through an athletic challenge, See My Skin, confronted biases by showing diverse skin conditions. Keep The Grey embraced aging gracefully.
The most common failures involve creating noise like firework but without any real impact. Action matters more than impressions. It’s not just about a viral stunts but driving conversations that change perception.
21 March, 2024
