Cannes 2015: The gulf between healthcare R&D and marketing innovation

Key takeaways:

• The relevance of Lions Health has been unexpected to Schweikert, and has been so to other mainstream pharma marketers. As an industry, it is very innovative in research and development, but very conservative in marketing and communications. The reason? The regulatory-based healthcare environment has limited marketers in their thinking.

• 'Gen-Y' talent nowadays, such as Natalie Price who crafted a low-cost product that merges wearable and mobile technology to prevent people with dementia from wandering, are completely focused on patient behaviour. Essentially, mainstream pharma marketers are out of touch, and should be aware of it.

• In mainland China, the marketing environment is tougher as the medical problems in the developed world are magnified. For example, the patient volume per doctor in China is three to four times that of the US, and the ability to inform and educate patients in China is far more challenging than in the West. Widespread healthcare outcomes can only happen with the marriage of innovation in pharmaceutical R&D and innovation in digital marketing.

See all of Campaign's round-the-clock festival coverage by our entire international team here: Campaign@Cannes 2015, and follow our own reporters on the ground on Twitter ----> @Byravee @HayJennyC