Havas has launched Welltainment™, billed as a new approach to creativity that harnesses the power of culture, content, and inclusion to close the health equity gap. Unveiled at the 2023 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Welltainment™ aims to co-create entertainment content with writers, producers, musicians, and game programmers that educates, motivates, and advocates for underserved communities most impacted by health inequities.
Havas is making a significant investment to fight health inequity by offering to work free of charge on the six biggest global health challenges. They are looking for brand partners to join in the fight by producing and promoting Welltainment™ content on behalf of a crisis area. The top six areas include hypertension, diabetes, obesity, mental health, pediatric asthma, and sexual wellness.
Havas’ 2023 Meaningful Brands™ study shows that 71% of people feel that companies and brands should do more to improve and support their health and well-being. Historically, the study has highlighted that the most significant issue is around relevance, finding that 75% of brands could disappear tomorrow, and no one would care. This is a significant shift and a valuable insight into what people want brands to focus on.
“Welltainment™ is a new style of creativity that bridges the global health equity gap through creative experiences that enable people to build a more authentic relationship with their well-being,” said Donna Murphy, global CEO of Havas Health & You and Havas Creative Network. “By creating entertainment content with culturally relevant voices, equitable representation, and joy, Welltainment™ can have a meaningful impact on addressing the global crisis.”
With health inequity being one of the greatest threats to humanity in this generation, Welltainment™ strives to bring together the best of creative and health expertise in developing work to level the playing field. Through the integration of education and entertainment, there is an opportunity to create content that is hopeful and inclusive, rather than the traditional fear-based approach creating distrust.
“We need to think differently about how we define creativity in the health and wellness space because the current approach isn’t working, and the health equity gap keeps growing,” said Eric Weisberg, global chief creative officer of Havas Health & You. “Our goal through Welltainment™ is to create entertainment, not advertising. We want to move from ad agencies being in charge of creation by themselves to the power of genuine co-creation with culture drivers and entertainment partners.”
Havas has seen success with this approach through previous strategic collaborations in the wellness and entertainment space, including “Everyday Heroes” with Marvel and Pfizer/BioNTech, “Me My Autism and I” by Reckitt’s brand Vanish, and “Mindshare” with healthcare charity PUISSANCE DYS and Minecraft.
Welltainment™ current strategic partners include entertainment companies Studio Canal, Universal Music Group, and Gameloft–as well as media production companies Hana Kuma and Saville Productions, in addition to culture-shop ANNEX88.
Havas is committing agency resources to the cause and will look for current and prospective partners to join as it expands this new approach.
“Shifting how we work with brands to elevate the conversations around their products is critical to the changes we so desperately need, particularly in the health space,” said Andre Gray, chief creative officer of ANNEX88. “That’s the nexus of the thought on conversation placement as the new product placement. Welltainment™ places the conversation around our wellness directly within our entertainment.”
Welltainment™ will be a prominent topic at the Cannes Lions fest through panels and discussions during the week. Attendees can hear firsthand from the creatives behind the idea and guest speakers, Tiffany Haddish and Jason Lee, on how this approach can lead the way to closing the health equity gap.
Eleanor Adds Director Candice Vernon To Its Roster For Spots and Branded Content
Director Candice Vernon has joined production house Eleanor for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. She has already wrapped several jobs at Eleanor, which waited to announce her until they had a body of work together.
Via Eleanor, Vernon made history as the first Black director on a Febreze commercial. The “Small Spaces” campaign marks a major departure from Febreze’s typical blue-and-white world. The home of the “Revolving Door” commercial is a beautiful array of bold sunset hues, African prints, and African art.
Vernon said, “I asked myself, what feels right to me? What feels new? I wanted to bring an essence of not just Black Americans but the full diaspora. I wanted to make a statement that we’re not a monolith.”
Following the success of the “Small Spaces” campaign, Febreze brought Vernon back for a comedy-infused trifecta exploring the hilarious situations that call for an air freshening hero.
Febreze Brand VP Angelica Matthews said, “About two years ago, we realized the consumers that were the most loyal to Febreze were the African American consumers. And the more we learned, the more we realized the richness that we were really missing. So we said we have to go beyond just Black casting, we need to get Black directors that truly understand the culture that truly understand how to bring authentic performances out on screen. We really looked around the industry and noticed there’s actually a shortage of African American directors who have experience doing commercials. When we all saw Candice’s reel, we could all tell the passion for the craft, passion for really trying to help us from where we are to where we’re trying to go.”
Vernon brings a unique lens to... Read More