Jury Checkup - Stephanie Berman
As a mammoth judging week in Vegas draws to a close, we checked in with Jury President of Health & Wellness Stephanie Berman, Global CCO of The Bloc to get her take on this years work.
CR: What was the most challenging aspect of evaluating the diverse range of Health & Wellness entries, and how did the jury navigate those complexities to reach consensus on the shortlists and winners?
SB: In a world-class show like LIA, you’re looking at hundreds of entries, most of which you would be so proud to be part of—in that environment it’s always going to be challenging to tease apart the great from the good. Plus, in the health and wellness category, there is a delightful mixed bag of clients. For some, their core business is clearly focused on health. For others, not so much—we’ve seen everything from airlines to hotel chains, financial organizations to supermarkets entered in this space. This jury’s point of view was that if the work has a clear health benefit and aligns with the company’s mission in a way that doesn’t feel cynical or gratuitous, we would consider it.
We were looking to recognize game-changing creativity and innovation that helps move the industry forward. Work that inspires agencies and their clients to continue to push what is possible, that provides a reference point for years to come. Work that had impact. Creativity comes in all shapes and sizes, and we were assessing ideas with budgets ranging from superbowl to shoestring, so we considered impact in the context of that. If the health of 100 people is impacted in a profound way, that is success.
CR: Beyond the obvious creative brilliance, what specific criteria or subtle nuances in the campaigns truly resonated with you personally, and perhaps surprised you, as you were judging?
SB: This being health and wellness, it’s easy to fall in love with the problem—there was quite a bit of that on day 1. But then you have to challenge yourself as a jury on day 2 and 3 to consider whether the solution is as unexpected and compelling as the problem. When you look at it through that lens, you start to see which work is applaudable versus that which is awardable.
CR: Were there any emerging trends or innovative approaches in Health & Wellness communication that particularly stood out to you this year, and do you believe these indicate a significant shift in how the industry is engaging with its audiences?
SB: There continues to be a huge amount of product design and innovation in health & wellness perhaps more than in any other category. It’s a meaningful area to work in, with important problems to solve. StreetNav is a fine example that delivered tangible impact rather than impressive potential, by providing personalized, accessible navigation at scale, updated in real time, for users with mobility challenges.
Additionally, the trend away from big-celeb-influencers in health towards more trustable micro-influencers continues—and of course came to beautiful fruition in Vaseline Verified.
CR: As AI reshapes advertising, how does handmade craft become a strategic or philosophical asset, rather than just a stylistic one?
SB: That’s a great question. It has to be a strategic asset. At least at this point in AI history, handmade craft can still earn you standout. That’s where the conversation with clients should be grounded—I never met a client yet who is willing to write a check for philosophy, but they may invest in production if you can help them understand the business impact.
CR: What was the most rewarding or enjoyable part of your experience as a LIA juror? Was there a particular moment, discussion, or campaign that left a lasting positive impression on you?
SB: This jury team approached the task with respect and integrity, so navigating the complexities didn’t feel challenging—it was awesome to chew over the ideas and the issues together. And we put our trust in the process. In the early stages, there is not so much discussion—you are drinking from the case study firehose, trying to take it all in. It’s a little later that the juicy discussions really start, and by that point, you’ve been in a room together for a good while so there is a degree of trust in place to be able to share conflicting opinions. Sometimes that can shift your own take on the insight, the degree of difficulty, the results, and so on. And sometimes you have to agree to disagree—but at least you can then speak to why the jury as a whole voted the way that it did.
As always, what starts to rise to the top is driven by human insight and delivered with emotion – just make me feel, in any flavor. I loved the balancing act achieved by Son Get Stayfree – it’s fired by purpose to break down cultural norms, but it also gently and adroitly centres the brand. Ruby Blooms was so thoughtfully done, with real specificity of insight and solution. And The Best Place In the World To Have Herpes is damn close to perfection.
CR: Was there a campaign that surprised you? Anything that you hadn’t seen before, that changed the course of discussion for the good?
SB: This year, there was a ton of great work driving testing of different kinds, meeting people where they are with assessments for vision, hearing, and so on. Eye Test Menu in particular got a lot of love from the jury – it had strong cultural insight, gorgeous craft, and closed the loop to a direct solution. Plus, the idea was an actual test, rather than a driver to test, which increases the degree of difficulty considerably.
CR: Looking back at the winning work, what do you hope the broader Healthcare industry takes away from the campaigns that were celebrated this year? What message do these winners send about the future of effective healthcare marketing?
SB: Looking at the winning work, I am struck by the variety of solutions represented there. I’ve already talked about innovative products, but there are also PR-powered ideas, powerful film, energetic activations, engaging social, as well as ideas that defy categorization. So, while there are countless problems facing us today, there are also countless ways to solve for them. That’s inspiring.