Cannes Lions

KEYTRUDA Masterbrand

DIGITAS HEALTH LIFEBRANDS, Philadelphia / MERCK & CO. / 2021

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Overview

Entries

Credits

OVERVIEW

Background

Adult patients and caregivers.

In the face of an advanced cancer diagnosis, people seek hope and confidence in living their lives. There’s a small window between hearing “cancer” and starting treatment. Putting the brand top of mind at/before diagnosis can lead to asking if KEYTRUDA is right for them.

Execution

The urgency to meet patient needs sparked production innovation that led to a successful hybrid production shoot.

Changing COVID regulations resulted in bidding 10 locations. After selecting Montreal, another regulation emerged: Actors were limited to 15 minutes of shooting time together per day. The team directed selects to bring family members to callbacks. The final cast consisted of real families (most of whom are not actors). Their authentic interactions mirror the engagement/intimacy between family members amid the cancer journey and deliver against the brand’s commitment to genuine storytelling.

A fully remote shoot would have presented overwhelming challenges, but with the agency team unable to enter Canada, a hybrid production approach took form: director/production team in Montreal; core agency team/clients co-located in Pennsylvania; additional team members/partners immersed in the shoot experience through Teams channels/Zoom.

The shoot yielded a content library to support two TV spots and an integrated, multi-channel campaign.